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research method Flashcards

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1
Q

what is an experiment?

A

a way to carry put an investigation and the effect of this change on another variable is observed or measured . in this way, experimenters can see whether the variable they are manipulating (IV) causes the other variable being measured changes (DV).

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2
Q

what is an independent variable? IV

A

the variable that is manipulated and changed by the experimenter

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3
Q

what is a dependant variable? DV

A

the variable that is measured by the experimenters and changes due to the IV

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4
Q

what is the control condition?

A

it has no IV/ the IV is not changed/ manipulated

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5
Q

what is operationalisation?

A

to specify a set of operations or behaviours that can be measured in other words make sure your variables are measurable

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6
Q

what are the three experimental designs ?

A

independant measures design, repeated measures design and matched pairs design

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7
Q

what is independent measures design

A

a separate group of p’s is used for each condition

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8
Q

what is repeated measures design?

A

an experimental design where each p performs in every condition

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9
Q

what is matched pairs design?

A

an experimental design in which in which p’s are arranged into pairs of similar characteristics. one member of the pair performs in one condition the other in the remaining condition

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10
Q

what are demand characteristics?

A

features of an experimental setting that indicates the aim of the study to p’s and can therefore influence their behaviour

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11
Q

what is a single blind procedure?

A

only the researcher knows which condition each individual has been allocated to, the p’s are unaware

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12
Q

what is a double blind procedure?

A

both the experimenter and the p’s are unaware which condition each individual has been allocated to - ensures the experimenter will not affect the p’s performance by treating them (even unconsciously) in a biased way

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13
Q

what are researcher effects?

A

the negative influences researchers can have on a study by their presence or beliefs

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14
Q

what are participant variables?

A

variables such as age, intelligence and gender that can affect the DV

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15
Q

what are order effects?

A

occurs in a repeated measures design- doing the condition more than once can cause order effects ( either fatigue- boredom and being tired or practice- perform better second time as they now know what to do etc) that will produce changes in performance between conditions that are not a result of the IV and can obscure the effect of the DV

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16
Q

order effects can be overcome in what two ways ? (REPEATED MD)

A

randomisation and counterbalancing

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17
Q

what is randomisation?

A

p’s are randomly allocated to do either condition first in hope it will even out the results

18
Q

what is counterbalancing?

A

the group of p’s is divided into two, one group will do one condition then the other and the other half will do the opposite way round ( A then B whilst other group does B then A)

19
Q

what are extraneous variables?

A

these are other factors apart from the independent variable that can affect the outcome of an experiment. the two main types are situational variables and participant variables.

20
Q

What is a quasi/ natural experiment?

A

makes use of natural occurring variables i.e age, gender, etc. in their natural environment

21
Q

what is a true experiment?

A

an experiment to establish cause and effect relationship between IV and DV but it includes a control group and at least one random assigned experimental group

22
Q

what is a laboratory experiment?

A

a study conducted in an artificial environment in which the experimenter manipulates an IV and measures the DV whilst controlling and minimising extraneous variables. it uses standardised procedures

23
Q

what are three strengths of the independent measures design?

A
  • no order effects- different p’s for each condition
  • reduces risk of demand characteristics- only see the experiment/ do the task once
  • individual differences can be reduced by randomly allocating the p’s to their condition
24
Q

what are two weaknesses of the independent measures design?

A
  • individual differences could distort the results- nobody is exactly the same
  • more p’s are needed than repeated measures design - may become less ethical or harder to find that amount of p’s
25
Q

what are three strengths of repeated measures design?

A
  • individual differences are unlikely to distort the results as everyone does all conditions
  • counterbalancing reduces order effects (practice or fatigue)
  • use fewer p’s than IMD - quicker and easier to find that amount of p’s
26
Q

what are two weaknesses of repeated measures design?

A
  • order effects and extraneous variables could distort the results
  • p’s do the task more than once which increases risk of demand characteristics
27
Q

what are three strengths of matched participants design ?

A
  • p’s only do the experiment once reducing risk of demand characteristics
  • individual differences are minimised due to control i.e identical twins
  • no order effects
28
Q

what are two weaknesses of matched participants design?

A
  • similarity of pairs can never be perfectly matched
  • matching p’s is difficult and time consuming
29
Q

extraneous variable- situational variable definition

A

these are outside influences on the experiment such as time of day, weather, noise and type of room.

30
Q

extraneous variable- participant variables definition

A

these are individual differences between p’s such as levels of intelligence, age, gender, social class, fitness etc. a researcher can have little control over these but careful selection of p’s can reduce this

31
Q

what is a hypothesis?

A

a statement or prediction of what results you expect to find after your eperiment

32
Q

what is an experimental/alternate hypothesis?

A

it states that something is going to happen i.e people with a bike will be fitter than someone without a bike

33
Q

what is a null hypothesis?

A

this is the prediction that no effect will be found in the research i.e there will be no difference in the fitness levels of people who have a bike and people who dont have a bike.

34
Q

what is a one tailed/ directional hypothesis?

A

predicts what direction the change will be in- it is precise and uses words such as faster/slower, bigger/smaller, etc
i.e alcohol increases reaction time

35
Q

what is a two tailed/ non directional hypothesis?

A

predicts change but does not specify direction- non specific and uses words like effect/change etc
i.e alcohol will affect reaction time

36
Q

what is a field experiment?

A

the experiment takes place in the subjects own natural environment. the p’s are not usually aware that they are participating in an experiment but the experimenter still manipulates the independent variable

37
Q

what is reliability?

A

refers to the CONSISTENCY of a measure. a measure is considered reliable if we get the same results repeatedly.

38
Q

what is test re test reliability?

A

when a test or questionnaire is repeated at a different point in time. this kind of reliability is used to assess the consistency of the test over time.

39
Q

what is validity?

A

the extent to which a test measures what is claims to measure

40
Q

what is internal validity?

A

refers to the extent whether the IV caused the effect on the DV or whether some other factors were responsible - extraneous variables threaten validity

41
Q

what is external validity?

A

refers to the validity of a study outside the research situation and provides some idea of the extent to which the findings can be generalised to other people’s lives

Psychology (6 decks)

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