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.
- 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
 Concepts:-

- Conceptualization refers to the process of

developing and refining abstract ideas.

Scientific res .Is almost always concerned

with abstract rather than tangible
phenomena.
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.
 -A variable, then, is any quality of
person, group or situation that varies or
takes on different values.

-Categorical variables: place individuals

into categorical ( as: pregnant / not
pregnant, male/ female, single/ married/
divorced/ widowed).
- 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
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.
Dependent variables and Independent
variables.

Independent variable Presumed cause.

Dependent variable presumed effect.

• Variability in the dependent variable is

presumed to depend on variability in the
independent variable.
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.
 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.
 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.
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
 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.
 •Variables can be related to one
another in different ways:
1. Cause – and – effect (or causal
relationships).( as natural phenomena) –
eating more calories causes weight gain.

2. Functional relationship

• Control

- Research control attempts to eliminate any

contaminating factors that might obscure the
relationship between the variables that are of
central interest.