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Terms to know in research methods

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Could you please help me understand the following terms?

Variable
Operationalization
Sample
Scale
Measurement
Measurement error
Causation
Plausible rival explanations
Hypothesis
Reliability
Unit of analysis
Four main types of validity

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Solution Summary

Each of the terminologies listed above are explained and defined in this solution. Resources are also listed for further exploration of each of the terms. A word version has been attached for easy download and printing.

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Dear Student,
Hi and thank you for using Brainmass. The solution below should get you started. Each has been explained and resources have been listed so you can explore the term further. Let us now go through them one by one:

1. variable - these are the elements or things included in a research activity. They are a 'logical set of attributes or characteristics of an object. For example, the variable of color can include blue, orange, green and all colours of the rainbow. In research, this are the units under study. For example, if we are studying a human being, a human being becomes a study variable and his/her attributes become important markers of the study. There are 2 kinds - dependent and independent.

For more:
http://wikipedia/wiki/Dependent_and_independent_variables

2. Operationalization - this means creating operational functions and theoretical definitions. IN other words, putting together a way of doing a particular research.
For more: ...

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Xenia Rochelle Jones, MA, PhD (IP)
Education
  • MPhil/PhD (IP), Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
  • MA, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
  • Certificate, Geva Ulpan (via Universita Tel Aviv)
  • BA, University of the Philippines
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