Key Science skills

Question 1

Define the aim

Answer 1

The aim refers to the statement outlining the purpose of an investigation.

Question 2

Define the hypothesis

Answer 2

the hypothesis refers to the testable prediction about the outcome of the experiment.

Question 3

Define operationalising variables

Answer 3

the operationalised variables refers to specifying exactly how the variables will be manipulated or measured in a particular controlled experiment.

Question 4

Define investigation methodologies

Answer 4

they refer to any of the different processes, techniques and/or types of studies researchers use to obtain information.

Question 5

List types of psychological studies

Answer 5

some types include: controlled experiments, case studies and correlational studies.

Question 6

Define controlled experiments

Answer 6

they refer to a type of investigation which measures the causal relationship between one or more independent variables and a dependent variable.

Question 7

Define case studies

Answer 7

they refer to an in-depth investigation of an individual, group, or particular phenomenon that contains a real or hypothetical situation.

Question 8

Define correlational studies

Answer 8

they refer to the non-experimental study in which researchers observe and measure the relationship between two or more variables without any active control or manipulation of them.

Question 9

Define classification

Answer 9

it refers to the arrangement of phenomena, objects, or events into manageable sets.

Question 10

Define identification

Answer 10

it refers to a process of recognition of phenomena as belonging to particular sets or possibly being part of a new or unique set.

Question 11

Define experimental and control group

Answer 11

refers to the group of participants in an experiment who are exposed to a manipulated independent variable. The control group refers to the group of participants who receive no experimental treatment.

Question 12

Define within-subjects design (repeated measures)

Answer 12

it refers to a design in which participants complete every experimental condition.

Question 13

Define between-subjects design

Answer 13

it refers to a design in which individuals are divided into different groups and complete only one experimental condition.

Question 14

Define mixed design

Answer 14

it refers to a design which combines elements of within and between subjects design.

Question 15

List types of fieldwork

Answer 15

types include: direct observation, questionnaires and focus groups.

Question 16

Define stratified sampling

Answer 16

it refers to any sampling technique that involves selecting people from the population in a way that ensures that it’s strata (subgroups). Divides groups based on characteristics.

Question 17

Define participant-related variables

Answer 17

it refers to the characteristics of a study’s participants that may affect the results.

Question 18

Define order of effects

Answer 18

it refers to the tendency for the order in which participants complete experimental conditions to have an effect on their behaviour.

Question 19

Define placebo effect

Answer 19

it refers to when participants respond to an inactive substance or treatment as a result of expectations or beliefs.

Question 20

Define non-standardised instructions and procedures

Answer 20

it refers to when directions and procedures differ across participants or experimental conditions.

Question 21

Define demand characteristics

Answer 21

it refers to cues in an experiment that may signal to a participant the intention of the study to influence their behaviour.

Question 22

Define counterbalancing

Answer 22

it refers to a method to reduce order effects that involves ordering experimental conditions in a certain way.

Question 23

Define single-blind procedures

Answer 23

it refers to a procedure in which participants are unaware of experimental groups or conditions they have been allocated to.

Question 24

Define double-blind procedures

Answer 24

it refers to a procedure in which both participants and the experimenter do not know which conditions or groups are allocated to.