Research methods Flashcards
define aim
a statement which explains what the experiment is attempting to achieve
define hypothesis
a clear, precise, testable statement which makes a prediction of the direction that results may take
what is the difference between an aim and hypothesis
an aim is a statement of investigation whereas the hypothesis is a prediction
what are the two types of hypothesis
alternative- predicts there will be a difference/relationship
null- predicts there will be no difference/relationship
what are the two types of alternative hypothesis
directional- predicts the direction the results will go
non-directional- predicts a difference but not a direction
define the independent variable
the variable being manipulated
define the dependent variable
the variable being measured
define extraneous variables
additional or unwanted variables which are, where possible, controlled or removed by the researcher
define confounding variables
variables which change the iv
define demand characteristics
participants behave in the way they believe is expected of them or find the aim and behave in a way to influence the results
define the hawthorne effect
being watched makes us change how we act
define the social desirability bias
acting in a way to look ‘good’
define investigator effects
a researcher consciously/unconsciously influencing the outcomes of the research
types of investigator effects
non verbal communication- body language hints at correct/incorrect behaviour
physical characteristics- behaviour changes based on the appearance of the researcher
bias in interpretation of data- interprets what is wanted to be obtained from the data
define order effects
the order that participants complete conditions in affects participants’ behaviour
what are the two types of order effects
practice effects- participants may perform better in the second condition as they know what to expect
fatigue effects- performance may be worse in the second condition as participants are tired
how can order effects increase the chances of demand characteristics
practice effects- participants find the aim with repeated conditions, performing better and affecting results
fatigue effects- participants may become bored ad so affect the study by manipulating results
describe standardisation
keeping variables the same
describe counterbalancing
ensuring variables occur in all possible combinations
describe randomisation
deciding the order of the variables by chance
describe single blind
ensuring that participants do not know the details of the experiment
describe double blind
participants and experimenters do not know the details of the experiment
describe independent groups
ppts only complete one condition of the experiment
strengths of independent groups
+no order effects
+lower drop-out rate (attrition)