Research & Methodology Flashcards
INDEPENDENT VARIABLE
A variable that can be changed or controlled, it is seen to have a direct effect on the DV
Eg the way the words are listed
DEPENDANT VARIABLE
The variable being tested / measured
EXTRANEOUS VARIABLE
Factors that could affect the results that you identify before the study is done and control them
CONFOUNDING VARIABLES
Factors that happen during the study and affect the results
PARTICIPANTS
Characteristics of the people taking part
Control: things like a age,gender, social class and ethnicity keep them the same if necessary for the study
SITUATIONAL
Environmental factors that may affect the results
Control: counterbalancing ie giving half the participants condition A and half condition B
EXPERIMENTER
Cues given by the researcher eg muscular tension, gestures, tone of voice
May affect results.
Control: minimise contact between experimenter and participants
Demand characteristics
When participants change their behaviour a a result cues from research situation
When operationalising an independent variable I need to…
Describe exactly what the independent variable is and how it is measured
By doing this, it helps ensure that you know what they are looking at/manipulating, allowing you to measure it and determine if it’s the IV that is causing the changes to the DV
When operationalising a dependant variable I need to ..
Use a set of techniques/methods that allow you to measure the variable in research
PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLE: memory
OPERATIONAL DEFINITION:
The number of words recalled from a list
PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLE: intelligence
OPERATIONAL DEFINITION:
The ability to learn from experience , solve problems and use our knowledge to adapt to new situations (tests)
PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLE:stress
OPERATIONAL DEFINITION:
Being in a state of worry/mental tension and feeling emotional strain and pressure (psychological questionnaire)
PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLE: happiness
OPERATIONAL DEFINITION:
Questionnaires/self report surveys
State of being emotionally well
To test cause and effect what is used?
An experimental and control group
How are the experimental and control group different to one another?
The experimental group is exposed to the independent variable whereas the control group is not
All conditions and variables are the same for the groups except the independent variable
What’s a baseline measure ?
The control group being used as a comparison to see how results differ from the experimental group