IMPORTANT TERMS

1. IMPORTANT TERMS • RSCH 7100 • Educational Research

3. Objectives • Differentiate between concept and construct. • Distinguish between types of variables: • categorical continuous • dependent independent

4. CONCEPT • Abstraction from observed events • General heading to simplify events • Distillation of common characteristics • Directly OBSERVABLE

5. CONCEPT EXAMPLES • tree dog chair • G. P. A. quiz grade • IQ score GRE test score • a test score # of words spoken • operational definition • level of hearing threshold

7. CONSTRUCT • Used to summarize observations • Provides explanations • Higher level abstractions • Combines concepts • Accounts for observed regularities and relationships

8. CONSTRUCT EXAMPLES • motivation listening vocabulary • intelligence reading readiness • extroversion scholastic aptitude • justice anxiety

10. WHICH ARE WHICH? • Score on the Georgia exit exam • CONCEPT • Anxiety • CONSTRUCT • golf ball • CONCEPT

11. WHICH ARE WHICH? • # of correct answers on a quiz • CONCEPT • School readiness • CONSTRUCT • Computer literacy • CONSTRUCT

12. VARIABLES • defined as a factor--thing that varies • characteristic or condition that changes or has different values for different individuals

13. CATEGORICAL VARIABLE • Attribute used when participants are classified by sorting them into groups • Consists of separate indivisible categories • no values can exist between two neighboring categories

14. Examples of Categorical Variables • home language--English, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, Cajun • ethnicity--Caucasian, African-American, Asian-American, Native-American

15. DICHOTOMOUS VARIABLE • A categorical variable when ONLY two groups are used • Examples • Gender Male--Female • Awake Yes--No • Course Grade Pass--Fail • Residence Citizen--Alien

16. CONTINUOUS VARIABLE • Infinite number of values within a range • Divisible into an infinite number of fractional parts

17. Examples of Continuous Variables • IQ scores height • age weight • Anxiety levels IOWA test scores • GRE scores quiz scores

18. WHICH ARE WHICH? • age broken down into groups of 11-15, 16-19, 20-24, 25-29, and 30-34 • CATEGORICAL • Iowa Tests of Basic Skills test scores • CONTINUOUS • American or Foreigner • DICHOTOMOUS

19. WHICH ARE WHICH? • Income • CONTINUOUS • Income: below $5, between $6 - $10, between $11 - $15, and $16 - $20 hour • CATEGORICAL • Income: Yes No • DICHOTOMOUS

20. DEPENDENT VARIABLE • Object of study • Depends on/varies with independent variable • Observed for changes to assess the effect of the treatment • What is being MEASURED

21. DEPENDENT VARIABLE • LAST variable cited • Academic achievement or learning • Abbreviated as DV

22. DV EXAMPLES • What is the effect of parental status on SELF-CONCEPT among teenagers? • What is the effect of exercise on WEIGHT LOSS among senior citizens? • Is there a significant difference between boys and girls in MATH ACHIEVEMENT at the middle school level?

23. INDEPENDENT VARIABLE • Manipulated/changed by the experimenter • We study its effects • Causative agent • Occurs antecedent to the dependent variable • Experimental treatment

24. INDEPENDENT VARIABLE • FIRST variable cited • Predictions made FROM independent TO dependent variable • Abbreviated as IV

25. IV EXAMPLES • What is the effect of PARENTAL STATUS on self-concept among teenagers? • What is the effect of EXERCISE on weight loss among senior citizens? • Is there a significant difference between BOYS and GIRLS in math achievement at the middle school level?

26. TYPES OF IVS • ACTIVE • directly manipulated by researcher prior to data collection • look for its effects on the DV • it acts on and causes changes in DV • people can be placed in any of its levels

27. Examples of Active IV • method of teaching (i.e., computer-based instruction, traditional instruction, cooperative groups) • method of grouping (homogeneous, heterogeneous, mixed-age, mixed-grade, same-grade) • exercise method (none, aerobic, abs)

28. TYPES OF IVS • ATTRIBUTE • an IV that cannot be manipulated • Characteristics that cannot be changed at will • people can be placed in only one level--the one they are already in • an IV used as a descriptor of study (i.e., all in study same on that IV)

29. Examples of Attribute IV • Age sex • Ethnicity social class • Marital Status • Geographic Location • Hearing Loss

30. WHICH IS WHICH IV? • Amount of alcohol consumed • ACTIVE • Socioeconomic status • ATTRIBUTE---researcher cannot make someone low SES one day and high SES next day • Degree of vision loss • ATTRIBUTE

31. WHICH IS WHICH IV? • Computer vs traditional instruction • ACTIVE • Blonde vs red haired males • ATTRIBUTE • Four different levels of exercise • ACTIVE

32. TO BE REMEMBERED • Whether an IV that is normally active is active depends on use in particular study. • If all persons in study are same in regard to an active IV (e.g., same method of instruction), then that active IV is an attribute variable in that study.

33. ACTIVE--ATTRIBUTE VARIABLE • All of sample exercise 10 minutes daily • ATTRIBUTE • All of sample have imbibed 10 ounces of alcohol • ATTRIBUTE

34. WHICH IS WHICH? • What is the effect of anger on aggressiveness? • IV is DV is • anger aggressiveness • Anger--active or attribute IV? • ACTIVE

35. WHICH IS WHICH? • What is the effect of sleep deprivation on final exam grades among college students? • IV is DV is • sleep deprivation exam grades • Sleep deprivation-active or attribute IV? • ACTIVE

36. WHICH IS WHICH? • What is the effect of gender and age on memory skills of preschool children? • IV is DV is • gender/age memory skills • Gender and age-active or attribute IVs? • ATTRIBUTE

37. Yes, • We are • DONE!!