Practical Investigation Flashcards
Abstract
A brief summary of the key elements of a research study which appears at the start of a report.
Aim
A statement communicating the intended purpose of a research investigation.
Allocation
The method by which researchers divide participants into experimental and control conditions.
Animal ethics in research
The moral principles that must be followed regarding the use of animals within psychological research.
Appendix
A section at the end of a research report including any question sheets, raw data or other supplementary information relevant to the research.
Bar chart
A graphical representation of data which displays the investigated quantities as solid blocks or ‘bars’.
Case study
An in-depth scientific investigation into a person, group, place or event which often involves multiple sources of data.
Conclusion
A summation and judgement about the meaningfulness of the results of an experiment that appears at the end of a report.
Confidentiality
An ethical principle stating that participants have the right to remain anonymous in published research and have any data regarding themselves stored securely.
Confounding Variable
An extraneous variable which has a systematic unwanted effect on the dependent variable.
Construct validity
The degree to which the instruments or research tools used in an experiment e ectively assess the topic of interest.
Control group
A group of participants in an experiment who are not exposed to the experimental conditions (independent variable), forming a baseline for comparison with the experimental group.
Convenience sampling
A method for selecting the sample for a research study in which participants are selected based on their accessibility and readiness to take part in the research.
Counterbalancing
A strategy adopted to control the order effect in which the order in which half of the participants are exposed to the experimental condition first and then the control condition and vice versa in a repeated measures design.
Cross sectional study
A type of study in which data is analysed at a particular point in time.
Debriefing
An ethical principle stating that at the conclusion of a research study, participants have the right to have results explained to them and to have any negative e ects of research participation removed.
Deception
A procedure that occurs when participants are not told the truth about the aims of a research study in order to avoid extraneous variables. In research, this should be avoided as much as possible in order to uphold ethical principles.
Dependent variable
The variable that is affected by the independent variable in an experiment which is measured to test the effect of the independent variable.
Descriptive statistic
A mathematical calculation that describes, organises and summarises raw data.
Discussion
A section of a research report in which the significance of the research findings are interpreted and described.
Double blind procedure
An experimental design technique in which both participants and researchers are unaware as to whether they have been assigned to the control or experimental group.
Effect of sample size
The impact that the number of participants used in a research study has on the reliability of the resulting findings.
Ethics committee
A group of experts who assess whether a research proposal can be conducted ethically to determine whether it should be conducted.
Experiment
A scientific procedure carried out to test a hypothesis where a researcher manipulates an independent variable to see the effect it has on the dependent variable.
Experimental group
A group of participants in an experiment who are exposed to the experimental conditions (independent variable).
Experimenter effect
A change in participant behaviour due to the experimenter’s treatment or influence.
External validity
The degree to which a study is done, and reported, in a way that findings can be applied to the wider population.
Extraneous variable
Any variable other than the independent variable that has an unwanted effect on the results and hence alters the dependent variable.
Generalisation
A statement that relates the findings of a research study to the wider population.
Hawthorne effect
An experimental effect in which a change in behaviour occurs because a participant is aware that they are being observed.
Implication
A conclusion that can be drawn from research findings that is not explicitly stated.
Independent groups design
An experimental design where each participant is randomly assigned to one of either the experimental or control groups.
Independent variable
The characteristic that a researcher manipulates or changes in an experiment to determine its effect on the dependent variable. This varies between the experimental and control groups.
Individual participant differences
Characteristics unique to different participants in a research study.
Inferential statistic
A mathematical calculation that makes an inference, judgement or conclusion from data about the relationship between independent and dependent variables, e.g. t-test, p-value.
Informed consent
An ethical principle stating that a researcher must provide participants with an overview of the nature and risks of being involved in a research study. For participation to occur, a researcher must obtain signed permission from any participants indicating willingness to participate.
Inter rater reliability
The degree to which the results from an experiment can
be reproduced when the same assessment tool is used by different administrators.
Internal consistency reliability
The degree to which the terms in a test contribute equally to what they are measuring.
Interview
A self report report measure involving a conversation between a researcher and participant where the participant responds to questions on the research topic of interest.
Introduction
A section of a research report that places the research in context and provides the aims and hypotheses relevant to the research.
