Chapter 9 Scientific Research Methods Flashcards
Hypothesis
A testable prediction of the relationship between two variables
Variable
Any event, condition or characteristic that changes (varies) or can be made to change
Participants
The people or animals whose behaviour, characteristics or responses are investigated and measured as part of an experiment
Data
The observed facts that constitute the results of an experiment
Raw data
The actual data collected from a study, before it is sorted or analysed
Conclusion
A decision or judgement about the meaningfulness of the results of a study
Inferential statistics
Statistics that allow an experimenter to make inferences and conclusions about data; they are often used to interpret results of a study
Experimental method
A scientific research method that uses participants in a formal trial to confirm or disconfirm a hypothesis
Experiment
A research method that involves gathering data under controlled conditions to test a hypothesis by exposing participants to a treatment and observing and measuring its effect
Experimental group
In a controlled experiment, the group of participants exposed to the independent variable
Independent variable (IV)
The condition that an experimenter systemically manipulates (changes or varies) in order to gauge its effect on another variable (the dependent variable)
Dependent variable (DV)
The condition in an experiment or aspect of the participant’s behaviour that is affected by changes in the independent variable (IV); it is used as a measure of the IV’s effect
Control group
In a controlled experiment, the group of participants exposed to all conditions or variables except the independent variable
Experimental hypothesis
A broad and general prediction about the direction of the relationship between variables in an experiment
Research hypothesis
A hypothesis that operationalises the variables by precisely defining and describing how each variable is measured, and predicts the exact effect the IV is expected to have on the behaviour of the population from which the sample has been selected
Population
The larger group of research interest from which a sample ina research study has been drawn
Sample
The group of participants in a research study selected from, and representative of, a population of research interest
Operational variable
A variable defined or described in terms of the procedure used to observe and measure it
Extraneous variable
In an experiment, a variable other than the IV that might cause unwanted changes in the DV
Controlled variable
Ian extraneous variable whose influence has been eliminated from an experiment so that it cannot affect results; it has been controlled
Uncontrolled variable
An extraneous variable whose influence has not been eliminated from an experiment because the experimenter was not aware of it
Confounding variable
An uncontrolled variable that has had an unwanted effect on the DV and might be confused with the effect of the IV
Standardisation
Establishing standards for administering a test and interpreting scores
Participant variables
Individual differences in the personal characteristics of research participants that, if not controlled, can confound the results of the experiment
Order effect
Where priori knowledge of a task or situation influences a participant’s performance, which in turn influences the results of the experiment; also known as the practice effect
Counterbalancing
A method used to control order effect, where half the participants in an experiment are exposed to the control condition first and the other half are exposed to the experimental condition first; that is then reversed in the second instance