Pilot Studies

Question 1

What is a pilot study?

Answer 1

A small scale version of an investigation which takes place before the real investigation is conducted

Question 2

The aims of piloting

Answer 2

Allows the researcher to identify any potential issues and to modify the design or procedure saving time and money in the long run

Question 3

How are pilot studies useful in questionnaires or interviews

Answer 3

It’s helpful to try out questions in advance and remove or reword those that are ambiguous or confusing

Question 4

How are pilot studies useful for observational studies

Answer 4

-Pilots studies provides a way of checking coding systems before the real investigation is undertaken
-this may be an important part of the training observers

Question 5

single-blind procedures

Answer 5

a research method in which the researchers do not tell the participants if they are being given a test treatment or a control treatment.=done to ensure participants do not bias the results by acting in a way they ‘think they should act=avoid demand characteristics

Question 6

double-blind procedures

Answer 6

a researcher procedures in which neither the participant nor the experimenter knows who is receiving a particular treatment=prevents demand characteristics and investigator effects as the researcher is unable to unconsciously give participants clues as to which condition they are in.

Question 7

control group

Answer 7

A control group is a group in the experiment which a variable is not being tested,they serve as an important benchmarks to compare the results of the experimental group