Wednesday, April 25

Congrats on completing the final week of the semester. Next week we have the review and then the final exam. You should be working on your final paper this weekend. This week in class we covered the following;
ANOVA (Analysis of Variance)
Post-hoc comparisons

Research Ethics
Tenure
Internal Review Board; Free choice, privacy, and benefit not harm
Ethics with research results

For this week's posting, just post you name. As long as I see you posted a comment that has your name on it, I'll give you credit. Its the end of the semester and you all deserve a break. I'll see you on Monday

Wednesday, April 18th

Good work this week class. We got caught up today and are right on track with the syllabus. Here is what we covered this week;

Experiments
Factors for causation (Casual order, covary, no intervening)
Control
Attribute variables
Random assignment
Pretests
Double blind procedure
Confounding variables (suppressor, reinforcer, lurking)
Types of experimental designs (One group posttest only, one group pretest-posttest, pretest-posttest control group, Solomon 4 Group design)

Chi square
t-test

In class we discussed the difference between independent samples and paired samples t-test. For posting, I would like you to come up with an independent samples t-test and then a similar paired samples t-test. (In class, we used the example of a training film at a car dealership. An independent samples t-test would give half the participants the training video and compare their sales productivity after the video to a control group that did not receive the video. If the group who watched the video had higher productivity, then the video is successful.A paired samples example would be to measure sales individuals' productivity, show them all the training film, and then measure their productivity again. If their was an increase, the video is successful.

Wednesday, April 11th

Good work in class this week. I'm looking forward to reading your research assignments and should have grades posted by Friday evening. Here is a review of chapter 5.
Every score is made up of random error and measurement error
Potential threats to Internal Validity
How the research is conducted
Multiple Administration
Internal Consistency
Measurement Validity
Content validity (face, criterion, construct)
Good treatment
Environmental influences
Effects due to research participants
Hawthorne Effect
Selection (self selection, regression effect, ceiling and floor effect)
Mortality
Evaluation apprehension
Effects due to researchers
Research personal attribute effect
Researcher unintentional expectancy effect
Researcher Observational Bias (observer Drift, observer bias, halo effect)
Potential threats to external validity
Sampling
Random sample (simple, systematic, stratified, cluster)
Nonrandom sample (convenience, volunteer, purposive, quota, network sample)
Ecological validity
Replicate findings
Constructing Scales

Question for thought:
Think of a research question where a nonrandom sample would be needed. Describe the study, the nonrandom sample, and why this sampling would be needed.