Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

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


See full index

psychology in context- research methods > experiments > Flashcards

experiments Flashcards

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

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

aim

A

statement of what the researcher intends to find out

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

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

independent variable

A

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

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

dependent variable

A

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

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

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

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

null hypothesis

A

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

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

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

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

extraneous variable

A

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

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

participant variables

A

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

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

situational variables

A

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

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

experimenter variables

A

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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
A

psychology in context- research methods (2 decks)

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