Key terms experiments

Question 1

Whats a lab experiment?

Answer 1

The IV is manipulated by the researcher and the experiment is carried out in a lab or another setting away from the ppts normal environment

Question 2

Whats a field experiment?

Answer 2

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

Question 3

Whats a quasi experiment?

Answer 3

The IV is naturally occurring, not manipulated by the researcher

Question 4

Advantages of a lab experiment

Answer 4

Easy to reproduce, high internal reliability, cause and effects established, controlling extraneous variables

Question 5

Disadvantages of a lab experiment

Answer 5

People act weird in a controlled setting so lowers construct validity, low ecological validity, more effort to conduct

Question 6

Advantages of a field experiment

Answer 6

High ecological validity (natural setting), high construct validity, less effort to conduct, ppts at more ease

Question 7

Disadvantages of a field experiment

Answer 7

Higher chance of extraneous variables influencing results and low internal reliability

Question 8

Advantages of a quasi experiment

Answer 8

High ecological validity (iv isn’t manipulated), helps study variables we cannot manipulate

Question 9

Disadvantages of a quasi experiment

Answer 9

Difficult to conduct, cannot control the same ppt variables that influence results (lower construct validity)

Question 10

Define repeated measures design

Answer 10

Using the same people in each condition

Question 11

Define independent measures design

Answer 11

Using different people in each condition

Question 12

Define matched participants design

Answer 12

Using different people in each condition but an attempt is made to make the ppts as similar as possible on certain key characteristics. Tests are done and pairing them based on similar scores

Question 13

Advantages of repeated measures design

Answer 13

No participant variables (reduces it) and its easier to obtain ppts as theres fewer of them

Question 14

Disadvantages of repeated measures design

Answer 14

Risk of demand characteristics (situation variables, order effects may influence results unless counter balanced)

Question 15

Advantages of independent measures design

Answer 15

Reduces demand characteristics, no order effects

Question 16

Disadvantages of independent measures design

Answer 16

Hard to obtain ppts, participant variables

Question 17

Advantages of matched participant design

Answer 17

Reduced effects of participant variables, no order effects and lower chances of demand characterisitics

Question 18

Disadvantages of matched participant design

Answer 18

Effort to conduct a pre test and match ppts, cant control all extraneous variables

Question 19

How do we control participant variables?

Answer 19

Have the same people in each condition or if your using an independent measures design make a point of allocating participants to conditions on a random basis, so ppts variables are distributed between conditions

Question 20

How do we control situational variables (order effects)?

Answer 20

Different people in each condition or if a repeated measures is used, this should be counter balanced, meaning the ppts are split into two groups

Question 21

How do we control situational variables (environmental factors)?

Answer 21

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

Question 22

How do we control situational variables (demand characteristics)?

Answer 22

Do not tell ppts the aim of the study

Question 23

What is a single blind trial?

Answer 23

Ppts do not know the aim of the study

Question 24

Whats a double blind?

Answer 24

Ppts nor the people carrying out the research know the aim, this reduces the risk of researcher effects. Eliminates the dangers of researcher bias

Question 25

Whats an alternative hypothesis?

Answer 25

Predicts how one variable (IV) is likely to affect another variable (DV). There will be a significant difference between XX and XX

Question 26

Whats a null hypothesis?

Answer 26

Predicts the IV will not have an effect on the DV, it will be seen due to chance factors There will not be a significant difference between group XX as opposed to group XXX, any difference will be due to chance factors

Question 27

Whats a two tailed hypothesis?

Answer 27

IV will have a significant affect on the DV, but it doesn't predict the direction

Question 28

Whats a one tailed hypothesis?

Answer 28

IV will have a significant affect on the DV but also predicts the direction

Question 29

What does operationalising variables mean?

Answer 29

Process of making variables physically measurable. Recording an aspect of observable behaviour that is assumed to be indicative of the variable under consideration

Question 30

Whats self selecting?

Answer 30

People volunteer to take part in the study. Advertisements are often put out

Question 31

What is opportunity sampling?

Answer 31

Sample of people who are at a given time and place selected by the researcher

Question 32

Whats random sampling?

Answer 32

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

Question 33

What is snowball sampling?

Answer 33

Ppts are asked to contact their friends or family to ask them to take part

Question 34

Self selecting ad and disad

Answer 34

AD: Theyve chosen to participate, informed consent, no researcher bias DIS: Adverts are expensive, might not get enough volunteers- external reliability, unrepresentative sample

Question 35

Opportunity ad and disad

Answer 35

AD: Easy to obtain, obtaining target population DIS: Time consuming, researcher bias, lack of consent, unrepresentative sample

Question 36

Random ad and disad

Answer 36

AD: Equal chance, cant be bias, representative of target pop DIS: Time consuming, re sample, effort, selected people may not want to take part, hard to ensure equal chances

Question 37

Snowball ad and disad

Answer 37

AD: Large sample, easy to obtain DIS: Researcher bias, not able to generalise sample (similar characterising)

Question 38

What are the 4 key principles of the BPS?

Answer 38

Respect, competence, responsibility, integreity

Question 39

What is respect?

Answer 39

Informed consent- must agree to take part Right to withdraw- leave at any time Confidentiality- details kept confidential

Question 40

What is competence?

Answer 40

Researchers shouldn't give advice beyond that which they are competent to give

Question 41

What is responsiblity?

Answer 41

Protection from harm- should not experience physical/mental harm Debrief- informed of study details

Question 42

What is integrity?

Answer 42

Deception- shouldn't be tricked

Question 43

Strengths and weaknesses of quantitative data

Answer 43

S: Valid and reliable, generalisable, easier to compare studies and replicate them, can test hypothesis, cost effective, can be done anonymously W: Over simplification, lack context of experiences and individuals, requires pre set answers, descriptive so difficult to explain, sampling bias, low ecological validity

Question 44

Strengths and weaknesses of qualitative data

Answer 44

S: Detailed descriptions, helps researchers understand influences, flexible (change variables), helps researchers access groups, meaningful data, accurate and valid W: Bias, time consuming, difficult to generalise, challenging to replicate, issues with confidentiality, hard to analyse, not presentable in a graph

Question 45

Mean ad and disad

Answer 45

A: Takes account of all values to calc the average, representative findings D: Affected by large/small values, outliers, kew results, decimal numbers

Question 46

Medium ad and disad

Answer 46

A: Not affected by large or small numbers, discounts outliers D: Time consuming, doesn't include all data

Question 47

Mode ad and disad

Answer 47

A: Averages can only be used if the data set isnt numbers, easy whole value D: More than one mode or no mode, not always representative