The document discusses key concepts in research methods and statistics. It provides definitions and explanations of terms like variables, hypotheses, reliability, validity, experimental research, measures of central tendency and variability, levels of measurement, and the scientific method. The document is a study guide or review of important foundational concepts for conducting quantitative research.

1. 3rd step in intro significant of the topic
comes up where
abstract
explains to the reader the
basic purpose for writing
the paper and any relevant
results and conclusions
abstract variables
variables that change or differ
overt time or across
situations or contexts
(communication satisfaction
or self-disclosure)
accuracy, authority,
currency, objectivity
in order to check the
validity of a web source you
must look for what?
accurate, self contained,
concise
abstracts should be what

2. alters parameter of
statistical test
limitation of unidirectional
hypotheses
anchors strongly agree, agree,
disagree, are what
antecedent and consequent what do propositions
consist of
apparatus
describes the materials used
int eh specific study, what
they are (explain), if yo built
them include directions
argument
a series of propositions in
which one follows logically
as a conclusion from the
others

3. attribute
refer to the specific category
of a variable i.e. biological sex
includes the attributes male
or female categorical
axiom generally accepted
principles or rules
Berlo who said communication is
like a river
bimodial, multimodial two modes, more than two
modes
bipolar scale semantic differential scale
is also known as

4. categorical attributes are
cause
manipulation is the blank in
a cause and effect
relationship
chronbach's alpha
reliability
most commonly used single
administration scalar
reliability used by social
scientist
clever hans
an example of a scientist
not maintaining control of
extraneous variables
communication
the process by which one
person stimulates meaning in
the minds of another person
through verbal and nonverbal
messages

5. communication and mass
media complete
what is the most useful
database for com majors
communications
focuses on mediated
technology is used to
communicate messages to
large numbers of people
comparison group (control)
which group in a study
receives no treatment (no
control condition)
concrete variables stable of consistent as in
biological sex or birth order
conditional or hypothetical what are the most
important propositions

6. confounding variables cannot always be prevented
but can be controlled
control
the process where an individual
both prevents personal biases from
interfering with the research study
and makes sure there are no other
explanations from what is seen in
the study
controlled the confounding variable is
what
criterion variable dependent variable is aka
data any record or observation

7. dependent variable measurement focuses on
which variable
describe, organize,
interpret data
statistics allows us to
descriptive statistics
are used to organize and
summarize information or
data (describes number of)
percentages
difference
the degree to which one
person or a group of people
are dissimilar from another
person or group of people
difference in kind
when two or more groups do
different things associated
with their groups (footballers
play football, cheerleaders
cheer)

8. difference of degree
when two groups have
differing degree of a variable
that they both display (look at
verbal aggression in football
players and cheerleaders)
directional research
questions
asks if there is a positive or
negative relationship
between two variables
do not
differences in kind
___________relate to
statistics
dyads
focuses on collecting
information about two
people involved in an
interpersonal relationship
dynaminc and changing human communication is
what

9. ecological fallacy
• a concept similar to stereotyping and
occurs when researchers assume that
because a participant is a member of a
specific group or culture that he or she
possesses all the same communication
characteristics as the group
empirical generalizations
an attempt to describe a
phenomenon based on what we
know about the phenomenon at
the time (basically based on
what we observed)
empirical, objective, and
controlled
observations must be what?
empiricism
science is only acceptable
insofar as the phenomenon in
question can be sensed (if you
don't have physical proof it
doesn't exist)
epistemology
ways of knowing or how we
know what we know,
through which framework

10. face or content, predictive
or concurrent, construct or
factorial
three types of validity
face validity
does not involve the use of a
correlation coefficient,
subjective type of validity, just
seeing if at face value people
false
on semantic differential
scales you have to write the
numbers
falsified
in order for a theory to be a
true theory it must have the
ability to be what?
fifth component a thesis is what component
of an introduction

11. frequency then percentile sex is indicated with
greater than
on a positively skewed set of
data the mean will be
___________the median
or mode
hasty generalization
generalizing something
when there is not enough
evidence to make the
generalization.
hypotheses
the conclusion that occurs
at the end of a series of
propositions is a what?
Ibn al-Haytham who created the first
scientific method

