Basic Research Terminology

1. Basic Research Terminology A study, investigation, or a research project. -Subjects (sometimes abbreviated as ss) or the study participants: the people who are being studied. -Respondents or, sometimes, informants: when the subjects provide information to the researchers.

2. Researcher ,investigator, or scientist :is the person who undertakes the research. • Principal investigator or project director; the main person directing the investigation when a study is under taken by a research team

3. Concepts:- • - Conceptualization refers to the process of developing and refining abstract ideas. • Scientific res .Is almost always concernedwith abstract rather than tangible phenomena.

4. Variables:- -Within the context of a research investigation, concepts are referred to as variables. • Is something that varies or differs from one person to another. • All research activity is aimed at trying to understand how or why things vary and to learn how differences in one variable are related to differences in another.

5. -A variable, then, is any quality of person, group or situation that varies or takes on different values.-Categorical variables: place individuals intocategorical ( as: pregnant / not pregnant, male/ female, single/ married/ divorced/ widowed).

6. Attribute variables: are often inherent ch.ch. Such as age, blood type, health beliefs. • Heterogeneity: when an attribute is extremely varied in the group under study, the group is said to be heterogeneous with respect to that variable

7. Homogeneity:when the members of the group are highly similar to one another with respect to that variable, the group is described as homogeneous. • Demographic variables:- • Are ch. ch or attributes of the subject that are collected to describe the sample.

8. Dependent variables and Independent variables. • Independent variable Presumed cause. • Dependent variablepresumed effect. • Variability in the dependent variable is presumed to depend on variability in the independent variable.

9. The dependent variable is the variable the researcher is interested in understanding explaining, or predicating. • Dependent is the response, behaviors or out come that the researcher wants to predict or explain.

10. The dependent variable is the “effect’’ or the variable that is influenced by the researcher’s manipulation (Control) of the independent variable. • The designation of a variables as independent or dependent is a function of the role that the variable plays in a particular investigation.

11. Operational Definitions: • The researcher usually clarifies and define the variable under investigation. • The definition must specify how the variable will be observed and measured in the actual research situation. • It is a specification of the operations that the researcher must perform to collect the required information.

12. This operational definition clearly indicated to both the investigator and to the consumer what is meant by the variable weight. • Precision in defining the terms has the advantage of communicating exactly what the terms mean. -Data:- singular, datum) Are the pieces of information obtained in the course of the investigation

13. Relationship:- • Refers to a bond or connection between two variables or more. • Example: • Height: taller people will weigh more than shorter people. • Metabolism: the lower a person’s metabolic rate, the more he or she will weigh. • Caloric intake: people with higher caloric intake will be heavier than those with lower caloric intake. • Exercise: the greater the amount of exercise, the lower the person’s weight.

14. Variables can be related to one another in different ways: • Cause – and – effect (or causal relationships).( as natural phenomena) – eating more calories causes weight gain. • Functional relationship • Control • Research control attempts to eliminate any contaminating factors that might obscure the relationship between the variables that are of central interest.