Key words Flashcards
Independent variable
The variable that the experimenter changes is interested in its effect. We want to see the effect of the IV on the DV
Dependent Variable
the thing we measure, it measures the effect of the IV
Extraneous Variable
anything that affects the DV that isn’t the IV
confounding variable
If an extraneous variable does actually affect the experiment it is called a confounding variable
Laboratory experiment
takes place in an artificial environment with a high degree of control
Field experiment
takes place in a natural environment, but the experimenter is still manipulating the IV
Natural experiment
takes place in a natural environment and the experimenter is NOT manipulating the IV, but rather observing and using information produced by natural circumstances
Control Condition
The IV is NOT present. This is the base level to compare the experimental condition with
Experimental Condition
the IV IS present. You are testing the effect of the IV on the DV
Experimental Group
Participants are exposed to the experimental condition
Control Group
Participants who are exposed to the control condition
(independent groups design)
All participants who have been selected for an experiment are just as likely to be in one group as the other
Demand Characteristics:
parts of the experiment may give away the aims and therefore cause participants to change their behaviour to do what they think they should (this can be conscious or unconscious)
Participant Variables
Individual differences between participants (can create differences in behaviour in a study and alter the outcome instead of differences being solely due to the IV)
Order Effects
Practice & fatigue effects are the consequences of participating in a study more than once (repeated measures design) and can cause changes in performance between conditions not due to the IV
Practice Effect
Performance improves because the participant has experienced the experimental task more than once (due to learning or familiarity)
Fatigue Effect
Performance declines because the participant has done the task more than once (due to boredom or tiredness)
Counterbalancing
used to overcome order effects in a repeated measures design experiment. Each possible order of levels of the IV is done by different subgroups. Can be ABBA, BAAB, ABAB, BABA, etc.
Standardization
- Keeping the procedure for each participant exactly the same to ensure that any differences between participants or conditions are due to the variables being tests rather than differences in how they were treated
Reliability
The extent to which a procedure, task, or measure is consistent (eg. Do you get the same results each time you do it)
Validity
The extent to which the researcher is testing what they claim to be testing
Internal Validity
The extent to which a piece of evidence supports a claim about cause and effect, within the context of a particular study
External Validity
The validity of applying the conclusions of a scientific study outside the context of that study
Ecological Validity
The extent to which the findings in one situation would generalise to other situations. This is influenced by whether the situation represents the real world effectively and whether the task is relevant to real life
Mundane Realism
- Is the task relevant to real life, or is it artificial and therefore participants treat it so?
Generalisability
Can the findings be applied more widely?
Self Reports
A participant gives the researched information about themselves directly
Questionnaires
Written questions Could be a physical form or online
Open questions
Asks for descriptive answers in the patient’s own words: Looks for detailed information, gets a more in-depth response
Closed questions
Has a fixed set of answers: Can be yes/no, numerical, strongly disagree to strongly agree,
lack of inter-rater reliability
If more than one researcher is involved their interpretations may not be
consistent
Social Desirability Bias
where participants lie to look more acceptable
filler questions
can be used to disguise the real aim of a questionnaire - these aren’t analysed, they are just there to hide the real aim of the study
Interviews
The researcher usually asks questions face to face, but could also be over the phone, or online chat
Structured interview
an interview with questions in a fixed order, usually scripted
Unstructured interview
an interview where most questions depend on the person’s answers.
