Experimental design Flashcards
Experimental design
-the different ways in which the testing of participants can be organised in relation to the experimental conditions
Experimental design
List
Repeated measures
Independent groups
Matched pairs design
Independent groups design
- participants are allocated into different (INDEPENDENT) groups
- each group represents a different experimental condition
Independent groups design
Evaluation
Strengths
-no order effects
-participants less likely to guess aims
└=less demand characteristics
Limitations
-individual differences/participant variables may affect DV
└can combat with random allocation
-less economical
└as each participant only contributes to a single result
Repeated measures
-all participants take part in all conditions of the experiment
(the conditions are REPEATED)
Repeated measures
Evaluation
Strengths
-individual differences/participant variables are controlled
-more economical
└less participants are needed
Limitations -order effects └can combat with counterbalancing -participants more likely to guess aim of study └=more demand characteristics
Matched pairs design
- participants are MATCHED into PAIRS on a variable that may otherwise affect the dependant variable
- one member of each pair is then assigned to a separate condition
Matched pairs design
Evaluation
Strengths -order effects controlled -participants less likely to guess aims └=less demand characteristics -reduced individual differences/participant variables └although still some differences
Limitations
-less economic
└time consuming and expensive, pre-test
Random allocation
- an attempt to control for participant variables in an independent groups design
- ensures participants have the same change of being in one condition as the other
Counterbalancing
- an attempt to control for order effects in an repeated measures design
- half the participants experience the conditions in one order, and the other half experience the conditions in the opposite order
