Methods Flashcards
what is an experimental method?
involves manipulating the independent variable to measure an effect on the dependent variable - can be lab, field, natural or quasi
what is an aim?
a general statement of what the researcher intends to investigate - the purpose of the study
what is a hypothesis?
a clear, precise, testable statement that states the relationship between the variables being investigated. stated at the outset of a study.
what is a directional hypothesis?
states the direction of the difference or relationship. used when there is previous data to suggest a direction
what is a non-directional hypothesis?
a hypothesis that does not state direction - used when there is no previous research or theory.
what is a variable?
anything which can change or vary within an investigation. used in experiments to determine whether a change in one thing causes a change in another.
what is an independent variable?
the aspect/variable in an experiment that you purposefully change or changes naturally.
what is a dependent variable?
the variable that is measured by the researcher.
what does operationalisation mean?
clearly defining the variables within a hypothesis in terms of how they can be measured.
what is a control condition?
the condition within the experiment that acts as the control
what is a experimental condition?
the condition within the experiment that measures the effect on the DV.
what is an extraneous variable?
any variable, other than the independent variable that may have an effect on the DV if it is not controlled. they are essentially nuisance variables that do not vary systematically with the IV.
what is a confounding variable?
any variable, other than the IV that may affect the DV so we are unsure whether the change in the IV caused the change in the DV. confounding variables do vary systematically with the IV.
what are demand characteristics?
any cue from the researcher or research situation that be interpreted by participants as revealing the purpose of the investigation. this may lead to participants changing their behaviour.
what are investigator effects?
any effect of the investigators behaviour on the research outcome. this may include anything from the design of the study to the researchers interaction with the participant. this may include things like leading questions etc.
what is randomisation?
the use of chance in order to control for the effects of bias when designing materials and deciding the order of conditions
what is standardisation?
using exactly the same formalised procedures and instructions for all participants in a study.
what is an experimental design?
the different ways in which the testing of participants can be organised in relation to the experimental condition.
what is the independent groups design?
participants are allocated to different groups where each group represents one experimental condition. the mean value of each group would then be compared.
what is the repeated measures design?
all participants take part in all conditions of the experiment
what is the matched pairs design?
pairs of participants are matched by some variable that may affect the DV. then one member of each pair does each condition.
what is random allocation?
an attempt to control for participant variables in the independent groups design which ensures each participant has the same chance of being in one condition as they do the other.
what is counterbalancing?
an attempt to control for the effects of order in a repeated measures design - half the participants do the conditions in one order and the other half do the opposite order.
evaluate independent groups design.
- order effects not a problem
- random allocation should be used to minimize individual differences.