Experimental Designs

Question 1

What are the three types of designs?

Answer 1

Independent Groups Design
Repeated Measures Design
Matched Pairs Design

Question 2

Definition, pros + cons of Independent Groups Design?

Answer 2

Different ppts in each condition
Pros: Quick, No demand characteristics or Order Effects
Cons: Individual Differences

Question 3

Definition, pros + cons of Repeated Measures Design?

Answer 3

All ppts in all conditions
Pros: No individual differences, Can directly compare a person’s results
Cons: Demand Characteristics + Order Effects

Question 4

Definition, pros + cons of Matched Pairs Design?

Answer 4

Match ppts on key variables, then you pair them across different conditions to compare results
Pros: No demand characteristics, No order effects
Cons: Incredibly time consuming, Impossible to accurately match all ppts

Question 5

What is order effects?

Answer 5

Boredom effect: People get bored over time so try less on later activities
Practise effect: The more a ppt does an activity the better they get at it

Question 6

What’s the solution for Order Effects?

Answer 6

Counter-balancing, half ppts complete condition 1 then 2, the other half do 2 then 1 (this spreads the order effects evenly across two groups)