12. importance of topic, it's a
relatable phenomena, why
we should care
significane of the topic
section should show
increase reliability, ****
over validity
response sets typically do
what to reliability
independent variable manipulation primarily
focuses on which cariable
individuals
these studies focus on
temperament, personality or
communication traits or the
research could focus on specific
communication strategies or
behaviors selected by a person
individuals, dyads, groups,
organizations
most communication
research examines
communication in these
four units of analysis

13. inferential statistics
Used in order to make
prediction draw conclusions
about the larger group based
upon the smaller group.
interpret the results,
connect to lit review,
explain how knowledge has
changed as a result of this
results discussion should do
what?
interval
multiple items on a
semantic differential scale
are what?
interval
multiple items on a likert
scale are thought to be what
type of measures
interval level variables
allow a researcher to rank
order items and to compare
the magnitude of difference
between each category

14. interval level variables
likert, semantic differential,
and scalagram scales
measure what?
interval variables
the personal report of
public speaking anxiety
sues what type of variables
intervening variables
additional variables whose
presence may impact the
relationship between he
dependent and independent
variables
isomorphic
identity or similarity form, ties
results to reality and shows
that what you are measuring is
actually what you think you
are measuring
italicized anchors should always be
what according to apa

15. item construction, length of
instrument, administration
of test
three ways to improve
reliabiity
kind and degree two types of differences
latent variable
(hypothetical variable)
a variable that a researcher
cannot directly observe but is
inferred from other variables
that are observable and
measured directly
less than
negatively skewed data the
mean will be_______ the
median or mode
likert scale
strongly agree agree
disagree strongly disagree
scale type

16. likert scales
designed to measure
attitudes, start with a
descriptive sentence and then
offer a range of possible
choices
likert, semantic differential,
scalagram scales
list three types of scales
used to measure interval
level variables
lit review developing rationale is
where
literature review
the selection of available documents (published
and unpublished) on a given topic that contain
information, opinions, data and evidence written
from a particular point of view that aids in a
reader's understanding of pertinent review prior to
examing the results in a new study. A series of brief
research papers about various related topics.
manipulated the independent variable is

17. manipulation,
measurement, and control
primary mission of research
is the (blank) of variables
manipulation,
measurement, control
what are the three pillars of
experimental research
may skew data, outliers limitations of mean
mean
most powerful measure of
central tendency for
statistical analysis
mean and standard
deviation
when reporting the
participants ages you must
include

18. mean, median, mode measures of central
tendancy
measured the dependent variable is
measurement
the systematic observation
and assignment of numbers
to phenomena according to
rules
median
best measure of central
tendency when looking at
data with extreme scores
missing info in a specific
context, different sample
populations, out of date
information, theoretically
driven
types of research gaps

19. mode value that occurs most
frequently in a data set
mode
most general and least
precise of all descriptive
statistics (measures of
central tendency)
mutually exclusive,
equivalent, exhaustive
rules for nominal level
variable categories
mutually exclusive, logically
ordered, balanced to
represent amount of
characteristic possessed by
participant
ordinal variables must be
negatively skewed the tail is longer on the left

20. neutral
when two variables have no
relationship with each
other they are
nominal variables
democrat/republican/other,
occupation, religion,
ethnicity are all examples of
nominal, ordinal, interval,
ratio
four variable levels
non random assignment
(intact group)
groups where participants
choose their own group as
in playing golf or not, you
see, etc
null hypothesis represents there is NO
relationship

21. null hypothesis researches always test
which hypothesis
numerical values are
objective
scientist making sure that
their personal emotions
predictions and biases do not
get in the way is an example
of being what
objective
scientific research is more
what (objective or
subjective)
observations
portion of study where
researcher attempts to test
the hypothesis

22. one tailed (unidirectional)
hypothesis
a hypothesis that predicts the
specific nature of the
relationship or difference as in
this is positively correlated
with this or negatively
operationalize variables defining things allows a
research to do what?
ordinal single items on semantic
differential scales are what
ordinal level variables
allow us to rank order
attributes with regard to
which has less versus which
has more (variable type)
orinal
individual item on a likert
scale is though to be what
type of measurement

23. parameter the average of an entire
population
participants, apparatus,
procedure, instrumentation
methods section is broken
down into what four areas
Popper's
which versions of the
scientific method is most
commonly used today
positive, negative, neutral
relationships between
variables are typically
either
positively skewed
the tail of the curve is
longer on the right side of
distribution

24. predict the future, be
capable of being falsified
a theory must
preview
author lists the specific
sections that he or she is
planning on covering in the
literature review of the paper
proposition
a statement that either
confirms or denies
something
qualitative
modes is best used to
measure what kind of data?
(sex, political affiliation,
class rank)
qualitative
nominal level variables
have what type of
characteristics?

