Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

AQA Psychology AS > Experimental Research Methods > Flashcards

Experimental Research Methods Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
Psychology 101 flashcards GRE® Psychology flashcards AP® Psychology flashcards
1
Q

What is meant by a ‘dependent variable’?

A

The variable that the experimenter measures

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is meant by an ‘independent variable’?

A

The variable that the experimenter manipulates

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

List the research methods in experimental psychology

A

Laboratory Study
Field Study
Natural Experiment
Quasi Experiment

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Outline and evaluate Laboratory Studies

A
  • An experiment conducted in an environment where the variables are carefully controlled
  • IV manipulated by the researcher

Pros:

  • Internal validity
  • Less likelihood of extraneous variables
  • Easily replicated

Cons:

  • Artificial
  • Demand Characteristics
  • Low ecological validity
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Outline and evaluate Field Studies

A
  • An experiment conducted in natural settings
  • IV manipulated by researcher

Pros:
-Ecological validity (behaviour is more realistic)

Cons:

  • Less control over extraneous variables in the real world, therefore less internal validity
  • Potentially time consuming and expensive
  • Not easily replicated
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Outline and evaluate Natural Experiments

A
  • An experiment that is conducted when the IV can not be (practically or ethically) manipulated
  • Therefore, it is said that the IV occurs naturally
  • DV may be tested in a lab

Pros:

  • Reduced Demand Characteristics
  • Good method for sensitive ethical issues
  • High ecological validity

Cons:

  • Difficult to show cause-and-effect (IV + DV)
  • Researcher doesn’t control IV or environment
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Outline and evaluate Quasi Experiments

A
  • An experiment measuring the difference between people (e.g. gender, age, height), therefore the IV is naturally occurring
  • DV may be tested in a lab

Pros:
-Allow for comparisons between different types of people

Cons:
-Participants may be aware of being studied, ultimately affecting the internal validity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

List the designs used in experimental psychology

A

Independent Groups Design
Repeated Measures Design
Matched Participants Design

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Outline and evaluate the Independent Groups Design

A

-One group for each condition

Pros:

  • No practice effects
  • Less likely to show demand characteristics

Cons:

  • No control of individual differences between participants
  • Twice as many participants are needed (potentially), therefore less economical
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Outline and evaluate the Repeated Measures Design

A

-All groups do all conditions

Pros:

  • Participant variables are controlled as the same participants are used in each condition
  • More economical (fewer participants needed)

Cons:

  • Practice effects
  • Demand characteristics
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Outline and evaluate the Matched Pairs Design

A

-Participants are matched by similar traits (e.g. age, gender, intelligence)

Pros:

  • Attempts to tackle participant variables
  • No order effects

Cons:

  • Matching is difficult/expensive/time consuming
  • Matching is never totally successful
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Define ‘extraneous’ and ‘confounding’ variables

A

Extraneous Variables: variables other than the IV affecting the DV

Confounding Variables: if the EV is not removed, it becomes a confounding variable

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Define ‘counterbalancing’?

A

All participants doing all conditions (ABBA)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is meant by ‘investigator effects’?

A

How the investigator looks, speaks and acts. As the investigator could unintentionally convey how participants should behave

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What is meant by ‘social desirability bias’?

A

The tendency for participants (typically in questionnaires and interviews) to answer questions in a manner which they feel will be favoured by others

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is meant by ‘face validity’?

A

Whether the experiment appears to test what it claims to

17
Q

What is meant by ‘concurrent validity’

A

Comparing the outcome of a new study with the results of a similar, pre-existing study

18
Q

Outline the ways to improve internal reliability

A

Split-half method; questions on a test are split in half. If reliable, the answers for the questions highlighted should be the same for any individual

19
Q

Outline the ways to improve external reliability

A

Test-retest method; the ability to replicate the results of the study

Replication; the ability to replicate the results of the study with different participants

20
Q

List the sampling methods used in experimental psychology

A 
Random Sampling
Opportunity Sampling
Systematic Sampling
Stratified Sampling
Volunteer Sampling
21
Q

What is meant by ‘Random Sampling’?

A

Each individual has an equal opportunity of being selected

22
Q

What is meant by ‘Opportunity Sampling’?

A

Using people who are available to participate

23
Q

What is meant by ‘Systematic Sampling’?

A

Taking every nth person from a list to create a sample

24
Q

What is meant by ‘Stratified Sampling’?

A

Small scale reproduction of a population, and the individuals within each category are random. (e.g. if 12% of the population are black, 12% of participants in the study should be black)

25
Q

What is meant by ‘Volunteer Sampling’?

A

Using people who offer to take part in a study

26
Q

Evaluate Random Sampling

A

Pros: Best chance of getting a representative sample

Cons: Often difficult and expensive

27
Q

Evaluate Opportunity Sampling

A

Pros: Can be the easiest method to organise, as participants are readily available

Cons: Researcher’s choice may be biased

28
Q

Evaluate Systematic Sampling

A

Pros: No bias in selection of participants

Cons: Unbiased selection does not mean and unbiased sample (e.g. the participants may be all female)

29
Q

Evaluate Stratified Sampling

A

Pros: Representative of sub-groups within a population

Cons: Time-consuming; dividing into different categories and then randomly selecting participants takes time

30
Q

Evaluate Volunteer Sampling

A

Pros: Very convenient

Cons: Usually biased, as the participants are all the same/similar (highly motivated, and/or too much free time)

31
Q

Evaluate using a Mean as a measure of Central Tendency

A

Pros: Most accurate measure

Cons: Less useful for anomalous data

32
Q

Evaluate using a Median as a measure of Central Tendency

A

Pros: It can be used with original data

Cons: Can be unrepresentative if you’re not given much data

33
Q

Evaluate using a Mode as a measure of Central Tendency

A

Pros: It is useful when data is in categories

Cons: There can be more than one mode

34
Q

Evaluate using a Range as a measure of Dispersion

A

Pros: It’s easy to calculate

Cons: Can be distorted by extreme values

35
Q

Evaluate using the Standard Deviation as a measure of Dispersion

A

Pros: A more sensitive dispersion measure

Cons: May hide some of the characteristics of the data (e.g. extreme values)

36
Q

How to calculate a percentage?

A

Divide the result by the total and then multiply by 100

e.g. 17/45 x 100 = 37.7%

AQA Psychology AS (9 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions