PNB 3RM3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Dependent And Independent Variables, Standard Deviation

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour
• Course: PNB 3RM3
• Professor: Ali Hashemi

Document Summary

This research article example: researcher has identified a research question. Variable: a quantity / quality that varies across people or situations. Ex: the height of students in a class is a variable because it varies from student to student. Quantitative variable: a quantity (ex: height) that is measured by assigning a number to each individual. Categorical variables: a quality (ex: a chosen major) and is measured by assigning a category label to each individual. Population: large group of people researchers are usually interested in drawing conclusions about, but: researchers usually only study a small subset / sample of this population. Random sampling: every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected for the sample. Convenience sampling: most common alternative to random sampling, where the sample consists of individuals who happen to be nearby and willing to participate, problem: sample might not be representative of the population.