Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

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


See full index

Psych: Unit 1: Research Methods > Experiments > Flashcards

Experiments Flashcards

1
Q

What are laboratory experiments?

A

The IV is manipulated by the researcher and the experiment is carried out in a laboratory or other contrived setting away from the participant’s natural environment.

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

What are field experiments?

A

The IV is manipulated by the researcher but the experiment is carried out using participants in their normal surroundings.

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

What are quasi (natural) experiments?

A

The IV is naturally occurring (e.g. weather), not manipulated by the researcher.

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

What are the advantages of laboratory experiments?

A

Controlled, results tend to be reliable, can be replicated and accurately measured.

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

What are the advantages of field experiments?

A

Ecologically valid.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What are the advantages of quasi experiments?

A

Can study variables that are impossible to manipulate.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What are the disadvantages of laboratory experiments?

A

Lack ecological validity, higher chance of demand characteristics.

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

What are the disadvantages of field experiments?

A

More difficult to control.

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

What are the disadvantages of quasi experiments?

A

Uncontrollable and cannot be replicated.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is the repeated measures design?

A

A design that involves using the same people in each condition.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is the independent measures design?

A

A design that involves using different people in each condition.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is the matched participants design?

A

A design that involves using different people in each condition but an attempt is made to make the participants a similar as possible on key characteristics (that could influence findings). This is achieved by testing individuals on the key characteristic, paring them, then placing one of each lair into each group.

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

What is an advantage of the repeated measures design?

A

Can observe accurate results/differences as it is the same sample. Participant variables do not affect it.

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

What is an advantage of the independent measures design?

A

Not affected by order effects/less likely to have demand characteristics.

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

What is an advantage of the matched participants design?

A

Less participants variables/demand characteristics and no order effects.

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

What is a disadvantage of the repeated measures design?

A

Demand characteristics tend to occur more regularly as the sample can observe the differences. Most likely to be affected by order effects as the results are influenced by then repetition of the task.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is a disadvantage of the independent measures design?

A

Can affect participant variables as the results are influenced by participants individual characteristics.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What is a disadvantage of the matched participants design?

A

Time consuming,

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What are participant variables?

A

Characteristic of the individual participants that may influence the result.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What are some examples of participant variables?

A

Age, intelligence, motivation, skill, experience, gender.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

How can participant variables be controlled?

A

Either have the same people in each condition or extremely similar people in each condition.

If using an independent groups design, make a point of allocating participants to conditions on a random basis so that participant variables are more likely to be evenly distributed between conditions.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What are situational variables?

A

Any feature of the research situation which may influence a participant’s behaviour and therefore the result.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What are some examples of situational variables?

A

Order effects
Environmental factors
Demand characteristics

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

How can order effects be controlled?

A

Having different people in each condition will avoid this problem, which would be a benefit of using either an independent measures design or a matched groups design.

If a repeated measures design is used, then this should be counter-balanced. This is where the participants are spilt into two groups.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What are order effects?

A

If doing the same activity twice, participants may be better the second time because of practice or worse because of boredom.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

What are examples of environmental factors?

A

Time of day, temperature, and noise.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

How can environmental factors be controlled?

A

Impose controls on the experiment to ensure that there are as few differences as possible between the two conditions.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

What are demand characteristics?

A

Cues in an experiment that communicate to participants what is expected of them and which may unconsciously affect the behaviour of participants.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

How do you control demand characteristics?

A

Do not tell participants to purpose of the investigation (known as a single blind procedure).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

What is single blind research?

A

When participants do not know the aim of the study

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

What is double blind research?

A

When neither the participants nor the people carrying out the research know the aim of it.

32
Q

Why might studies be made double blind?

A

To reduce the risk of researcher effects and eliminate the dangers of researcher bias.

33
Q

What are researcher effects?

A

How results could be affected by a researcher’s behaviour.

34
Q

What is researcher bias?

A

When a researcher allows their hopes and expectations for what the data will look like to affect the data they choose to hold onto from a study or allows it to influence who they choose as participants for their study.

35
Q

What is an alternative hypothesis?

A

Predicts how one variables (IV) is likely to affect another variable (DV).

36
Q

What is a null hypothesis?

A

Predicts that the IV will not have an effects on the DV.

37
Q

What are two-tailed hypothesises?

A

Predicts that the IV will have a significant effect on the DV, but it does not predict the direction this effect will go in. Cannot predict which direction.

38
Q

What are one-tailed hypothesises?

