paper 2 - C - research methods Flashcards
whats the definition of hypothesis?
an educated guess
whats the definition of an aim?
the purpose of the research
= and a precise testable statement of the relationship between two variable
whats a directional hypothesis?
states what clear differences there are between conditions
=one tailed
whats non-directional hypothesis?
states that there is a difference between groups / conditions doesn’t say results
whats an alternate hypothesis?
when there is a relationship between two variables not due to chance
whats a null hypothesis?
no relationship between variables due to chance/aren’t significant
whats operationalising the variables?
defining your variables
whats an independent variable?
a variable that can be changed by researcher
whats a dependent variable?
data that is measured
whats internal validity?
whether the effects of observed in a study are due to the manipulation of the IV and not another factor
what are extraneous variables?
only the independent variable should influence the dependent variable any other factors that do are extraneous variables
= when possible are identified at the start of the experiment
what are participant variables?
differences between participants that may impact results
what are situational variables?
features of the experimental situation that may affect the results
whats a cofounding variable?
effects the DV but also relates to the IV
what are demand characteristics?
when there may be clues in the experiment which may help the participant figure out the aim of the research and change their behaviour
what are investigator effects?
when the behaviour of the investigator may affect participants and consequently impact the DV
what randomisation in experiments and why is it used?
- using chance wherever possible to reduce the researchers influence
what is a standardised experiment?
keeping everything the same for all participants , to make sure they all have the same experience
eg. the same conditions
=lighting
=noise
=heat
=same time of day
whats the definition of an experimental design?
refers to the way participants are used in experiments / participants arranged in relation to the different experimental conditions
what are the three experimental method designs?
- independent group design
2.repeated measure design
3.matched pairs design
whats an independent group experiment?
-there are two separate groups of participants that experience two different conditions
-performance of two groups are compared
whats a repeated measures experiment?
-all participants experience both conditions
-both pieces of data compared
whats a matched pairs experiment?
-participants matched up by on variable eg. age, IQ,
-then one would be put in condition one and the other in condition 2
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Evaluation on independent group experiments?
strengths
=order effects aren’t a problem but they are in repeated measures design this could be boredom or fatigue but as they are only in one condition they arent a problem
=less likely to guess the aim
weaknesses
=less economical= two sets of participants are needed