PSYC 2130 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Random Assignment, Confounding

• School: York University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 2130
• Professor: Frank Marchese

Document Summary

Chapter 2: methods of personality research and assessment. Fa(cid:272)tor that"s hypothesized to (cid:272)ause the (cid:271)eha(cid:448)iour (cid:271)ei(cid:374)g studied is syste(cid:373)ati(cid:272)ally (cid:448)aried. All other possible causative factors are held constant. Confounding variables: factors inadvertently allowed to co-vary with group assignment. To eliminate, groups must be equivalent in personal characteristics -> random assignment. Matched random assignment: enhance confidence that charac. are equally distributed. High degree of control (systematically varying) over context, enviro. : increases confidence that relationships observed are cause-and-effect. Observations of all subjects under the same condition. Pair of observations collected for each member of a group of subjects. Criteria: strength (magnitude) of relationship & how variables relate. : some variables are impossible to vary systemically (sex, age), can observe variable over broader range (natural), examine large number of variables simultaneously, less time & cheaper. : directionality problem: not knowing which variable causes the other. Temporal precedence: for one factor to be the cause, it must be present before the change.