Experimental designs

Question 1

What is a repeated measured designs?

Answer 1

The same participants take part in all the different conditions of the experiment

Question 2

What is an independent measures design?

Answer 2

totally different participants are used across the separate conditions of the experiment

Question 3

What is a matched pairs design?

Answer 3

Participants who are different but have similar characteristics to each other take part in separate conditions

Question 4

What are the strengths of independent measures?

Answer 4

• avoid order effects as participants are only taking part in one condition
• less chance of demand characteristics as only taking part in one condition which makes aim of study more difficult to guess

Question 5

What are the weaknesses of independent measures?

Answer 5

• participant variables will affect the results (comparing completely different people)

Question 6

What are the strengths of repeated measures?

Answer 6

• not affected by participant variables as the same people are doing the experiment

Question 7

What are the weaknesses of repeated measures?

Answer 7

• order effect may occur as participants take part in condition more than once.
• more chance of demand characteristics as taking part in condition more than once

Question 8

What are the strengths of matched pairs ?

Answer 8

• avoids order effect as differnet people in conditions
• less partcipant variables as somilar types of people in conditions

Question 9

What are the weaknesses of matched pairs ?

Answer 9

• time consuming
  -very difficult to find similar people

Question 10

What is counter-balancing?

Answer 10

-a technique used to deal with order effects when using a repeated measures design.
-the participant sample is divided in half, with one half completing the two conditions in one order and the other half completing the conditions in the reverse order.