2.2 Experimental research

Question 1

Empirical methodologies involve…

Answer 1

a process where hypotheses are tested using experimentation and observation in order to further understanding a topic

Question 2

In experimental research , investigators…

Answer 2

manipulate some aspect of a situation and examine the impact on the way participants respond.

Question 3

Experimental methods are important because…

Answer 3

they can establish cause and effect — causation — directly

Question 4

An experimenter manipulates variables, called…

Answer 4

independent variables , which are outside the participants’ control (i.e., independent of their actions).

Question 5

The aim is to..

Answer 5

assess the impact of these manipulations on the way participants subsequently respond

Question 6

Because participants’ responses depend on their exposure to the independent variable, these responses are known as..

Answer 6

dependent variables

Question 7

the dependent variable is the…

Answer 7

response the experimenter measures to see whether the experimental manipulation had an effect

Question 8

Harry Harlows 1950’s experiment tested…

Answer 8

The basis of attachment theory in monkeys and found that regardless of which ‘mother’ fed the baby monkey, it preferred the soft cloth mother, suggesting that security, not nourishment, forms the basis of attachment

Question 9

Conducting an experiment requires steps, these steps are:
Step 1:

Answer 9

Farming a hypothesis; predicting the relationships among two or more variables

Question 10

Conducting an experiment requires steps, these steps are:
Step 2:

Answer 10

Operationalising variables; converting abstract concepts into testable form

Question 11

Conducting an experiment requires steps, these steps are:
Step 3:

Answer 11

Developing standardised procedure; setting up experimental and control conditions

Question 12

Conducting an experiment requires steps, these steps are:
Step 4:

Answer 12

Selecting and assigning participants; randomly assigning participants to different conditions

Question 13

Conducting an experiment requires steps, these steps are:
Step 5:

Answer 13

Applying statistical techniques to the data; describing and determining the differences between conditions that reflect causality or chance

Question 14

Conducting an experiment requires steps, these steps are:
Step 6:

Answer 14

drawing conclusions; evaluating if the data supports the hypothesis or suggesting further research into the hypothesis

Question 15

Scientific approach uses…

Answer 15

empirical methodologies to gain knowledge

Question 16

The 3 main goals of scientific approach are…

Answer 16

Description (summarising relationships between variables), Prediction (anticipating future events), Understanding (identifying the causes)

Question 17

In experimental research, researchers can asses cause and effect by…

Answer 17

manipulating some aspects of a situation (Independent variables) and examining the way paricipants respond (dependent variables) and by comparing results in different experimental conditions

Question 18

A control group is..

Answer 18

a neutral condition against which participants in various experimental conditions can be compared

Question 19

quasi-experimental designs…

Answer 19

share the logic and many features of the experimental method but do not allow as much control over all relevant variables, such as random assignment of participants to different conditions

Question 20

Quasi-experimental designs cannot…

Answer 20

provide the degree of certainty about cause-and-effect relationships that experiments offer

Question 21

Limitations include ..

Answer 21

the difficulty of bringing some complex phenomena into the laboratory and the question of whether results apply to phenomena outside the laboratory