Line graph
A graphical representation of continuous data where data points are plotted and connected by lines.
Longitudinal study
A type of study in which data is collected from the same individuals over a long period of time.
Matched participants design
An experimental design where each participant is paired to another based on similarity or a characteristic of interest and then one person from each pair is allocated to the control group and the other to the experimental group.
Mean
A measure of central tendency that represents the ‘average’ score in a data set which is calculated by adding all the scores and dividing by the total number of scores.
Median
A measure of central tendency that represents the ‘middle’ score in a data set which is found by placing all scores in order and finding the value in the middle.
Method
The details regarding how a particular experiment is carried out including the participants, materials and procedures.
Mode
A measure of central tendency that represents the most frequent score in a data set, which is found by tallying the number of times each score appears to find the score which occurs the highest number of times.
Non standardised instructions and procedures
An experimental design with no set procedure for how to carry out an experiment, which means so that it may be conducted differently each time.
Observational study
A scientific study that involves observation of the behaviour, actions and responses of participants.
Operationalisation
A process in which an experimental variable is defined or described in terms of the specifics of how the variables are being manipulated or measured.
Order effect
An extraneous variable in a repeated measures design in which the sequence of the conditions impacts the dependent variable due to factors such as boredom, knowledge or practice.
Percentage
A descriptive statistic that represents a proportion that is calculated by dividing a score by the maximum possible and then multiplying the result by 100.
Placebo
A fake or false treatment that has no effective component.
Placebo effect
An extraneous variable in which participant responses vary due to participant expectations regarding the effectiveness of a treatment.
Population
The group of interest in a research study from which the sample is drawn.
Primary data
Data that is sourced for the purpose of addressing the research question. This can be obtained through questionnaires, interviews and rating scales.
Qualitative data
Descriptive data about characteristics or qualities that
are described using words such as opinions, descriptions or arguments conveyed in an interview.
Quantitative data
Data that has been measured numerically or categorically, for example, from a rating scale.
Questionnaire
A self-report measure involving a set of written questions that can be open or closed in nature.
Random allocation
A method of assigning members of a sample where each individual has an equal chance of being placed in either the experimental or control group.
Random sampling
A method for selecting the sample for a research study in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected for the sample.
Range
A measure of variability that represents the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution.
Rating scale
A self-report measure that requires a participant to score particular characteristics along a continuum, often assigning a numerical value to each of the rated characteristics
Referencing
A self-report measure that requires a participant to score particular characteristics along a continuum, often assigning a numerical value to each of the rated characteristics
Reliability
The extent to which an assessment tool measures what it is supposed to measure consistently.
Repeated measures design
An experimental design where each member of the sample is involved in both the control and experimental conditions.
Replication
The repetition of a research study in order to validate results.
Research question
A question of interest that informs a research project.
Results
A section of a research report stating the obtained data in a summarised format.
Role of the experimenter
The ethical requirements of a researcher that state that they must cause no psychological or physical harm and that the research conducted must be worthwhile.
Sample
A subset of the population used as participants in a research study.
Secondary data
Data that is sourced from a research study or data source other than the one at hand.
Self report method
A data collection method that is reliant on participant feedback by various mediums.
Single blind procedure
An experimental design technique in which either the participants or researchers are unaware of the assignment of participants into the control or experimental groups.
Standard deviation
A measure of variability that represents the spread of scores around the mean.
Standardised instructions and procedures
The use of the same procedure each time an experiment is conducted in order to maintain consistency.
Stratified sampling
A method for selecting the sample for a research study in which the population is broken into groups (strata) according to a characteristic of interest and participants are selected from each group in the same proportion as they appear in the population.
Table
A set of summarised facts or figures systematically displayed in rows and columns.
Validity
The extent to which an assessment tool actually measures what it is designed to measure.
Variation around the mean
A description of the extent to which numerical scores in a data set differ from the mean value. An example of a measure of variation around the mean is standard deviation
Voluntary participation
An ethical principle stating that research participants have the right to take part in a research study only if they are willing to do so.
Withdrawal rights
An ethical principle stating that participants are allowed to leave a research study at any point during the research.
Research hypothesis
A testable prediction that identifies a population and proposes the strength and direction of a relationship between two variables.
