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psychology in context - research methods 1 and 2 > experiments > Flashcards

experiments Flashcards

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1
Q

experiment

A

an experimental research method investigates cause-and-effect relationships by determining if one variable effects another.
the researcher begins with an aim, then formulates a hypothesis to test the potential causal relationship.

types of experimental methods; lab, field, natural and quasi

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2
Q

aim

A

statement of what the researcher intends to find out

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3
Q

hypothesis

A

prediction of what they expect to find from the research
you need to know the operationalised independent and dependent variable.

psychologists start their research with both a null and experimental hypothesis and then reject the one that doesn’t support the research

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4
Q

independent variable

A

variable that the psychologist changes
will lead to two or more conditions
the cause

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5
Q

dependent variable

A

variable that is measured to see if it changed e.g. number of..
the effect

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6
Q

operationalisation

A

researcher must assure IV and DV are operationalised - they are both specific and measurable
allows researcher or anybody else to repeat the study the same way to check results

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7
Q

alternative/experimental hypothesis

A

predicts a difference
“there will be a difference (DV)(condition 1)(condition 2)
there are two types: directional and non-directional

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8
Q

null hypothesis

A

predicts no difference
“there will be no difference in (DV)(condition 1)(condition 2)

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9
Q

directional hypothesis (one-tailed)

A

states which specific direction the results will go in. contains words like ‘there will be more/less’ ‘higher/lower’
may be used when findings of a previous effect point to a particular direction

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10
Q

non-directional hypothesis

A

less clear of the direction
‘there will be a difference’
psychologists may use this if previous research is less or if findings show no consistent direction

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11
Q

extraneous variable

A

can affect the DV if not controlled. consists of 3 types: participant, situational, experimenter

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12
Q

participant variables

A

differences between participants e.g. age, gender, prior knowledge and experiences

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13
Q

situational variables

A

differences in the environment such as the time of day or temperature or noise

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14
Q

experimenter variables

A

the tone of voice or body language the experimenter uses or bias

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15
Q

standardised procedures or matched pairs

A

method to control situational variables

ensure all pts are tested under the same conditions - avoid situational variables

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16
Q

repeated measures design or matched pairs

A

control participant variables

repeated measures: same pts used in every condition

matches pairs: match a pt from each condition on the basis of a key variable e.g. age.
pairs are then compared rather than whole groups

generally, psychologists should just design a study that makes it hard for pts to guess the aims of the study

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17
Q

double blind technique

A

control of experimenter variables

the person who carries out the research is not the same as the one who designed it

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18
Q

demand characteristics

A

structure of the study could lead to a pt guessing the aim of the study - can lead to them changing their behaviour - artificial - lowers validity

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19
Q

laboratory experiment

A

investigates causal relationships between an IV and a DV under controlled conditions

conducted in a special environment where variables are controlled - usually a university lab

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20
Q

strengths of laboratory experiment

A

strengths:
manipulation of IV under controlled conditions allows cause & effect to be established as EVs are controlled
easy to replicate due to standardised procedure

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21
Q

weakness of laboratory experiment

A

weakness:
experiments are artificial which may produce artificial behaviour - low ecological validity
low mundane realism - whether the task relates to real life tasks
ethical problems - deception, potential harm etc

22
Q

field experiment

A

investigates causal relationships between IV and DV in a more natural environment.

pts may not be aware they are participating
researcher still manipulates the IV e.g. at a school vs casino

23
Q

strength of field experiment

A

strengths:
higher mundane realism
less chance of demand characteristics - pts are not aware - can’t change behaviour as they don’t know the aims of the study.
easy to generalise results to our settings

24
Q

weakness of field experiment

A

weaknesses:
ethical issues; deception, invading privacy, potential harm etc
difficult to control EVs - less validity - cannot measure what we intended to measure

25
Q

natural experiment

A

investigates relationship between IV and DV but IV cannot be directly manipulated - so the IV varies naturally
e.g. researching prisoners, kids in an orphanage - more extremal

26
Q

strength of natural experiment

A

strengths:
allows psychologists to carry out research where the IV cannot be manipulated for ethical reasons or practical reasons
allows psychologists to study real problems - increases mundane realism and ecological validity

27
Q

weakness of natural experiment

A

weaknesses:
cannot demonstrate casual relationships between IV and DV
random allocation not possible therefore there may be EVs that cannot be controlled - lowers validity

28
Q

quasi-experiment

A

investigates relationships between IV and DV but IV cannot be directly manipulated - IV varies naturally.

