methodology Flashcards
what is a lab experiment?
an experiment conducted in a specially-designed and controlled environment. The IV is manipulated to observe the effect of the DV.
what is a field experiment?
an experiment conducted in more natural surroundings. The IV is manipulated directly by the experimenter to observe the effect on the DV.
what is a natural experiment?
An experiment that takes advantage of the fact that a variable of interest (IV) occurs naturally, so we can observe the effects of this on the DV.
what are demand characteristics?
When participants change their behaviour as a result of cues from the research situation.
what are participant variables / effects?
The particular characteristics of those taking part.
what are situational variables / effects?
Environmental factors that may affect the results.
what are experimenter effects?
Cues given by the researcher (e.g. muscular tension, gestures, tone of voice) that may affect results.
what is experimenter bias?
A type of bias that occurs when experimenters allow their expectations to affect their interpretation of observations.
what does ‘single blind’ mean in controlling variables?
the participants are unaware of the aim so they don’t change the way that they perform.
what does ‘double blind’ mean in controlling variables?
Both researcher and participant do not know the aim of the study (e.g. experimenter could bring in an independent researcher to carry out a study).
what is independent measures design?
Different participants are used in each condition of the independent variable. This means that each condition of the experiment includes a different group of participants
what is repeated measures design?
The same participants take part in each condition of the independent variable. This means that each condition of the experiment includes the same group of participants.
what is matched pairs design?
Where pairs of participants are matched in terms of key variables, such as age or socioeconomic status. One member of each pair is then placed into the experimental group and the other member into the control group.
what is inter-rater reliability?
the degree of agreement between raters / observers.
what is test-retest reliability?
measures the consistency of results when you repeat the same test on the same sample at a different point in time.