PSYC2012 Study Guide - Final Guide: Level Of Measurement, E.G. Time, Frequency Distribution
Document Summary
There have been many recent scandals in psychology regarding research ethics. The most common ethical issue is what is known as data irregularities". Elements of the scientific method: objectivity, confirmation, replication / failure to replicate. Variables: conceptual vs. operational (theory vs. practice, categorical vs. continuous, manipulated vs. measured. Independent variable what you manipulate: dependent variable what you measure. Nominal/discrete/categorical: each category has its own identity, can only make same/different comparisons, e. g. colour scale. Ordinal scale: the levels of the scale can be ordered as higher, lower or equal, e. g. race places - 1st, 2nd, 3rd. Interval scale: units are equally spaced but there is not inherent zero, cannot have an absence of the quantity, e. g. temperature. Ratio scale: equally spaced units and an absolute zero, e. g. time. Histogram a graph of a frequency distribution. Symmetrical: bell-shaped, bimodal, rectangular, asymmetrical, positive skew, negative skew.