PYC3704 – Psychological ResearchTopic 1Inferential Statistics– concerned with inferring numerical properties of statistical populations fromsample dataTheory:Accounts for facts and suggest how they are related to each other. A framework of ideas thatprovides an explanation of somethingThe theory – if true – implies what we should observe under certain specific circumstancesPsychological research:Testing theories of human behaviour / testing of theories against observationsPurpose is to gather and organise dataBuild theories and test them empirically, through observationTheory:A network of postulated relations between constructs / concepts / variablesConstructs:building blocks of theorytheoretical in naturedeliberately created / proposed to explain certain observationsoften refer to a hypothetical aspect of a person / situationcannot be observed, has to be inferred from behaviouri.e. anxiety = sweat, empty sensation in stomach, heart palpitations are all symptoms causedby unseen underlying processAnxiety =LATENT variable-hidden / interveningBehaviour instances of sweating / palpitations=MANIFEST variablesVariable akaindicators / referents / observable consequences / implicationsBased on the observable behaviour of an abstract construct / concept– we can derive ananxiety scoreTo arrive at a score – we must provide a measured operational definition of the construct; ameasurement model for each constructBy identifying observable behavioural instances of a construct – one can measure itDEPENDENT VARIABLE - Variable that is influenced –the EFFECTINDEPENDENT VARIABLE – Variable that influences –the CAUSEOPERATIONAL DEFINITION :Specifying observable instances of a construct2 KINDS1.THEORETICAL definitionof a construct – where a construct is defined in terms of otherconstructs2.OPERATIONAL definitionof psychological constructs – constructs defined in terms ofobservable instances (necessary for measurement)- allows us to bridge the gap betweentheoretical constructs and observations by spelling out what must be done to measure theconstructOPERATIONALISING OF CONSTRUCTS– process followed to make abstract conceptsempirically observable – making them measurable – transforming theoretical constructs intoempirical constructsINDICATOR–an observable measure of a construct
Intelligence = constructVocab and numerical competence = indicators of the construct intelligenceBased on indicators one can specify behaviours associated with the constructsNOMINAL LEVELS OF MEASUREMENTLabels – just a nameCan’t measure the differenceDiscrete – distinct & separateMutually exclusive - choosing one automatically excludes the otherExhaustive – makes provision for all possible variablesORDINAL LEVELSWhen data needs to be ranked in an order of importanceLeast to most / always to neverThe degree of difference cannot be measuredINTERVAL
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