1. Experimental Method Flashcards
Definition of an aim
What the researcher intends to study
What is an experiment?
Manipulation of the IV to measure the effect on the DV and conclude findings based on the results
What is a hypothesis?
A clear, precise testable statement that states the relationship between the variables to be investigated
What is a directional hypothesis?
States the direction of the difference
what is a Non directional hypothesis ?
Does not state the direction but states that there will be a difference
When do we use a directional hypothesis ?
When previous research has been done and is in agreement
When is a non directional hypothesis used?
When there is no previous research or when the findings from earlier studies are contradictory
What is the independent variable ?
Variable that is manipulated by the researcher- or changes naturally- so the effect on the acc can be measured
What is the dependent variable ?
The variable that is measured, any effect in the DV should be caused by the IV
What is operationalisation ?
Clearly defining key variables in terms of how they can be measured
Explain the difference between an aim and a hypothesis
An aim is simply a goal of what the researcher intends to do whereas the hypothesis is an explanation of something that is observed but has to be tested
What is a one tailed hypothesis the same as ?
Directional hypothesis
What is a two tailed hypothesis also called ?
Non directional hypothesis
What is a null hypothesis?
A null hypothesis is when there is no significant difference between the variables, any difference is due to chance
What is an alternative hypothesis ?
States that there is a significant difference between two variables
What is the sentence starter for a one tailed hypothesis..?
E.g
XXX will do better than XXX
What is the sentence starter for a two tailed hypothesis?
There will be a difference between…
What is the sentence starter for the null hypothesis?
There will be no significant difference between… any difference will be due to chance
How do we test the effect on the IV ?
Different experimental conditions, levels of the IV: the control condition & the experimental condition
What is a control condition/group ?
The control condition in an experimental design lacks any treatment or manipulation of the independent variable
What is an experimental condition/group ?
a level of the independent variable that is manipulated by the researcher in order to assess the effect on a dependent variable.
What is the difference between a control group and an experimental group ?
Participants in an experimental condition receive some form of treatment or experience whereas those in a control condition do not.
What is a sentence starter for an aim ?
To investigate whether…
Why do researcher have to operationalise variables ?
Often, there are things that are fuzzy and not easy to define therefore it may be subjective to opinion when trying to measure it. This is prevented once operationalised
