Pilot Studies (And More), Chapter 6, 7 Flashcards
What is a pilot study?
A small-scale version of an investigation that takes place before the real investigation is conducted.
What does a pilot study involve?
A handful of participants, rather than the total number, in order to ‘road-test’ the procedure and check the investigations runs smoothly.
Pilot studies are not just restricted to experimental studies
What are examples of self-report methods?
Interviews, questionnaires
What is helpful to try out when using self-report methods?
It is helpful to try out questions in advance and remove or reword those that are ambiguous or confusing
What use is a pilot study in observational studies?
In observational studies, a pilot study provides a way of checking coding systems before the real investigation is undertaken. This may be an important part of training observers
What is a single-blind procedure?
Participants are not aware of the aims of the investigation but the researcher who conducts the study is
What do participants not know in a single-blind procedure?
They are not told the aim of the research at the beginning of the study. Other details are also kept such as, which conditions of the experiment they are in or whether there is another condition at all
Any information that might create expectations is not revealed until the end of the study to control for the confounding effects of demand characteristics
What happens in a double-blind procedure?
Neither participants nor the researcher who conducts study is aware of the aims of the investigation (often a third party conducts the investigation without knowing its main purpose
What are double-blind procedures an important feature of?
They are an important feature of drug trials. Treatment may be administered to participants by someone who is independent of the investigation and who does not know which drugs are real and which are placebos
If they don’t know what each participant is receiving then expectations cannot influence participant behaviour
What is an experimental group?
The group that receives the real drug
What is a control group?
The group that receives the placebo
What do we use the word control in research to refer to?
The control of variables but we use it here to refer to setting a baseline
Control is used in many experimental studies for the purpose of comparison
What would happen if the change in behaviour of the experimental group is significantly greater than that of the control group?
Then the researcher can conclude that the cause of this effect was the independent variable (assuming all other possible confounding variables have remained constant)
What is having two groups in an experiment an example of?
An independent groups design, but we can also have control conditions in a repeated measures design. Each participant takes part twice- once in the experimental condition and then in the control condition
What is the aim of a pilot study?
The aim is to check that procedures, materials, measuring scales, etc., work. The aim is also to allow the researcher to make changes or modifications if necessary. This saves time and money in the long run