25. qualitative (interpretive or
critical)
the humanism
epistemological approach is
most closely correlated with
what type of research
quantitative
scalar reliability is the most
common form of reliability
in what type of research
quantitative interval level variables have
what characteristics
quantitative and qualitative
ordinal level variables have
what kind of
characteristics?
quantitive
the scientific
epistemological approach is
more closely related with
what type of research?

26. range most general measure of
variability
range
the distance between the
larges value and the lowest
value is known as what?
range
does not tell us how each
score in the distribution
differs from the mean
range, variance, standard
deviation
measures of variability
(dispersion)
relationship
refers to the
correspondence or
connection between two
variables.

27. reliability
the accuracy that a measure
has in producing stable,
consistent measurements
reliability, validity, faking
responses, response sets,
bad items
problems with measure
research the use of the scientific
method to answer questions
research question
an explicit question a
research asks about a
variable of interest
response set
any tendency that causes a
person to give different
responses to test items than
he or she would if the item was
presented in a different form

28. results discussion,
limitations, future research
the discussions section is
broken down into which
three sections
retell arguments made results discussion should
NOT
sample subset of a population
scalar reliability
the most common form of
reliability assessed in
quantitative research
scalar reliability
the generalized attitude
measures scale is an
example of what type of
reliability?

29. scalogram scale
used to determine when
people cut themselves off in
relation to a specific belief
scientific and humanism two most prominent
epistemological approaches
scientific method
in order for humanistic
research to be scientific it
must follow what?
semantic differential scale
good/bad, happy/sad,
eventful/uneventful,
positive/negative scale as in
good (1)_________bad(7)
semantic differential scales
ask respondents to rate
their opinions on a linear
scale between two
endpoints

30. seven most common number of
steps on a likert scale
sextus empiricus who rejected the belief in
the divine nature of illness
Shannon and Weaver
model
the SMCR model is also
known as
skewness the curve of your data
small populations
qualitative research is
typically used to explain
what population

31. standard deviation
tells us how far each score
differs from the average and to
other scores and provides us
with a more descriptive and
easier to use number
standard deviation the square root of the
variance is known as what?
subjective
qualitative research is more
what (objective or
subjective)
subjective
knowledge arises out of the
researcher's own opinions and
perceptions and usually is only
applied to explain small
groups
subjects
when looking through a
database you should first
search what

32. sum of squares variance is dependent upon
what?
sum of squares and number
of participants
in order to calculate
variance you must know
what?
sweeping generalization an ecological fallacy is also
known as
syllogism
three propositions (two
premises and one
conclusion) is known as
test retest reliability
giving the same group of
people the same test at a
different time and seeing if
their results are similar

33. theories
a proposed explanation for how a set of
natural phenomena will occur, capable of
making predictions about the phenomena
for the future and capable of being
falsified through empirical observation
theories, predictions
(hypotheses) observations,
generalizations
steps in the scientific
method
theory
a proposed explanaton for how a set
of natural phenomena will occur,
capable of making predictions
about the phenomena for the future
and capable of being falsified
through empirical observation
thesis
a short declarative sentence
that explains to a reader the
purpose of the paper itself
two-tailed (or
bidirectional) hypothesis
predicts that there is a significant
difference or relationship but does
not indicate the speicifc nature of
the difference (which group would
have a higher score) or relationship
(positive or negative)

34. validity
does your tool measure
what it was intended to
measure
validity
the degree to which an
instrument measures what
it is intended to measure
values
refers to the numerical
designation assigned to each
variable to allow for statistical
analysis. Click one for male
two for female numerical
variability (dispersion)
range, variance, and
standard deviation are all
measures of what?
variable any entity that can take on a
variety of different values

35. variance
how wide or spread out a
distribution is or the average
distance of the scores for an
interval or ratio scale from the
mean in square units
vary a variable must do what
why there could be a
difference between
variables
rationale for a research
question explains what