Pilot studies & more Flashcards
double/ single-blind procedure control groups and conditions
Define pilot study
A small-scale version of an investigation that takes place before the real investigation is conducted.
The aim is to check that procedures, materials, measuring scales, etc. work properly and to allow the researcher to make changes or modifications if necessary.
what is single-blind procedure
A type of research design in which a participant is not aware of the research aim and/or of which condition of the experiment they are recieving.
What does single-blind procedure counter
It is an attempt to control for confounding effects of demand characteristics
What is double-blind procedure
Neither the participant nor the researcher conducting the study are aware of the research aims or the other important details of the study, and thus have no expectations that might alter a participant’s behaviour
When is double blind procedure often used
often an important feature of drug trials
in a drug trial example what are the groups
- experimental group/condition = recieves the real drug
- control group/condition = recieves placebo
Why are control groups used
Controls are used in experiments for the purpose of comparison.
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.
