Experimental design Flashcards
What is experimental design
The way that the two levels of the IV are delivered
Name the 3 types of experimental design
Repeated Measures
Independent group design
Matched pairs design
What are the limitations for a repeated measures design
Most likely to be affected by order effect
Demand characteristics are high, as when the ppts undergo the second test they may guess the purpose of the experiment and change their behaviour
What are limitations for a independent groups design
The researcher can’t control the effect of ppts variables
Needs more ppts than the repeated measures design in order to end up with the same amount of data
What are the limitations for a matched pair design
It is very time consuming and difficult to match ppts on key variables
It is not possible to control all ppts variables
What are the ways of dealing with the limitations of repeated measures design
Researcher could use a different test in each round to reduce practice affect.
Researchers may use counterbalancing in order to avoid ppts guessing the aim of the study
What are ways of dealing with the limitations of independent measures design
Randomly allocate ppts to conditions which distributes ppt variables
What are ways of dealing with the limitations of the matched pairs design
Restrict the number of variables to match the ppts on to make it easier and less time consuming
What are the strengths for a repeated measures design
- It is easy and quick to set up
- All ppts experience the same conditions
What are the strengths for an independent group’s design
Less chance for the ppt to guess the aims of the experiment
There is no order order effects, so performance is not affected
What are the strengths for a matched pairs design
Low chance of demand characteristics
More of a chance that ppt variables are the same
What is the definition of counterbalancing
An experimental technique used to overcome order effects when using repeated measures design. Makes sure that each condition is tested first or second in equal amounts
What is the definition for experimental methods
Procedures used to control the influence of factors such as ppt variables in an experiment
What is independent groups design
Ppts are spit into two groups using random techniques. Each group is then presented with different conditions of the IV
What is a matched pairs design
An independent group design, however the pairs of ppts are matched according to key variables
