Experimental method Flashcards
What is the aim of a study?
A general statement of what the researcher intends to investigate; it is the purpose of the study.
What is an experimental hypothesis?
A statement of the predicted difference.
What type of hypothesis is the following?
‘People who drink red-bull become more talkative than people who don’t’.
Directional hypothesis.
What is a null hypothesis?
A statement of no difference, it allows for finding of no changes.
What are independent variables?
The aspect of the situation that is manipulated by the researcher (or changes naturally).
When should a directional hypothesis be used?
When there has been previous research conducted into this area and the findings of this research suggest a particular outcome.
What type of hypothesis is the following?
‘People who drink red-bull differ in talkativeness compared to those who don’t drink red-bull’.
Non-directional hypothesis.
What is a hypothesis?
A statement that is made at the start of the experiment and clearly states the relationship between variables as stated by the theory.
What is meant by operationalisation?
Clearly defining variables in terms of how they can be measured.
What is a directional hypothesis?
States the direction of difference in a relationship.
What are dependant variables?
The variables that are measured by the researcher.
What is a general statement that describes the to purpose of an investigation?
The aim of a study.
When should a non-directional hypothesis be used?
When there is no previous research into this area, or the prior research findings are contradictory.
Which variable is the one which is changed?
DV, (Dependant Variable).
What is a non-directional hypothesis?
States there will be a difference in the relationship but does not decide what the difference will actually be.
A researcher changes or manipulates the ____________ ________and records or measures the effect of this change on the __________ ________.
Independent variable, Dependent variable:
A researcher changes or manipulates the independent variable and records or measures the effect of this change on the dependant variable.
What is the experimental method?
It involves the manipulation of an independent variable to measure the effect on the dependant variable.
Which variable is changed by the scientist?
IV, (Independant Variable).
If there are two ‘levels’ of the IV, then what are the two conditions?
- Experimental condition,
- Control condition.
In order to investigate the effect of the IV we need different ___________ __________.
Experimental conditions:
In order to investigate the effect of the IV we need different experimental conditions.
What is a control condition?
A condition which lacks any manipulation or change of the independent variable.
What type of hypothesis is this?
‘Boys will perform better than girls in the psychology exam’.
Directional hypothesis.
What type of hypothesis is this?
‘Either boys or girls will score higher in the psychology exam’.
Non-directional hypothesis.
Many of the things that psychologists are interested in, such as social behaviours, intelligence or cognition, are often a little fuzzy and not easy to define. Therefore, what must be done to make sure they are clearly defined and testable?
They must be operationalised.
Write an appropriate dependent variable for the following variable:
- Concentration.
Time taken to get distracted from a task (seconds).
Identify the IV and the DV for the following experiments:
- The effect of drinking red-bull or not drinking red-bull on concentration levels.
IV = Drinking red-bull before a memory test. DV = Time to lose concentration.
Write an appropriate dependent variable for the following variable:
- Forgetting.
Memory test to recall 5 numbers every 10 minutes (time taken to forget - minutes).
Identify the IV and the DV for the following experiments:
- The effect of gender on scores on an aggression test.
IV = Gender. DV = Relative blood pressure / heart rate rise for both.
Write an appropriate dependent variable for the following variable:
- Aggression.
Rise in heart rate (bpm).
Write an appropriate dependent variable for the following variable:
- Reaction time.
The score in a ruler drop test (cm).
Write an appropriate dependent variable for the following variable:
- Driving ability.
A standardised driving test where the number of mistakes made are noted.
Identify the IV and the DV for the following experiments:
- Time spent reading and the number of mistakes made on a spelling test.
IV = Time spent reading daily. DV = Number of mistakes on a standard spelling test.
Re-write the hypothesis below so it is a null hypothesis:
- There is a significant difference in how fathers and mothers play with children.
There will be no difference in how mothers and fathers play with their children.
Identify the IV and the DV for the following experiments:
- Number of errors made on a task when an audience is present or not.
IV = Presence of an audience. DV = Number of errors made.
Re-write the hypothesis below so it is a null hypothesis:
- Drinking coffee leads to a significant increase in alertness.
Drinking coffee has no effect on alertness.
Identify the IV and the DV for the following experiments:
- The effect of age on the number of words correctly recalled on a memory test.
IV = Age. DV = Score on a memory recall test.
Decide whether the following general hypotheses are directional or non-directional:
- Men who have beards are perceived as older than clean-shaved men.
Directional hypothesis.
Identify the IV and the DV for the following experiments:
- Number of nightmares reported depending on whether horror films have been watched late at night or not.
IV = Watched horror movies late at night or not. DV = Number of nightmares that night.
Decide whether the following general hypotheses are directional or non-directional:
- Boys are more aggressive than girls.
directional hypothesis.
Identify the IV and the DV for the following experiments:
- People who exercise will rate themselves higher in terms of general well-being compared to those who do not exercise.
IV = Amount of exercise done each week. DV = Rating themselves.
Decide whether the following general hypotheses are directional or non-directional:
- The faster you type, the more mistakes you make.
directional hypothesis.
Identify the IV and the DV for the following experiments:
- Those who have therapy will show reduced levels of anxiety compared to those who have had no therapy.
IV = Those who have had therapy or not. DV = Anxiety score.
Re-write the hypothesis below so it is a null hypothesis:
- Drinking coffee leads to a significant increase in alertness.
Drinking coffee has no effect on alertness.
Identify the IV and the DV for the following experiments:
- Drinking alcohol or not drinking alcohol will affect the number of mistakes made on a driving simulator activity.
IV = Alcohol consumption. DV = Number of mistakes made on a driving simulator activity.
Identify the IV and the DV for the following experiments:
- Males who have higher income will be rated as more attractive than those who have a low income.
IV = Levels of income. DV = Score on attractivity.
