Definitions Flashcards
What is a Abstract?
a brief summary of a report of a research study, including aims, hypothesis, jigs, conclusions and implications
what is a alternative hypothesis?
Any hypothesis except the null hypothesis. It is the alternative to the null hypothesis
What is attrition?
The loss of participants from a study over time, which is likely to leave a biased sample or a sample that is too small for reliable analysis
What is boredom effect?
A kind of order effect in a repeated measures design, participants may do less well on a alter condition because they have lost interest
What is a case study?
A research investigation that involves a detailed study of a single individual, institution, or event. Case studies provide a rich record of human experience but are hard to generalise from
What are closed questions?
Questions that have a pre-determined range of awnsers, from which respondents select one. Produces quantitative data,
What is the code of ethics?
A set of principles designed to help professionals behave honestly and with integrity
What are cohort effects?
An effect caused because one group of participants has unique characteristics due to time-specific experiences during their development, such as growing up during the Second World War. This can affect both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies
What is concurrent validity?
A means of establishing external validity by comparing an existing test or questionnaire with the one you are interested in
What is a confederate?
An individual in a study who is not a real participant and has been instructed how to behave by the investigator
What is confidentiality?
Concerns the communication of personal information from one person to another, and the trust that the information will be protected
What is a confounding variable?
A variable that is not the independent variable under study but which varies systematically with the IV. Changes in the dependent variable may be due to the confounding variable rather than the IV, and therefore the outcome is meaningless. To ‘cofound’n,Dan’s to cause confusion.
What is content analysis?
A kind of observational study in which behaviour is observed indirectly in written or verbal material such as interviews, conversations, TV programmes
What is context validity?
Aims to demonstrate that the content (e.g questions) of a test/measurement represents the area of interest; concerns internal validity
What is a continuous variable ?
A variable that can take on any value within a certain range. Liking for football on a scale of 1 to 10.
What is the control group?
The condition ( in a repeated measures design) that proves a baseline measure of behaviour without the experimental treatment (IV). So that the effect of the experiment treatment may be compared to the baseline
What is a controlled observation?
A form of investigation in which behaviour is observed but under controlled conditions, as opposed to a naturalistic observation
What is correlation?
Determining the extent of an association between two variables; co-variables may not be linked at all, they may both increase together, or as one co-variable, increases the other increases
What is counterbalancing?
A experimental technique used to overcome order effects when using a repeated measures design. Counter balancing ensures that each condition is tested first or second in equal ammounts
What is debriefing?
To inform the participant of the true nature of the study and to restore them to the same state they were in at the start of the study. Debriefing is not a ethical issue, it is a way of dealing with ethical issues
What is deception?
A pp is not told the true aims of the study and thus cannot give valid consent
What are demand characteristics?
A cue that makes pp unconsciously aware of the aims of the study
What are difference studies?
A king of quasi-experiment. The IV is actually not something that varies at all- it is a condition that exists. The researcher records the effect of this ‘quasi-IV’ on a dependent variable. As with a natural experiment, the lack of manipulation of thr IV and the lack of random allocation means that casual conclusions can only tentatively be drawn
What is directional hypothesis?
States the direction of the predicted difference between 2 conditions or 2 groups of pp
What is a double blind design?
Neither the pp nor the experimenter is aware of the research aims and other important details, and thus have no expectations
What is ecological validity?
A form of external validity; the ability to generalise a research effect beyond the particular setting in which it is demonstrated to other settings. Ecological validity is established by representativeness and generalisability
What are ethical issues?
Concern questions of right and wrong. They arise in research where there are conflicting sets of values between researchers and pp concerning the goals, procedures or outcomes of a research study,
What are ethical guidelines?
A set of principles designed to help professionals behave honestly and with integrity
What is a ethics committee?
A group of people within a research institution that must approve of a study before it begins
What is event sampling ?
An observational technology in which a count is kept of the number of times a certain behaviour occurs
What is experimental design?
A set of procedures used to control the influence of factors such as pp variables in a experiment
What are extraneous variables?