IV is a characteristic of a person e.g. mental disorders, gender, personality - more internal

29
Q

strength of quasi-experiment

A

strengths:
allows psychologists to carry out research where the IV can’t be manipulated for ethical/practical reasons
allows them to study real problems - increases mundane realism and ecological validity

30
Q

weakness of quasi-experiment

A

weaknesses:
cannot demonstrate casual relationships as IV is not manipulated
random allocation is not possible - may be EVs that can’t be controlled - lowers the validity

31
Q

experimental designs

A

once researcher has chosen experimental method that suits the nature of the study best, they choose the type of design

there are 3 types: independent groups, repeated measures and matched pairs

32
Q

independent groups

A

one set of participants who only represent one condition of the IV

33
Q

advantages of independent groups

A

eliminate order effects - pts only take part in one condition
pts are less likely to guess the aim of the study and show demand characteristics

34
Q

disadvantages of independent groups

A

cannot control effects of participant variables

to improve this - randomly allocate pts to conditions to distribute variables easily

35
Q

advantages of matched pairs

A

eliminate order effects - pts only take part in one condition
less likely to guess aim and show demand characteristics

36
Q

disadvantages of matched pairs

A

cannot control all participant variables

to improve this, conduct a pilot study to consider key variables that are important when matching

37
Q

advantages of repeated measures

A

eliminate PVs

38
Q

disadvantages of repeated measures

A

order effects are likely
more likely to guess aim of the study and show demand characteristics

to improve this researchers may use 2 different tests to reduce order effects.

there are 2 techniques to tackle order effects; counterbalancing and randomisation

39
Q

counterbalancing

A

alternating the order in which participants perform in different conditions.

e.g. group A does condition 1 first then condition 2, and group B do condition 2 then condition 1

40
Q

randomisation

A

material for each condition is presented in a different order

e.g. same words are presented but in a different order for each pt.

41
Q

random allocation (for independent groups design)

A

using a non-biased method to allocate pts to conditions.
this will evenly distribute PVs across all conditions, so PVs are less likely to affect the results

e.g. putting all pts names into a hat then the first person drawn is allocated to condition 1. then the second person drawn to condition 2. the third person to drawn condition 1 and so on.

this greatly decreases systematic error as well as researcher bias

42
Q

reliability

A

how consistent the results are. if study is repeated, the same or highly similar results should occur again

43
Q

validity

A

extent to which a test measures what it intended to measure

44
Q

ecological validity

A

extent to which you can apply the findings of the study to other situations/environments outside the setting of the study

45
Q

control

A

how well the researcher has controlled the variables - without control we cannot state that it was the IV that changed the DV

46
Q

mundane realism

A

how well an experiment task reflects real life tasks - the higher the mundane realism, higher the ecological validity

47
Q

internal validity

A

refers to things that happen INSIDE the study such as whether we can be certain that it was the IV which caused changed in the DV

internal validity can be affected by a lack of mundane realism - lead the pts to act in an unnatural way - less valid results
can also be affected by EVs

48
Q

external validity

A

whether the study is a true representation of behaviour outside of the specific experimental setting

49
Q

population validity

A

extent to which you can generalise the findings to the rest of the population

50
Q

temporal/historical validity

A

extent to which we can generalise the findings to other time periods

51
Q

pilot studies

A

a trial run on a small scale study conducted on a small sample and aims to test all aspects; procedure, flaws in design, check materials used.

a way to check that everything in your actual experiment will run smoothly and help to improve validity

find flaws before time and money is invested in carrying out a large study

52
Q
A

psychology in context - research methods 1 and 2 (4 decks)

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