Key Terms Flashcards
Define aims
A statement of what the researchers intent to find out
Define debriefing
A post research interview designed to inform the participants if the true nature of the study and restore them to the state they were in during the study. Can be used to gain feedback
Define ethical issues
Ethical issues concern the right and wrong. They arise in research where there are conflicting sets of values between researches and participants
Define experiment
A research method where casual conclusions can be drawn because the independent variable has been manipulated to observe the casual effect of the dependant variable
Define extraneous variables
EV do not vary systematically with the IV and therefore do not act as an alternative IV but may have an effect on the DV. They muddy the results and make it more difficult to detect a significant effect
Define hypothesis
A precise and testable statement about the assumed relationship between variables. Operationalism is a key part of making the statement testable
Define informed consent
Informed consent is where participants are given comprehensive information concerning the nature and purpose of the research so they can provide informed consent
Define operationalise
Ensuring that variables are in a form where they can be easily tested
Define standard procedure
A set of procedures that are the same for all participants in order to repeat the study - this includes standardised instructions
Define confounding variable
A variable under study that in not the IV but which varies systematically with the IV - changes in the dependant variable may be due to the confounding variable and therefore the results are not useful
Define control
How regulated or constant a variable is
Define external validity
The degree to which a research finding can be generalised
- ecological validity
- population validity
- historical validity
Define internal validity
The degree to which an observed effect was due to the experimental manipulation rather than other factors such as CV / EV
Define mundane realism
How reflective a study is in comparison to the real world
Define validity
Refers to whether an observed effect is a genuine one
Define confederate
An individual in a study who is not a real participant and has been instructed hoe to behave by the researchers
Define directional hypothesis
States the direction of the predicted difference between the two conditions or two groups of participants
Define non directional hypothesis
Predicts simply that there is a difference between two conditions or two groups of participants, without stating the direction of the difference.
Define pilot study
A small scale trial run of the study to test any aspects of the design, with a view to make improvements
Define counterbalancing
An experimental technique used to overcome Oder effects when using a repeated measures design
Define experimental design
A set of procedures used to control the influence of factors such as participant variables in an experiment
Define independent group design
Participants are allocated to two or more groups that represent different levels of the IV. Allocation can be done with many techniques
Define matched pairs design
Pairs of participants are matched in terms of key variables such as age or IQ. One member is of each pair is allocated to one of the conditions under test and the second person is allocated to the other condition
Define order effect
In repeated measure design, an extraneous variable arising from the order in which conditions are presented
Define random allocation
Allocating participants to experimental groups or conditions using random techniques
Define repeated measures design
Each participant takes part in every condition under test
Define field experiment
A controlled experiment carried out outside the lab - IV manipulated by the researcher so cause - effect relationships can be demonstrated. Tend to have lower internal validity but higher external validity. Participants usually unaware that they are involved
Define lab experiments
An experiment carried out in a controlled setting. Have high internal validity due to high control but lower ecological validity due to participants being aware and the tasks being more artificial
Define natural experiment
A method where the researcher doesn’t influence the independent variable directly - researcher records the IVs effect on the DV. Causal conclusions can only be tentatively drawn
Define quasi-experiments
Studies that are almost experiments. The IV is not something that can be changed but is a state/condition that exists - lack of manipulation on the IV also means that causal conclusions can only be tentatively drawn
Define demand characteristics
Cues that make participants unconsciously aware of the aims of the study - can change the behaviour of the person from their norm
define the investigator effect
Anything the investigator does that may effect the participants performance in a study other than what was intended
Define bias
A systematic distortion
Define generalisation
Applying findings of a study to the population
Define opportunity sample
A sample of participants produced by selection who are most easily available at the time of the study’s
Define population
The group of people that the study is interested in. The group of people from who a sample is drawn. A group of people about whom generalisations can be made
Define random sample
A sample of participants produced by using a random technique such that every member of the target population has equal chance of being selected
Define sampling
A method used to select participants eg random, opportunity, volunteer.
Define stratified sample
A sample of participants produced by identifying subgroups according to their frequencies in the population. Participants are then randomly selected from each subgroup
Define systematic sampling
A sample obtained by selecting every nth person. This can be random if the first person is selected randomly then every nth person after.
Define volunteer bias
Volunteer participants have special characteristics such as being more highly motivated than randomly selected
Define volunteer sample
A sample of participants that relies solely on volunteers to make up the sample. AKA a self-selected sample.
