1.2 Planning and conducting research

Question 1

What is a hypothesis?

Answer 1

A clear, testable statement made at the beginning of a research study to predict events

Question 2

What is a null hypothesis?

Answer 2

States there is no relationship between variables or no effect

Question 3

What is an alternative hypothesis?

Answer 3

States what the relationship will be between the IV and the DV. Alternative to the null

Question 4

What is a directional hypothesis (one tailed) and when would it be used?

Answer 4

Clearly states the direction the scores/results will take. Used if previous research has suggested a possible direction and you wish to follow this up

Question 5

What is a non-direction hypothesis (two tailed) and when would it be used?

Answer 5

States there will be a difference or relationship but doesn’t state which direction it will take. Used if previous research has been inconclusive and you aren’t sure what you might find

Question 6

What is a target population?

Answer 6

The entire group a researcher is interested in; the group about which the researcher wishes to draw conclusions.

Question 7

What is random sampling?

Answer 7

• Chosen at random so everyone has an equal chance of being selected
• Names selected from a sampling frame

Question 8

What is self selected sampling?

Answer 8

• Volunteer sampling
• Individuals offer to be part of the sample
• Easy to do and can reach lots of people
• Often an advert

Question 9

What is stratified sampling?

Answer 9

Involves classifying the population into groups and then choosing a sample which consists of participants from each group in the same proportion as they are in the target population

Question 10

What is snowball sampling?

Answer 10

• Existing participants in sample get other people of interest to join in with the sample
• starts small and gets bigger

Question 11

What is opportunity sampling?

Answer 11

• Uses people readily available to the researcher
• Usually students as psychologists are based in universities
• Agreement to take part is the only criteria

Question 12

What are the three experimental designs?

Answer 12

Repeated, individual, and matched pairs

Question 13

What is a weakness of independent measures design?

Answer 13

Participant variables - individual differences between participants that are not controlled for

Question 14

What is a weakness of the repeated measures design?

Answer 14

Order effects - when participants’ results are affected by doing a test more than once. Either the practice effect of fatigue effect

Question 15

What are the four main extraneous variables?

Answer 15

• Participant variables
• Order effects
• Environmental variables
• Demand characteristics

Question 16

What are behavioural categories?

Answer 16

Clearly defined, specific actions that can be observed and recorded as examples of the target behaviour