Research Methids : Controlling Variables

Question 1

What’s the relationship between control and realism in experiments?

Answer 1

The higher the realism, the lower the control and vice versa

Question 2

Cyclical process

Answer 2

Where findings found in the lab are consistent with those found in a natural environment

Question 3

Mundane realism

Answer 3

When the test represents a real-life situation, threatens external validity

Question 4

Experimental realism

Answer 4

When the test feels real to the participant, threatens internal validity

Question 5

Extraneous variables

Answer 5

Variables that may affect the IV but aren’t being studied

Question 6

Confounding variables

Answer 6

Variables that aren’t the IV that have an affect of the DV

Question 7

Uncontrolled variables

Answer 7

Variables that can’t be controlled (become confounding variables)

Question 8

What are demand characteristics?

Answer 8

Any clue that could be interpreted by the Ps as revealing the aim of the investigation, leading to Ps changing their behaviour

Question 9

‘Please you’ affect

Answer 9

Ps may try to please the researcher the by doing what they think is expected

Question 10

‘Screw you’ effect

Answer 10

Ps may try to disrupt the results by doing the opposite of what they think is expected

Question 11

Cues resulting in demand characteristics

Answer 11

• communication during the study (instructions, rules, clues from non-verbal communication)
• what the P may have heard about the study (from other Ps)
• the way P was approached/ asked to volunteer
• type of person researcher is (personality)
• setting of the study
• other Ps characteristics

Question 12

What are investigator effects?

Answer 12

Where a researcher (consciously or unconsciously) acts in a way to support their prediction. Can be a problem when observing events that can be interpreted in more than one way - leads to the Ps fulfilling investigators expectations

Question 13

Indirect effects

Answer 13

Where the investigator operationalises the measurement of variables in such a way that the desired results are more likely - ’loose’ procedure effect’ is where an investigator may not clearly state the standardised instructions properly which leaves room for manipulation/interpretation

Question 14

Situational confounding variable

Answer 14

Features of the environment that could have an effect on the DV

Question 15

Participant confounding variable

Answer 15

Characteristics of the participants that may have an effect on the DV

Question 16

Direct effects

Answer 16

Physical things the researcher could do to get their desired result

Question 17

What’s random allocation?

Answer 17

Randomly assigning Ps to conditions to reduce bias
- controls for participant variables

Question 18

What’s a standardised procedure?

Answer 18

Keeping EVs constant across all conditions (allows for replication)
- controls for situational variables

Question 19

What’s randomisation?

Answer 19

Where each P group carries out the experiment stimuli in a random order
- controls for order effects

Question 20

What’s a single blind test?

Answer 20

Where Ps don’t know which condition of a study they’re in (real or placebo)
- controls for demand characteristics

Question 21

What’s a double blind test?

Answer 21

Where neither Ps nor researchers know which condition the Ps are in (real or placebo)
- controls for demand characteristics and researcher bias