A

Predicts no only that the IV will have significant effect in the DV but also the direction this effect will go in. Can predict direction.

39
Q

What is operationalisation?

A

The process of making variables physically measurable or testable.

40
Q

What is target population?

A

The group of people the researcher is interested in studying.

41
Q

What are sampling methods?

A

The different ways in which researchers can obtain a sample of people from within the target population to take part in their study.

42
Q

What is a sample?

A

The actual group of participants used in the research.

43
Q

What is self-selecting sampling?

A

When people volunteer to take part in the study. Often adverts, posters or leaflets will be distributed which contain details about the research and contact details for participants to use if they wish to take part.

44
Q

What is opportunity sampling?

A

A sample of participants produced by selecting those who are most readily available at a given time and place selected by the researcher.

45
Q

What is random sampling?

A

Each member of the target population has an equal chance of being selected.

46
Q

What is snowball sampling?

A

When participants are asked to contact their family and friends to ask them to also take part in the research; they, in turn, ask other people.

47
Q

What are strengths of self-selecting sampling?

A

Researchers do not have to spend time finding participants.

48
Q

What are strengths of opportunity sampling?

A

Quickest to do and is ethical.

49
Q

What are strengths of random sampling?

A

Selection is fair and results are likely to be generalisable.

50
Q

What are strengths of snowball sampling?

A

Isn’t time consuming.

51
Q

What are weaknesses of self-selecting sampling?

A

All participants will be from the same area and will most have a similar characteristic of being more outgoing (as they volunteered themselves).

52
Q

What are weaknesses of opportunity sampling?

A

Can be biased.

53
Q

What are weaknesses of random sampling?

A

Does not necessarily have consent. Difficult to gather names of everyone that you want to include in the random selection.

54
Q

What are weaknesses of snowball sampling?

A

May have similar characteristics / age / from the same area etc.

55
Q

What are the four ethical principles?

A

Respect, competence, responsibility and integrity.

56
Q

What are the three concepts under the ethical principle of respect?

A

Informed consent
Right to withdraw
Confidentiality

57
Q

What are the two concepts under the ethical principle of responsibility?

A

Protection of participants
Debrief

58
Q

What is the concept under the ethical principle of integrity?

A

Deception

59
Q

What the the advantages of collecting quantitative data?

A

Easy to analyse and compare. Can be supported and shown in a graph.

60
Q

What the the disadvantages of collecting quantitative data?

A

Not specifically detailed, the experimenter cannot find out why something occurs.

61
Q

What the the advantages of collecting qualitative data?

A

Researcher can find out why. More descriptive/more information. Explains why behaviour happens and helps to analyse individuals.

62
Q

What the the disadvantages of collecting qualitative data?

A

Cannot/difficult to compare to other participants within the sample.

63
Q

What are advantages of the calculating the mean of a set of results?

A

All data is included.

64
Q

What are advantages of the calculating the median of a set of results?

A

Isn’t affected by outliner scores so results won’t be skewed.

65
Q

What are advantages of the calculating the mode of a set of results?

A

Can be used for non-numerical data.

66
Q

What are advantages of the calculating the range of a set of results?

A

Quick and easy to calculate.

67
Q

What are advantages of the calculating the variance of a set of results?

A

Takes all of the values into account.

68
Q

What are advantages of the calculating the standard deviation of a set of results?

A

Takes all data into account. Expressed in original unit.

69
Q

What are disadvantages of the calculating the mean of a set of results?

A

Outliner scores can skew the mean to not reflect most participants.

70
Q

What are disadvantages of the calculating the median of a set of results?

A

Does not take all data into account.

71
Q

What are disadvantages of the calculating the mode of a set of results?

A

It is impossible to calculate if all the data is different/there may be more than one mode.

72
Q

What are disadvantages of the calculating the range of a set of results?

A

Data can be skewed by outliners. Only takes into account top and bottom values which could be extremes.

73
Q

What are disadvantages of the calculating the variance of a set of results?

A

Only takes squared values into account, not the original units of the data.

74
Q

What are disadvantages of the calculating the standard deviation of a set of results?

A

Time-consuming and more difficult to calculate than the range score.

75
Q

How do you calculate the variance in a set of data?

A

For each condition, calculate the mean score.
Subtract each participant’s score from the mean score for each condition.
Square each score.
Add the squared scores together.
Calculate the mean of the squared scores.

76
Q

How do you calculate the standard deviation in a set of data?

A

Find the square root of the variance.

Psych: Unit 1: Research Methods (6 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions