REACH Dictionary
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1 Mean
The mean is the average of scores in a distribution and is calculated by dividing the sum of scores by the number of scores observed.
Meaning-making refers to the process through which families perceive the meaning behind the experience of a stressor event.
Measurement invariance can be used to demonstrate that a construct has an equivalent meaning to separate groups or across repeated measurements. In particular, "measurement invariance applies to group comparison, to mean comparisons across measurement occasions, and to differential relations between constructs by group..."
Putnick, D. L. & Bornstein, M. H. (2016) Measurement invariance conventions and reporting: The state of the art and future directions for psychological research. Developmental Review, 41, 71-90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2016.06.004
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Data analyses
4 Median
The median is the score that lies in the middle of a distribution and thus divides the distribution into two equal parts.
The mediation model is a framework which accounts for mediating variables hypothesized to lie intermediate in the relationship between the independent variable and outcome.
Lewis-Beck, M., Bryman, A., & Liao, T. (2004). The SAGE encyclopedia of social science research methods (Vols. 1–3). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412950589 Fairchild, A. J., & MacKinnon, D. P. (2009). A general model for testing mediation and moderation effects. Prevention Science : The Official Journal of the Society for Prevention Research, 10(2), 87–99. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-008-0109-6
Mediators are variables which serve as the mechanism by which the independent variable affects the outcome. These variables can help to explain the relationship between independent and dependent variables.
Lewis-Beck, M., Bryman, A., & Liao, T. (2004). The SAGE encyclopedia of social science research methods (Vols. 1–3). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412950589
Metacommunication involves communicating both the content of a particular message as well as how this message should be interpreted. It may include explicitly verbal dialogue, or may be expressed through implicitly through body language and tone.
Leeds-Hurwitz, W. (2014). Metacommunication. Retrieved from https://centerforinterculturaldialogue.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/key-concept-metacomm.pdf.
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Programs, therapies, and resources
A metadata analysis combines and quantitatively analyzes the results of several different, pre-existing studies while integrating the articles together in a narrative review.
Maruyama, G. and Ryan, C. S. (2014) Research Methods in Social Relations. West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
9 Migrant
A migrant is an individual who crosses national boundaries for economic reasons (i.e., employment).
Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (2019). Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. Washington DC: The Joint Staff.
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Military
The military department includes the Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, and the Department of the Air Force, all of which fall under the D.o.D.
Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (2019). Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. Washington DC: The Joint Staff.