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Psychology Paper 2 > Experimental Methods - Types of Experiments > Flashcards

Experimental Methods - Types of Experiments Flashcards

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1
Q

What is research?

A

Systematic ways of finding things out.

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2
Q

What are the 5 types of research methods?

A

Self-report
Experiments
Observations
Correlational studies
Case studies

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3
Q

What is research called if the psychologist carried it out themselves?

A

Primary data

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4
Q

What is research called if the psychologist uses someone else’s findings?

A

Secondary data (data that already exists)

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5
Q

What is an aim?

A

An aim identifies the purpose of the investigation. An aim usually starts with leases such as ‘to find out’ or ‘to investigate’.

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6
Q

What is a hypothesis?

A

A precise, testable statement of what the researchers predict will be the outcome of the study.

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7
Q

What is a variable?

A

Anything that can change/vary.
Eg. memory, attention, time taken to perform a task etc.

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8
Q

What is the independent variable?

A

The variable that the researcher manipulates (changes).

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9
Q

What is the dependent variable?

A

The variable that the researcher measures in their experiment.

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10
Q

Why does a researcher try to control extraneous variables?

A

So the results are valid.

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11
Q

What is objectivity?

A

Unbiased - no influence from personal feelings or experiences the researcher has.

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12
Q

What is reliability?

A

Consistent over time.

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13
Q

What is validity?

A

Measures what it was intended to measure.

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14
Q

What is a null hypothesis (H0)?

A

A hypothesis which states that there’s no relationship between the 2 variables being studied.
It should start with ‘there will be no significant difference between…’

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15
Q

What is an alternative (experimental) hypothesis (H1)?

A

A hypothesis which states that there’s a relationship between the 2 variables being studied.
It’s either directional/one-tailed or non-directional/two-tailed.

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16
Q

What is a directional/one-tailed hypothesis?

A

It predicts the nature of the effect of the IV on the DV.
Has a comparison word like ‘more’.

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17
Q

What is a non-directional/two-tailed hypothesis?

A

It predicts that the IV will have an effect on the DV but the direction of the effect is not specified.

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18
Q

What is a sample?

A

A smaller group selected from the target population.

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19
Q

What is the target population?

A

A group who are the focus of a researcher’s interest, from which a smaller group are selected (sample).

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20
Q

What are sampling techniques?

A

The method used to select people/animals from a population.

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21
Q

What does it meant to have a biased sample?

A

Over- or under-representation in a sample.

22
Q

What are generalisations?

A

The extent to which findings can be broadly applied to the target population.

23
Q

What does representative mean?

A

A small quantity of something that accurately reflects the larger entity.

24
Q

What is a sampling frame?

A

A list of all those within a population who can be sampled, and may include individuals, households or institutions.

25
Q

What is random sampling?

A

All members of the target population have an equal chance of being selected (eg. putting all their names in a random generator).

26
Q

What are the strengths and weaknesses of random sampling?

A

+ each person has an equal chance of selection, so no researcher bias.
+ should be representative, based on laws of probability, so should be able to generalise.
- time-consuming.
- may still end up with an unrepresentative sample.
- participants may refuse to take part (could lead to having a sample collected by volunteer sampling).

27
Q

What is systematic sampling?

A

Get all the names of target population and order them in some way.
Every nth member of target population is selected.
This creates a sampling frame.

28
Q

What are the strengths and weaknesses of systematic sampling?

A

+ unbiased selection (researcher isn’t choosing the sampling frame).
+ should be representative so can generalise.
- may still be unrepresentative so can’t generalise.
- time-consuming.

29
Q

What is stratified sampling?

A

Identify subgroups that are relevant to your research.
Work out the proportion of that subgroup in the target population.
Make sure the proportion is reflected in the sample.
Choose participants with random sampling.

30
Q

What are the strengths and weaknesses of stratified sampling?

A

+ will be representative, so can generalise.
+ no researcher bias.
- time-consuming.
- only representative of the chosen subgroup.

31
Q

What is opportunity sampling?

A

Use people most convenient and available to you that fit the criteria (means people are similar though).

32
Q

What are the strengths and weaknesses of opportunity sampling?

A

+ not time-consuming.
- unrepresentative so cannot generalise.
- researcher chooses sample so could result in bias.

33
Q

What is volunteer sampling?

A

Participants are self-selected.
Researcher advertises the research, often with a reward.

34
Q

What are the strengths and weaknesses of volunteer sampling?

A

+ not time-consuming.
- unrepresentative as certain people more likely to volunteer, so can’t generalise.
- potential for no volunteers.

35
Q

What is an experiment?

A

A scientific process involving the manipulation of the IV to determine cause and effect. It must be ensured that only the IV has an impact on the DV.

36
Q

What is a lab experiment?

A

In a well-controller environment, where accurate measurements are possible.
Standardised procedure (all participants experience exact same).
IV manipulated by researcher.
DV measured.
Participants randomly allocated.

37
Q

What is a field experiment?

A

In everyday environment of participant (not controlled).
Less control of extraneous variables.
IV manipulated by researcher.
DV measured.

38
Q

What is a natural experiment?

A

No control over IV as it occurs naturally in real life.
Measures DV (could be secondary data though).
IV in natural setting but DV could be measured in lab/field.
Often conducted when it’s unethical to manipulate IV.

39
Q

What is a quasi experiment?

A

Naturally occurring IV.
The IV is difference between people that already exists (personal characteristic eg. gender, age)
DV measured (could be in lab/field).

40
Q

What is internal validity?

A

Whether the effects observed in a study are due to the manipulation of the independent variable and not some other factor. There’s a casual relationship between the independent and dependent variable.

41
Q

What is external validity?

A

Refers to the extent to which the results of a study can be generalised to other settings (ecological validity), other people (population validity) and over time (historical/temporal validity).

42
Q

What is mundane realism?

A

The degree to which the materials and procedures involved in an experiment are similar to events that occur in the real world. Type of external validity.

43
Q

What are participant effects?

A

Where being a participant in a study can affect their behaviour.

44
Q

What are demand characteristics (participant effect)?

A

Where participants guess the aims and change their behaviour to help or spoil a study.

45
Q

What is social desirability bias (participant effect)?

A

Where participants want to appear good/better than they are so they give a desirable answer rather than the truth.

46
Q

What is experimenter bias?

A

Where the researcher could influence the participants’ behaviour or the data gathered.

47
Q

What are conditions?

A

Different levels of the IV.

48
Q

What is experimental design?

A

How participants are allocated to the different conditions in an experiment.

49
Q

What are independent groups?

A

Different participants are used in each condition of the IV.
Each participant only does 1 condition.
This means each condition of the experiment includes a different group of participants.

50
Q

What are repeated measures?

A

The same participants take part in each condition of the IV.
Each participant does all conditions.
This means each condition of the experiment includes the same group of participants.

51
Q

What are matched pairs?

A

Each condition uses different but similar (matched) participants.
An effort is made to match the participants in each condition in terms of any important characteristic which might affect performance (DV).
Each participant only does 1 condition.

52
Q

How do you create a matched pairs design?

A

Identify an appropriate variable (which might affect the DV). Eg. IQ.
Pre-test the variable eg. IQ test.
Pair up most similar participants eg. pair up with same/similar IQ score.
Randomly allocate 1 to each condition eg. split pair into each condition.

Psychology Paper 2 (1 decks)

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