Semi-structured interview
an interview with a fixed list of open and closed questions. The interviewer can add more questions if they think it’s required
Subjective
A personal viewpoint that can be biased by your own experiences, thoughts, emotions, or beliefs
Objective
An unbiased, external viewpoint, not influenced by any personal experiences, thoughts, emotions, or beliefs
Case Study
a detailed investigation of a single instance
Validity
the quality of being logically or factually sound
Reliability
the quality of being trustworthy
Naturalistic observation
watching the participants’ behaviour in their normal environment without interference from the researchers in either the social or physical environment
Controlled observation
watching the participants’ behaviour in a situation where the social or physical environment has been manipulated by the
researchers. It can be conducted in either the participants’ normal environment or an artificial situation
Unstructured observation
the observer records the whole range of possible behaviours which is usually confined to a pilot stage at the beginning of a study to refine the behavioural categories to be observed
Structured observation
the observer records only a limited range of behaviours
Behavioural categories
the activities recorded in an observation that are clearly operationalised and broken into discrete and recordable events that are observable actions
Participant observer
a researcher who watches from the perspective of being part of the social setting
Non-participant observer
a researcher who doesn’t become involved in the situation being studied (eg. Watching through one-way glass or keeping apart from the participants)
Overt observer
the role of the observer is obvious to the participants
Covert observer
the role of the observer is not obvious to the participants (because they’re either hidden or disguised)
Hypothesis
predicts a difference between levels of the IV, or a relationship between variables (correlation)
Alternate hypothesis
predicts a difference of relationship between variables in a particular direction
Non-directional (two-tailed) hypothesis
predicts only that one variable will be related to another, or that there will be a relationship between the measured variables in a correlation (in no particular direction)
Directional (one-tailed) hypothesis
predicts that one variable will be related to another, or that there will be a relationship between the measured variables in a
correlation (in a particular direction)
Null hypothesis
predicts that any difference or correlation in the results is due to chance, ie. that no pattern in the results is because of the variables
Population
Everyone in the target group
Sample
A part of the target group you plan to study, representative of the population
Sampling technique
the method used to obtain the participants for a study
Opportunity sampling
participants are chosen because they are available
Volunteer (self-selected) sample
participants are invited to participate and choose to
Random sample
all members of the population are equally able to be selected in an unbiased way
Qualitative
descriptive, in-depth results showing the quality of something (such as open questions or detailed observations)
Quantitative
numerical results about something (such as a test score or pulse rate)
Measures of Central Tendency:
Mean, Median, Mode
Mean
the average
Median
the exact middle
Mode
the most common
Measures of spread:
Range, Standard deviation
Range
From the lowest to the highest
Standard Deviation
how far away a score is from the mean
Single Blind Study
the participants don’t know whether they’re in the control of the experimental group
Double Blind Study
neither the participants nor the experimenter/s don’t know whether they’re in the control of the experimental group
Informed Consent
knowing enough about a study to decide whether you will agree to participate
Right To Withdraw
participants should know that they can remove themselves, and their data, at any time (before, during, or after the experiment)
Privacy
participants’ emotions & physical space should not be invaded (eg. They should not be observed in places or situations where they don’t expect to be seen)
Confidentiality
participants’ results and personal information should be kept safely and not released to anyone outside of the study
Debriefing
Giving participants a full explanation of the aims and potential consequences of the study at the end of a study is vital, so that they leave in at least as positive a condition as they arrived
Deception
Participants should not be deliberately misinformed (lied to) about the aim of procedure of the study, however this is not always possible. If this is unavoidable, the study should be planned to minimise the risk of distress, and participants should be fully debriefed
Replacement
researchers should consider replacing animals with alternatives like videos from previous studies or computer simulations
Species & Strain
the chosen species and strain should be the one least likely to suffer pain or distress. Were they bred in captivity? Have they been in previous experiments? What is their ability to think and feel?
Number of Animals
only the minimum number should be needed to get reliable and valid results (good experimental design is vital for this)
Procedures on Pain & Distress
research causing death, disease, injury, physical or psychological distress or discomfort should be avoided where
possible
Housing
Isolation and crowding can cause distress, so cage conditions should depend on the social behaviour of the creature
Reward, Deprivation, & Averse Stimuli
Using deprivation of the normal feeding or drinking patterns of the animals should be considered so that their needs can be satisfied. The use of rewards should be considered rather than the use of punishments to control behaviour
Anaesthesia, Analgesia, & Euthanasia
Animals should be protected from pain using appropriate anaesthesia and analgesia for surgeries, and euthanised if suffering lasting pain
Operant Conditioning
learning through the consequences of our actions
Behaviour reinforcement
When we do something that has a good consequence, we are more likely to repeat it
Positive Reinforcement
adding something good (a positive reward), like chocolate or praise
Negative Reinforcement
the removal of something bad (still a reward), like eating to remove the feeling of hunger
