Experimental method & design+ research issues

Question 1

What is an aim?

Answer 1

• A general statement of what the researcher intends to investigate
• purpose of the study

Question 2

What is a hypothesis?

Answer 2

• A clear, precise, testable statement that states the relationship between the variables being investigated
• stated at the start of study

Question 3

What is a directional hypothesis? (one-tailed)
give an example

Answer 3

• States the direction of the difference or relationship
• people who drink water are less talkative than those who drink energy drinks

Question 4

What is a non-directional hypothesis? (two-tailed)
give an example

Answer 4

• states that there is a difference but does not state the direction of the difference
• people who drink energy drinks differ in talkativeness compared with people who don’t

Question 5

What is operationalisations?

Answer 5

• clearly defining key variables in terms of how they can be measure

Question 6

What are extraneous variables? examples

Answer 6

Any variable other than the IV that may have an effect on the dv if it is not controlled
e.g. age, personality

Question 7

What are confounding variables?

Answer 7

• A kind of EV that varies systematically with the IV
  -Hard to tell whether the change in DV is due to the IV or the confounding variable

Question 8

What are demand characteristics?

Answer 8

• Any cue from the researcher or from the research situation that may be interpreted by participants as revealing aims of an investigation
• p’s change behaviour within research situation
• extraneous variable they may affect dv

Question 9

What are investigator effects? give examples

Answer 9

• Any effect of the investigators behaviour (conscious or unconscious) on the DV
• includes interactions, design of study
• e.g. leading questions, instructions , demeanor

Question 10

What is randomisation?

Answer 10

• The use of chance methods to control for the effects of bias by researcher or bias in general when designing an investigation

Question 11

What is standardisation?

Answer 11

• When the same formalised procedures and instructions are used for all participants

Question 12

How to write a set of standardized instructions?

Answer 12

• include what participants have to do clearly explained
• make up realistic times for task if not said in Q
• give the same info to each p
• ethics not really needed
• ask if they have any questions

Question 13

Ways that an experiment can be improved

Answer 13

• improving sampling method > explain how
• changing the experimental design and how they should implement it
• changing nature of task so its more realistic to real life
• random allocation > how this will be carried out
• changing the type of experiment e.g. field