Research Methods Key Terms

What is the intention or purpose of a study called?

• Hypothesis
• Aim
• Variable
• Experiment

What is the testable statement predicting no significant difference or relationship between variables?

• Null hypothesis
• Alternative hypothesis
• Directional hypothesis
• Non-directional hypothesis

Which term refers to the testable statement predicting levels of the independent variable in an experiment?

• Null hypothesis
• Aim
• Alternative hypothesis
• Dependent Variable

What is a statement predicting the direction of a relationship between variables?

• Non-directional hypothesis
• Null hypothesis
• Directional hypothesis
• Random allocation

Which hypothesis predicts only that one variable will be related to another without specifying direction?

• Non-directional hypothesis
• Directional hypothesis
• Null hypothesis
• Alternative hypothesis

What is the factor under investigation that is manipulated in an experiment?

• Dependent Variable
• Confounding Variable
• Independent Variable
• Controlled Variable

What do you call the factor in an experiment that is measured and is expected to change?

• Dependent Variable
• Independent Variable
• Confounding Variable
• Controlled Variable

How do researchers clearly define a variable so that it can be accurately measured or manipulated?

• Hypothesizing
• Experimenting
• Operationalizing
• Generalizing

What type of experiment has an IV, DV, and strict controls and is conducted in an artificial setting?

• Field experiment
• Natural experiment
• Laboratory experiment
• Quasi-experiment

Which experiment is conducted in a natural environment with some control of variables?

• Field experiment
• Natural experiment
• Laboratory experiment
• Quasi-experiment