Glossary: Research

Panel Study

A longitudinal study in which a group of individuals is interviewed at intervals over a period of time. This allows researchers to track changes, identify trends, and analyze the dynamics of behavior, attitudes, or outcomes over an extended period.

Parameter

A numerical characteristic or value for the population that corresponds to a particular statistic from a sample and is often inferred from the sample.

Participant

Individuals who take part in the study- whose physiological and/or behavioral characteristics and responses are the object of study in a research project.

Participant observation

A form of qualitative research that involves participating in the activities of the people being observed as a way of developing an experience, attempting to gain understanding of their behaviors and ideas.

Peer-Review

The process in which the author of a book, article, or other type of publication submits his or her work to experts in the field for critical evaluation, usually prior to publication. This is standard procedure in publishing scholarly research.

Phenomenology

A qualitative research approach concerned with understanding certain group behaviors from that group's point of view and their lived experience of a particular idea, concept, or event.

Philosophy

The study of fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language: the critical examination of the grounds for fundamental beliefs and analysis of the basic concepts, doctrines, or practices that express such beliefs.

Phonology

The study of the ways in which speech sounds form systems and patterns in language.

Placebo

A placebo is an inactive substance that looks and tastes like the drug or intervention being tested but has no effect on the disease the new drug is intended to treat.

Placebo-Controlled

A placebo-controlled trial involves two (or more) groups. One group receives the active treatment, and the other receives the placebo. Everything else is held the same between the two groups, so any difference in their outcome can be attributed to the active treatment.

Policy

Governing principles or laws that serve as guidelines or rules for decision making and action in a given area.

Policy Analysis

The systematic study of the nature, rationale, cost, impact, effectiveness, implications, etc., of existing or alternative policies, using the theories and methodologies of relevant social science disciplines.

Population

The population is the entire set under investigation. Samples are drawn from populations.

Position Papers

Statements of official or organizational viewpoints, often recommending a particular course of action or response to a situation.

Positivism

A doctrine in the philosophy of science, positivism argues that science can only deal with observable entities known directly to experience. The aim is to construct general laws, or theories, which express relationships between phenomena using observation and experiment.