Experimental Design

Question 1

What is meant by the experimental design?

Answer 1

How participants are allocated to the different conditions in an experiment

Question 2

What is the independent measures design?

Answer 2

When different participants are used in each condition of the independent variable

Question 3

How are participants allocated to each condition In the independent measures design?

Answer 3

Randomly

Question 4

What are 2 advantages of the independent measures design?

Answer 4

Order effects are not a problem

Participants are less likely to guess the aims

Question 5

What are 2 weaknesses of the independent measures design?

Answer 5

It takes lots of time and money as there are lots of participants to recruit

Participants are not the same in terms of participant variables

Question 6

What is the matched pairs design?

Answer 6

The participants are paired up based on similarities.

One of the pair is randomly assigned to the experimental group and the other to the control group

Question 7

What are 2 advantages of the matched pairs design?

Answer 7

Order effects are less of a problem

Demand characteristics are less of a problem as they only take part in a single condition

Question 8

What are 2 weaknesses of the matched pair design?

Answer 8

Participants can never be matched exactly

Matching pairs may be time consuming and expensive

Question 9

What is the repeated measures design?

Answer 9

The same participants take part in each condition

Question 10

What are 2 strengths of the repeated measures design?

Answer 10

Participant variables are controlled so there is higher validity

Fewer participants are needed so less time and money is spent on recruiting them

Question 11

What are 2 weaknesses of the repeated measures design?

Answer 11

Each participant has to do at least 2 tasks - order of this could have an effect on the experiment

Demand characteristics are common