Do not vary systematically with the IV and therefore do not act as an alternative IV but,p may have an affect on the DV. They are a nuisance variable that muddy the waters, making it more difficult to detect a significant effect
What is a field experiment
A controlled experiment that is conducted outside a lab. The IV is still manipulated by the experimenter, and therefore casual relationships can be demonstrated
What is independent groups design?
Pp are allocated to two groups representing different levels of the IV. Allocation is usually done using random techniques
What is a interview
A research method or technique that involves a face to face, real time interaction
What is a laboratory
An environment which can be controlled by the researcher. In particular a researcher wishes to control extraneous variables and, in an experiment, needs to manipulate the independent variables,
What are longitudinal study’s?
A study concerned over a long period of time. Often a form of repeated measures design in which pp are assessed on two or more occasions as they get older, However, some longitudinal research is not experimental
What is the lottery method?
A random method of selection. Each member of the target population is given a unique number, the number as then thoroughly mixed. Then, without looking the researcher selects the required no. Of pp
What is a matched pairs design?
Pairs of pp are matched in terms of key variables such as age, and IQ. One member of each pair is allocated to one of the conditions under test and the second is allocated to the other
What is meta-analysis?
A researcher looks at the findings from a number of different studies in order to reach a general conclusion about a particular hypothesis
c
A research method in which the experimenter can not manipulate the IV directly, but where it varies naturally, and the effect on a dependent variable can be observed
What is non-directional hypothesis?
Predicts simply that there is a difference brtweenn2 conditions or two groups of pp but does not specify the direction
What is a null hypothesis?
The assumption of no relationship between variables being studied
What are open question?
Questions that invite respondents to provide their own awnsers rather than one provided. Tend to produce qualities data
What is opportunity sampling?
A sample of pp produced by selecting people who are most easily available at the time of the study
What are pp variables?
Characteristics of individual pp that might influence the outcome of the study
What is a pilot study?
A small-scale trial run of a study to test any aspects of the design, with a view to making improvements
What is the practice effect?
A kind of order effects
, in a repeated measures design, pp may do better on one condition that the other because they had completed it first and therefore may have improved their ability to perform
What is presumptive consent?
A method of dealing with lack of valid consent or deception, by asking a group of people who are similar to the pp whether they would agree to take part in a study. If this group of people consents to the procedure in the proposed study, it is presumed that the real pp would have also agreed
What is primary data.
Information that is collected from first hand experience
What is psychological harm?
When a study causes embarrassment, lowered self esteem or changed a persons attitudes
What is qualities data?
Information in words that cannot be counted or quantified. Qualities data can be turned into qualitive data by placing them in categories and counting frequency,
What is quantities data?
Information that represents how much or how long, or how many etc…
What is a quasi-experiment?
Studies that are ‘almost’ experiments, a researcher has not manipulated the IV directly.
What is random sampling?
A sample of pp produced by using a random technique such that every member of the target population has an equal change of being selected
What is a repeated measures design?
Each pp takes part in every condition under test
What is sampling?
The selection of pp from the sampling frame with the aim of producing a representative selection of people from that group
What is secondary data?
Information that is used in a research study that was collected by someone else or for a purpose other than the current one.
What are self-report techniques.?
Data collection techniques where a pp describes their behaviour, eg questionnaires, interviews or diary studies
What is self selected sampling?
A sample of pp that relies solely on volunteers to make up the sample,.
c
A type of research in which the pp is not aware of the research aims or which condition of the experiment they are receiving
What is snowball sampling?
Relies on referrals from units, pp to generate addition pp
What is social desirability?
A distortion I’m the way people awnsers question- to present in a. Better light
What are standardised procedures?
A set of procedures that are the same for all pp in order to be able to repeat the study. This includes standardised instructions
What is stratified sampling?
A sample of pp produced by identifying subgroups according to their frequency in the target population
What is target population
The group of people that the researcher is interested in. The group of people from whom a sample is drawn. The group of people about whom generalisations can be made
What is valid consent?
Pp must be given comprehensive information concerning the nature and purpose of the research and their role in it, in order to make a decision whether or not to pp
