definitions Flashcards
define operationalisation
operationalisation is the process by which a researcher defines how a concept is measured, observed or manipulated within a particular study.
for example, social anxiety can be operationally defined in terms of self-rating scores, behavioural avoidance of crowded places or physical anxiety symptoms in social situations.
define aim
the aim of the study tells us what the study is investigating
stated before the research begins to make it clear what the study intends to investigate
define experimental method
the manipulation of the IV to see its effect on the DV
define counterbalancing
to make half of the participant sample experience the different conditions of the experiment in one order, and the other half of the participants complete it in the opposite order
define demand characteristics
- there are aspects of the study that allow participants to form an idea about its purpose
- if they know what response the researcher is expecting, they may respond to please fhem
- causes the data to become invalid
how can demand characteristics be controlled?
deception
define double blind
- neither the participant nor the researcher are aware of the aims of the investigation
- reduces demand characteristics
- used in drug trials
define single blind
- participants are not aware of the condition they are in
- attempts to control for the confounding effects of demand characteristics
define behavioural categories
devising a set of component behaviours
define event sampling
counting the number of times a certain behaviour or event occurs in a target individual
define time sampling
recording behaviours in a given time frame e.g. noting what an individual is doing every 30 seconds
define inter-rater reliability
the test should give consistent results regardless of who administers it
this can be assessed by correlating the scores that each researcher produces and comparing them
should be around 80% agreement
how can inter-rater reliability be improved?
standardise the experiment
define social desirability bias
- people try to show themselves in the best possible light
- they may not complete a task truthfully and give the answers that are more socially acceptable
- results become less valid
how does social desirability affect validity?
creates bias
what is a pilot study?
a small scale version of an investigation that takes place before the real investigation is conducted
what is the purpose of a pilot study?
the aim is to check that procedures, materials, measuring scales etc. work to allow the researcher to make changes or modifications if necessary
what are investigator effects?
- anything the research does that affects how the participant behaves
- demand characteristics
- could lead to them asking leading questions
- participants may react to the behaviour or appearance of a researcher and respond differently
what is researcher bias?
- the researchers expectations can influence how they design their study and how they behave towards the participants
- expectations - measurement and analysis
- hypothesis might be false
- may focus on answers that fit their expectations
how can you avoid investigator effects or researcher bias?
not allowing either the participants or the researcher to know the aim of the research
The Hawthorne effect
- if people are interested in something and in the attention they are getting, then they show a more positive response and try harder at tasks
- results are artificially high = could lead to invalid conclusions
- opposite occurs if participant are uninterested
reliability
the overall consistency of a measure
external reliability
refers to the ability of the test to produce the same results each time its carried out
test-retest
a person repeats a test a month or so after doing the test the first time
