CONCEPT – mental construct representing some part of the world, in simplied form

VARIABLE – a concept whose value changes from case to case. The moment you start

to measure a concept it becomes a variable.

MEASUREMENT – the process of determining the value of a variable in a specific case.

OPERATIONALIZING A VARIABLE – specifying exactly what one is to measure in

assigning a value to a variable; define in empirical terms.

RELIABILITY – quality of consistent measurement.

VALIDITY – the quality of measuring precisely what one intends to measure.

MODE – the value that occurs most often in a series of numbers.

MEAN – the arithmetic average of a series of numbers.

MEDIAN – the value that occurs midway in a series of numbers arranged from hi to low.

POPULATION – the people (or items) that are the focus of your study.

SAMPLE – a part of the population researchers select to represent the whole.

UNIT OF ANALYSIS – the particular variable (people, thing) that you are studying

FALSIFICATION – To demonstrate that something (some claim) is false.

TAUTOLOGY – the reason is the same as the statement of claim.

CAUSE AND EFFECT – a change in one variable causes a change in another variable.

INDEPENDENT VARIABLE – the variable that causes the change.

DEPENDENT VARIABLE – the variable that changes.

CORRELATION – a relationship in which two or more variables change together.

SPURIOUS CORRELATION – an apparent but false association between two or more

variables caused by a third or outside variable.

CONTROLING FOR - holding constant a variable that may have an impact on the

dependent variable in order to clearly see the effect of the independent variable.

OBJECTIVITY – a state of personal neutrality in conducting research.

HYPOTHESIS – an unverified statement of a relationship between variables.

RESEARCH METHOD – a systematic plan for conducting research.

HAWTHORNE EFFECT – change in a subject’s behavior caused by the awareness of

being studied.

OBSERVATION – to verify with the senses

FACT – observed phenomenon

SOCIAL FACT – social phenomenon that has an objective reality beyond the lives and

perceptions of particular individuals.

LAW – universal generalizations about classes of facts, thought to be discovered not

created.

THEORY – systematic explanation for observations

CONCEPTS – basic building blocks of theory; abstract elements representing classes of

phenomena

AXIOM/Postulate – fundamental assertions taken to be true on which theory is based

PROPOSITIONS – conclusions drawn about relationships between concepts

HYPOTHESIS – specified expectations about empirical reality – drawn from propositions

DEFINE – specify the meaning of all variables