Chapter 1 (research methods) Flashcards
Aim
A statement outlining the purpose of an investigation. “to test the effect of [IV] on [DV].
Hypothesis
A testable prediction that identifies the population, and the strength and direction of a relationship between two variables
Variable
A condition or component of an experiment that can be measured or manipulated.
Population
the group of people
who are the focus of the
research and from which
the sample is drawn
Independent variable
The variable that is manipulated by the experimenter
dependent variable
the variable that is being measured to test the effect of the independent variable
controlled variable
the variable that the experimenter keeps consistent
Experiment
When a cause-and-effect relationship between two variables is measured in a controlled environment.
between subjects design
Exposing participants to only one experimental condition
within-subjects design
Exposes participants to both experimental conditions
Mixed subject design
A procedure for collecting and analysing quantitative and qualitative research in a single study
case study
An in-depth study of a particular activity, behaviour, event, or problem.
- Very detailed data
- Rare cases the cannot be experimented on
Difficult to generalise
fieldwork
Observing and interacting with an environment in a naturalistic setting
- Natural human behaviour
Subject to judgments and bias
Experimental group
the group of participants in an experiment who are exposed to a manipulated independent variable
Control group
the group of participants in an
experiment who receive no experimental treatment or intervention to serve as a baseline for comparison
population
the group of people who are the focus of the research and from which the sample is drawn
sample
A subset of the population who participate in the study
control variable
that which remains constant in an experiment
Extraneous variable
a variable that has an unwanted effect of the results but which is accounted/controlled for in an experiment.
Confounding variable
a variable that has an unwanted effect on the DV that was unaccounted for
primary data
the data that is sourced first-hand
Secondary data
sourced through someone else’s research
True value
The value or range of values, that would be found if that quantity could be measured perfectly.
Accuracy
how close a measurement is to the true value of the quantity being measured.
Precision
how closely a set of measurement values agree with each other
Repeatability
IF THE STUDY IS REPLICATED EXACTLY, WILL THE RESULTS BE THE SAME?
the extent to which successive measurements or studies produce the same results when carried out under identical conditions within a short period of time (e.g. same
procedure, observer, instrument, instructions, and setting)
Reproducibility
IF THE STUDY IS CONDUCTED UNDER DIFFERENT CONDITIONS, WOULD THE RESULTS BE THE SAME?
the extent to which successive measurements or studies produce the same results when repeated under different conditions (e.g. different participants, time, observer, and/or environmental conditions)
