Research issues Flashcards
The key to an experiment is that what is manipulated to see how it affects what?
An IV is manipulated to see how this affects the DV
The only thing that should influence the DV is what?
The IV
What should happen to any other variables that might potentially interfere with the IV or DV?
They should be controlled or removed
What are additional unwanted variables in an experiment called?
Extraneous variables
When is the ideal time to identify extraneous variables?
At the start of a study
What are extraneous variables that are easy to control described as?
‘nuisance variables’
True/False: ‘nuisance variables’ vary systematically with the IV
False
True/False: ‘nuisance variables’ may ‘muddy’ the experimental water so to speak but do not confound the findings of the study
True
‘Nuisance variables’ make it harder to do what?
Detect a result
Confounding variables do/don’t change systematically with the IV
Do
Participant reactivity is a significant __________ variable in experimental research and one that is very _________ to control
extraneous and difficult
In a research situation, participants will try to work out what is going on. Certain clues may help them interpret what’s going on. What are these clues (or cues) called?
Demand characteristics
What may demand characteristics help a participant do?
‘second-guess’ the experimenter’s intentions and the aims of the study
Participants may look for clues to tell them how they should behave in the experimental situation. What is this called?
Demand characteristics
What is the ‘please-U effect’?
Participants acting in a way that they think is expected and over-performing to please the experimenter
What is the ‘screw-U effect’
Participants acting in a way to deliberately under-perform to sabotage the results of the study
Demand characteristics can lead to what effect on participant behaviour?
It no longer being natural
Demand characteristics leading to participant behaviour not being natural is an extraneous variable that may affect what?
The DV
What does an ‘investigator effect’ refer to?
Any unwanted influence of the investigator on the research outcome
Give an example of what an ‘investigator effect’ can include
Any from expectancy effects, unconscious cues and any actions of the researcher that were related to the study’s design
Actions of the researcher that were related to a study’s design that can be classed as investigator effects include…
the selection of participants, the materials, the instructions, etc.
Leading questions are a good example of the power of ____________ effects
investigator
What does randomisation refer to?
The use of chance methods to reduce the researcher’s unconscious biases when designing an investigation
Randomisation in an experiment is an attempt to control which type of effects?
Investigator effects
If an experiment involves participants recalling words from a list, why should the order of the list be randomly generated?
So that the position of each word is not decided by the researcher
In an experiment where participants are involved in a number of different conditions, how should the order of these conditions be determined?
Randomly
As far as possible within an investigation, all participants should be subject to the same what?
Environment, information and experience
To ensure all participants are subject to the same environment, information and experience, what is done to all procedures?
They are standardised
All procedures in experiments are standardised - in other words…
there is a list of exactly what will be done in a study
What does standardisation mean about non-standardised changes in procedures?
They do not act as extraneous variables
