What term refers to the measure of the strength of an observed effect in research?

The term that refers to the measure of the strength of an observed effect in research is known as effect size. Effect size quantifies the magnitude of a difference or relationship in a study, providing researchers with a clear understanding of how substantial or impactful the findings are. This is particularly important because statistical significance alone does not indicate the size of the impact; two studies can yield statistically significant results with vastly different effect sizes, leading to different interpretations and implications.

In contrast, experimenter bias pertains to the unintended influence of researchers on the outcomes of their study, which does not directly measure the effect strength. Cultural norms refer to shared values and practices within a group and are not related to statistical measures or research effects. Descriptive statistics, while useful for summarizing data, do not measure the strength of effects but rather provide simple summaries about the sample and the measures. Therefore, understanding effect size is essential for interpreting the significance and relevance of research findings effectively.