PSY 250 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Simple Random Sample, Categorical Variable, Dependent And Independent Variables
Document Summary
Define the concept of a variable, distinguish quantitative from categorical variables, and give examples of variable that might be of interest to psychologists. Explain the difference between a population and a sample. Describe two basic forms of statistical relationship and give examples of each. Interpret basic statistics and graphs used to describe statistical relationships. Variable- quantity or quality that varies across people or situations. Quantitative variable- quantity, such as height or weight, that is assigned by a number. Categorical variable- quality, such as sex, and is assigned by a category. Population- a very large group of people, changing depending on interests and goals of the research. Sample- smaller subset of the population polled to complete research. Simple random sampling- everyone in the population has an equal and random chance at being selected. Operational definition- a definition of the variable in terms of precisely how it is to be measured.