Define confidentiality
The protection of information between the one person to another
Define deception
A participant is not told the true aims of a study and therefore cannot give informed consent
Define informed consent
Participants are given comprehensive information concerning the nature and purpose of research and their role in it, so they can make an informed decision about if they will participate in the study
Define privacy
A persons right to control the flow of information about themselves
Define protection from harm
During the study participants should not experience physical or psychological effects such as injury, lowered self esteem etc
Define the right to withdraw
Participants have the right to stop participating - especially when it’s not possible for them to give informed consent. They also have the right to refuse the use of any data collected that the researchers collected
Define cost benefit analysis
A systematic approach to estimating the negatives and positives of a study
Define debriefing
A post research interview designed to inform participants of the true nature of a study. May also be used to gain reel back about procedures of the study. Debriefing is not an ethical issue but a way of dealing with
Define ethical guidelines
A set of principles designed to help professionals behave honestly and with integrity
Define ethics committee
A group of people within a research institution but approve of a study
Define presumptive consent
Method of dealing with a lack of informed consent - asking a group of people who are similar to the real participants if they would consent - then it’s presumed that the real group will
Define controlled observation
Investigating when behaviour is observed but under condition a where certain variables have been set by the researcher
Define covert observation
Observing people without their knowledge- doesn’t alter their behaviour
Define inter-observer reliability
The extent to which there is an agreement between two or more observers involved in observations of behaviour
Define naturalistic observation
Observation is carried out in an everyday setting in which the observer does not involve themselves
Define non participant observation
The observer is separate from the people being observed
Define observer bias
The observers expectations affect what they see or hear. Reduces the validity of the observations
Define overt observation
Studies where the participants are aware of being studied
Define participant observation
Observations are made by someone who is also participating in the activity being performed
Define behavioural categories
Dividing a target behaviour into a subset of specific and operationalised behaviours
Define event sampling
An observational technique in which a count is kept if the number of time a behaviour occurs
Define sampling
The method used to select participants
Define structured observation
A researcher uses various systems to organise observations, such as behavioural categories and sampling procedures
Define time sampling
An observational technique in which the observer records behaviours in a given time frame
Define interview
A research method or technique that involves face to face interaction with another individual
Define interviewer bias
the effect of an interviewers expectations, communicated unconsciously on a respondents behaviour
Define questionnaire
Data collected through the use of written questions
Define social desirability bias
A distortion in the way people answer questions making them seem more socially acceptable/ in a better light
Define structured interview
An interview where the questions are predetermined
Define unstructured interview
The interview starts out with some general aims and possibly some questions and let’s the interviewees response guide the next questions
Define closed questions
Questions that have a predetermined set of answers which the respondents choose from
Define open questions
Questions. That invite respondents to provide their own answers rather than select one
Define qualitative
Non numerical data
Define quantitative
Numerical data
Define co-variable
The two measured variables in correlational analysis. The variables must be continuous
Define continuous variable
Variables that can be any value within a range e.g - how much you like football 1-10
Define correlation
Determining the extent of an association between two variables
Define the correlation coefficient
A value between -1 and +1 that determines how closely two co-variables in correlation analysis are associated
Define curvilinear coefficient
A nonlinear relationship between co-variables
Define intervening variable
A variable that comes between two other variables, which is used to explain the association between those two variables
Define linear correlation
A systematic relationship between co-variables that is defined by a straight line
Define scatter gram
A graphical representation of the association between two sets of values
Define significance
A statistical term indicating that the research findings are sufficiently strong enough for us to accept the research hypothesis under test
Define case study
Research that involves the detailed study of an individual, institution, or event
Define effect size
A measure of the strength of the relationship between two variables
Define meta analysis
A researcher looks at findings from a number of different studies and produces a statistic to represent the overall effect
Define review
A consideration of a number of studies that have investigated the same topic in order to reach a general conclusion on a particular hypothesis
Define primary data
Information observed or collected directly from first hand experience
Define second hand data
Information used in a study that was collected by someone else for a purpose other than the current one.
Define one tailed test
The test used in a sign test when the hypothesis is directional
Define two tailed test
The test used in a sign test when there is a non directional hypothesis
Define sign test
A statistical test to determine the significance of a sample of data of related items.
Define critical value
In an inferential test the value of the test statistic that must be reached to show significance
Define calculated value
The value of a test statistic calculated for a particular data set
Define significance
A statistical term indicating that the research findings are sufficiently strong for us to accept the research hypothesis
