definitions

Question 1

define operationalisation

Answer 1

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.

Question 2

define aim

Answer 2

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

Question 3

define experimental method

Answer 3

the manipulation of the IV to see its effect on the DV

Question 4

define counterbalancing

Answer 4

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

Question 5

define demand characteristics

Answer 5

• 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

Question 6

how can demand characteristics be controlled?

Answer 6

deception

Question 7

define double blind

Answer 7

• neither the participant nor the researcher are aware of the aims of the investigation
• reduces demand characteristics
• used in drug trials

Question 8

define single blind

Answer 8

• participants are not aware of the condition they are in
• attempts to control for the confounding effects of demand characteristics

Question 9

define behavioural categories

Answer 9

devising a set of component behaviours

Question 10

define event sampling

Answer 10

counting the number of times a certain behaviour or event occurs in a target individual

Question 11

define time sampling

Answer 11

recording behaviours in a given time frame e.g. noting what an individual is doing every 30 seconds

Question 12

define inter-rater reliability

Answer 12

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

Question 13

how can inter-rater reliability be improved?

Answer 13

standardise the experiment

Question 14

define social desirability bias

Answer 14

• 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

Question 15

how does social desirability affect validity?

Answer 15

creates bias

Question 16

what is a pilot study?

Answer 16

a small scale version of an investigation that takes place before the real investigation is conducted

Question 17

what is the purpose of a pilot study?

Answer 17

the aim is to check that procedures, materials, measuring scales etc. work to allow the researcher to make changes or modifications if necessary

Question 18

what are investigator effects?

Answer 18

• 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

Question 19

what is researcher bias?

Answer 19

• 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

Question 20

how can you avoid investigator effects or researcher bias?

Answer 20

not allowing either the participants or the researcher to know the aim of the research

Question 21

The Hawthorne effect

Answer 21

• 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

Question 22

reliability

Answer 22

the overall consistency of a measure

Question 23

external reliability

Answer 23

refers to the ability of the test to produce the same results each time its carried out

Question 24

test-retest

Answer 24

a person repeats a test a month or so after doing the test the first time

Question 25

internal reliability

Answer 25

the extent to which a test is consistent within itself

Question 26

split half

Answer 26

compare an individual’s performance on two halves of a test

Question 27

inter-rater reliability

Answer 27

two or more interviewers/observers must get the same outcome on 80% or more of the behaviours