Chapter 9 - Conducting Experiments Flashcards
Ceiling Effect
The ceiling effect is the failure of a measure to detect a difference because it was too easy (also see the floor effect).
Behavioral Measure
Behavioral measures are direct observations of behaviors, and may include how often, for how long, or how long it took to start the behavior.
Confederate
A confederate is a person posing as a participant in an experiment who is actually part of the experiment.
Demand Characteristics
Demand characteristics are cues that inform the subject how he or she is expected to behave.
Double-Blind Experiment
A double-blind experiment is a procedure wherein both the experimenter and the participant are unaware of whether the participant is in the experimental (treatment) or the control condition.
Electroencephalogram
An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a measure of the electrical activity of the brain.
Electromyogram (EMG)
An electromyogram is a measure of the electrical activity of muscles, including muscle tension.
Expectancy Effects (Experimenter Bias)
Expectancy effects are any intentional or unintentional influence that the experimenter exerts on subjects to confirm the hypothesis under investigation.
Filler Items
Filler items are items included in a questionnaire measure to help disguise the true purpose of the measure.
Floor Effect
The floor effect is the failure of a measure to detect a difference because it was too difficult (also see the ceiling effect).
Functional MRI
A functional MRI, magnetic resonance imaging, is where a magnet obtains scans of structures of the brain. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) provides information on the amount of activity in different brain structures.
Galvanic Skin Response (GSR)
The galvanic skin response is the electrical conductance of the skin, which changes when sweating occurs.
Manipulation Check
A manipulation check is a measure used to determine whether the manipulation of the independent variable has had its intended effect on a subject.
MRI
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses a magnet to obtain scans of structures of the brain.
Physiological Measure
A physiological measure is a recording of the response of the body.
Pilot Study
A pilot study is a small-scale study conducted prior to conducting an actual experiment, designed to test and refine procedures.
Placebo Group
In drug research, a placebo group is a group given an inert substance to assess the psychological effect of receiving a treatment.
Self-Report
A self-report is generally a rating scale or a series of questions designed to elicit a participant’s feelings, emotions, and responses.
Sensitivity
Sensitivity refers to the ability of a measure to detect differences between groups.
Single-Blind Experiment
A single-blind experiment is one where the participant doesn’t know what treatment group he’s in - the control or the treatment, etc.
Straightforward Manipulation
Straightforward manipulation is manipulating the independent variable relatively simply by presenting written, verbal, or visual material to the participants.
Staged Manipulation
Staged manipulation is where a researcher has to stage events during the experiment in order to manipulate the independent variable successfully.
