Definitions Flashcards
What is a Abstarct?
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