7. Research Methods Flashcards
What are the stages of the scientific cycle?
- Observing something
- Writing a hypothesis
- Designing a study
- Collecting data
- Analysing results
- Questioning the validity
- Conclusions
What is the Dependant variable?
The variable that is measured
What is the Independent variable?
The variable that is changed
What is the Experimental method?
Scientific method involving manipulation of variables to determine cause + effect
What is the Extraneous variable?
A variable that does not vary systematically with the independent variable
What is the Confounding variable?
A variable that is not the IV but varies systematically with the IV
What is control?
Refers to the extent which any variable is held constant or regulated by a researcher
When you conduct research what should you consider?
Ethical issues and related matters
Who should you never use in an experiment?
- Anyone under the age of 16
- Or anyone who could be considered vulnerable
What should you always try to get from a participant before and experiment
Informed consent - tell them what they are partaking in and give them the right to refuse to take part
What should you always do after a study?
Debrief the participants - tell them of any deception + allow them to withdraw data if the object
What are different levels of the IV?
When you are comparing one condition with another
How many levels of an IV should a good study have?
At least 2 (or more)
What happens if you don’t have different levels of the IV?
You have no basis for comparison
Question: what you will be measuring
Which key term is this?
Dependant Variable
Definition: ensuring that variables can easily be tested and repeated
Which key term is this?
Operationalisation
Question: what are your two conditions?
Which key term is this?
Independent Variable
Question: what will you expect to find?
Which key term is this?
Hypothesis
What is the difference between the aims of the the study and the hypothesis of the study?
An aim is the intentions or possibility a research question whereas a hypothesis is a statement of the relationship between the IV and DV
Question: what will the participants do?
Which key term is this?
Standardised procedures
Question: what else do you need to control?
Which key term is this?
Extraneous Variables
What are standardised procedures?
Making sure that each participant did exactly the same thing in each condition - Otherwise the this might result in extraneous variables
What are extraneous variables?
You will have tried to control them i.e. time of day
What are the two things in an experiment where one must be traded off for the other?
Control and realism
Where can the greatest control be achieved?
In a lab - however it lacks realism, it is debatable how easily it can be applied to the real world
What are the 3 types of external validity?
- Ecological validity
- Population validity
- Historical vailidty
What is ecological validity?
The degree to which a research finding can be generalised to other settings
What is population validity?
The degree to which a research finding can be generalised to other groups of people
What is historical validity?
The degree to which a research finding can be generalised over time
What are confounding variables?
A variable under study that is not the IV but which varies systematically with the IV
Give an example of a confounding variable
People (generally) are more alert in the morning + this might mean that it was the time of day rather than the lack of noise that caused the change in the IV
How could a confounding variable affect a study if two groups of people take part in two different levels of the IV at different times of day?
The group in the morning may perform better than the group in the afternoon purely due to the confounding variable of the time of day
This will affect the intended IV
What can a confounding variable cause?
An experimenter to claim that the IV has caused a change in the DV but this is not the case - could actually have been caused by a confounding variable
As a consequence of a confounding variable what happens to the experimenter’s results?
- They become invalid
- They may not have actually tested what they intended to test
How could an experimenter avoid the confounding variable of time of day when testing different levels of the iV?
They could test both groups at the same time of day
Give an example of an extraneous variable when testing a group of people.
Some people may have better memories/higher IQ’s than others - especially during memory tests
What are nuisance variable called?
Extraneous variables
How will participants act if a scenario lacks mundane realism?
They will not act as normal
What is mundane realism?
Refers to how an experiment mirrors the real world
What is generalisation?
How much you can apply the findings to everyday life
Do materials which are contrived lack realism?
Yes - they are things such as film clips, the behaviour that people observe may lack realism, especially if the participants are aware they’re being studied
What is validity?
Refers to whether an observed effect is a genuine one
Validity is about confirming your expectations - Ture or false?
False,
What are the two types of validity?
- Internal validity
- External validity
What is internal validity?
It concerns what goes on inside a study
What 3 things does internal validity concern?
- Whether IV produced changed DV
- Whether the researcher tested what they intended to test
- Whether the study possessed or lacked mundane realism
How can researchers gain high internal validity?
They must design the research carefully, controlling confounding + extraneous variables + ensuring they are testing what they intended to test
What is external validity?
It is affected by internal validity - the degree to which a research finding can be generalised
What is a directional hypothesis?
States the direction of the predicted difference between two groups of participants
What is a non-directional hypothesis?
Predicts simply that there is a difference between two conditions or two groups of participants, without stating the direction of the difference
What is the alternate hypothesis?
A significant difference has boon found
What is the null hypothesis?
A significant difference has not been found
What is a type 1 error?
False positive result - accepting the alternate when you should’ve accepted the null
What is a type 2 error?
False negative result - accepting the null when you should have accepted the alternative
