Text Font Conventions

Key concepts - You will be responsible for knowing a number of definitions of key concepts. You may be asked to give an accurate definition and example of any of the key concepts. Key concepts are in italics, bolded and colored red throughout the notes.

Critical points - There are some points that require extra emphasis because they are fundamental to the example or concept being discussed. Critical points are bolded, in italics and colored orange.

Course learning objective questions - These are the questions given in the learning objectives document.

Lecture 4

This week, we deal with a type of value called a standard score. Before going on, make sure you are very clear about what a standard deviation is and what a deviation score is. Both of these concepts are extremely important background that is needed to fully understand what a standard score is. By the time you have watched and taken notes on the videos in this lecture, you should be able to adress learning objectives question 11 -What is the shape of a distribution of standard scores? Explain using a diagram - and learning objectives question 12 - Explain how standard scores are relative vs absolute and give your own example of the difference between the two. Discuss when relative scores as opposed to absolute scores are important.. So let's start with the technical video for standard scores. Make sure to make a cue card for this and learn carefully the linguistic and symbolic defintion of a stadard score.

1) Standard score technical video....here

Now watch the video on aboslute and relative concepts. The point of this video is to help you understand the difference between standard scores and the kinds of scores we have been dealing with so far...raw scores. Now, this video matters a great deal. Why? Because every single psychological measure we have is a relative measure not an absolute measure. Since most measures in the "hard" sciences are absolute measures, this is one thing that differentiaties psychology form many of the other scientific discpines. Go ahead a watch the video now...

2) Absolute vs Relative concepts video....here

In the last video, I mentioned that IQ scores are relative scores, not absolute scores. In the next video, I explain this idea more fully. If you have ever wondered what IQ scores really are, this video should clarify that for you.

3) IQ scores....here

By the time you have watched and taken notes on the videos above and worked to understand them and commit to memory the names, definitions and symbols associated with each concept, you should understand what a standrd score is, how it differs from a raw score and how it relaes to the distinction between absolute and relative concepts.

Now, remember to create cue cards for the major concepts we are covering at the moment. DO NOT RELY on cheat sheets or your notes on tests for this information. If you do not know what concepts mean and can not define them, you will not do well on the tests in this course!

That's it for this week. Feel free to ask questions on the "Course Questions" discussion board in Blackboard. I will answer questions on Tuesdays and Thursdays of each week.

Now on to lecture 5.