Research Flashcards
“A generalised statement about the topic you are investigating and what you wish to achieve”
Aim
“The breakdown of how to achieve the aim, including brief details of the method for each aim”
Objective
“The testable questions/statements that address the objectives; informed predictions of the outcome based on limited prior knowledge”
Hypothesis
What type of hypothesis is the following?
“Working hypothesis to predict what you might find overall - does not usually make predictions in any direction”
General hypothesis
What type of hypothesis is the following?
“A more informed prediction based on prior knowledge of the field”
Specific hypothesis
What type of question is the following?
“How do viruses spread?”
Research question
What type of question is the following?
“Are viruses alive?”
Philosophical question
What type of question is the following?
“How long does it take for a virus to spread?”
Observational question
What type of question is the following?
“Does a new vaccine affect people’s susceptibility to infection?”
Experimental question
A testable question must be…?
Measurable through systematic scientific investigation
Is the following an observational or experimental study?
“Measurements of the dependent and independent variables are gathered through observations”
Observational
Is the following an observational or experimental study?
“Independent variable may consist of chosen groups, e.g. male vs female”
Observational
Is the following an observational or experimental study?
“No manipulation of subjects’ environment occurs”
Observational
Is the following an observational or experimental study?
“Measurements of the dependent variable are gathered after the independent variable has been changed”
Experimental
Is the following an observational or experimental study?
“Independent variable consists of experimental groups and controls”
Experimental
Is the following an observational or experimental study?
“Manipulations of the subjects’ environment occurs”
Experimental
What type of variable is the following?
“This is chosen or changed by the researcher”
Independent variable
What type of variable is the following?
“This possibly varies in response to the independent variable”
Dependent
What type of variable is the following?
“This may affect results, but is not investigated by the researcher”
Confounding variable
What can be done to the effects of known confounding variables?
They can be minimised or equalised
What can be done to reduce the effects of unknown confounding variables?
Randomising samples
What are Tinbergen’s four questions?
-Causation
-Ontogeny
-Adaptive value
-Evolution
Which of Tinbergen’s four questions is the following?
“How does it work?”
Causation
Which of Tinbergen’s four questions are the following?
“How did it develop in a lifetime? Is it innate or taught?”
Ontogeny
