Psychological Investigations

Question 0

What is quantitative data?

Answer 0

Data that is numerical

Question 1

What is qualitative data?

Answer 1

Data that is non-numerical

Question 2

What is validity?

Answer 2

Whether or not an investigation measures what it claims to measure.

Question 3

What is the DV?

Answer 3

The dependent variable, the thing that is being measured in an experiment.

Question 4

What is the IV?

Answer 4

The Independent variable, the thing that is being manipulated or changed.

Question 5

What is a null hypothesis?

Answer 5

The mathematical acknowledgement that the results are due to chance. It will begin with ‘there is no difference/correlation between….

Question 6

What is an experimental hypothesis?

Answer 6

A statement that can be tested

Question 7

What is an experiment?

Answer 7

A study of cause and effect.

Question 8

What is the independent variable?

Answer 8

The variable that has been manipulated.

Question 9

What is the dependent variable?

Answer 9

The variable that is measured.

Question 10

What is the control variable?

Answer 10

A variable that is not changed and allows for a fair test.\

Question 11

What is an extraneous variable?

Answer 11

A variable that could effect the outcome which we cannot control.

Question 12

What is a confounding variable?

Answer 12

If we cannot control a variable and it DOES seriously affect the outcome, then it is confounding.

Question 13

What is a field experiment?

Answer 13

an experiment conducted in a natural environment. The variables are still manipulated, but participants may be in their their natural environment and may not know that they are in an experiment.

Question 14

What are the strengths of a natural experiment?

Answer 14

• high ecological validity (as more like and can be generalised to real life)
• less demand characteristics (subjects may not know they are in experiment)
• less bias sampling (subjects do not need to be taken to a lab)

Question 15

What are the weaknesses of a field experiment?

Answer 15

• extraneous variables cause bias (difficult to control)
• more difficult to replicate
• ethical issues of consent, deception, etc. are likely to occur

Question 16

What are the weaknesses of a field experiment?

Answer 16

• Less valid due to extraneous variables
• Difficult to replicate exactly
• Ethical issues (consent, deception, invasion of privacy)

Question 17

What is a laboratory experiment?

Answer 17

An experiment in a special environment, participants are likely to know that they are in an experiment, but they may not know the true aims.

Question 18

what are the strengths of a lab experiment?

Answer 18

• Manipulation of variables mean strong inference of case an effect
• Increased control and measuring variables is more accurate
• It is easy to replicate

Question 19

What are the weaknesses of a laboratory experiment?

Answer 19

• Still can’t control ALL of the variables
• Low ecological validity (not natural environment so cannot be generalised to real life)
• Results may be bias due to sampling
• Demand characteristics may be high
• Ethical problems of deception

Question 20

What is a natural experiment?

Answer 20

A quasi experiment. The IV is changed by a natural occurrence, and the effects of the DV are just recorded. Nothing is manipulated by the researcher.

Question 21

What are the strengths of a quasi experiment?

Answer 21

VERY good ecological validity - natural change

Very little bias from sampling and demand characteristics

Question 22

What are the weaknesses of a natural experiment?

Answer 22

• Difficult to infer cause and effect
• Virtually impossible to replicate
• Bias if participants know they are in a study
• Ethical issues

Question 23

What is repeated measures design?

Answer 23

when the experimenter uses the same group of participants in both conditions of the experiment.

Question 24

What are the strengths of the repeated measures design?

Answer 24

• Subject variables are constant so will not be extraneous
• Better stats tests as less variation between conditions
• Less subjects, more economical

Question 25

What are the weaknesses of repeated measures design?

Answer 25

• Order effects (fatigue, practice, boredom) may be issues
• Demand characteristics/ social desirability if aim is guessed
• Different tests to test the same thing may be needed

Question 26

What is the independent measures design?

Answer 26

Uses completely different subjects in each conditio.

Question 27

What are the strengths of independent measures design?

Answer 27

• Order effects are no problem
• Demand characteristics are not problematic (harder to guess the aim)
• Sane test can be used both times

Question 28

What are the weaknesses of using independent measures?

Answer 28

• Subject variables differ (could be confounding)
• Worse statistical tests (less consistency between conditions)
• More subjects needed (less economical)

Question 29

What is the matched pairs design?

Answer 29

different participants are used in each condition, but in each condition they are matched on a specific aspect.

Question 30

What are the advantages of matched pairs design?

Answer 30

• Consistent (ish) subject variables
• Better statistical tests (less varied between conditions)
• Demand characteristics not much problem
• Same test can be used

Question 31

What are the weaknesses of matched pairs design?

Answer 31

• Subject variables can not be perfectly matched
• Matching is time consuming
• More subjects are eeded