research methods Flashcards
what is a null hypothesis
when any relationship between two variables is due to chance.
what is an experimental hypothesis. give an example.
when there is a relationship between two variables. Daily exposure to the sun leads to increased levels of happiness.
what is a non directional hypothesis (two tailed)
there will be a relationship between two variables but the direction is not specified.
what are repeated measures. give a strength and weakness
Repeated measures design is an experimental design where the same participants take part in each condition of the experiment. This means that each condition of the experiment uses the same group of participants.
low internal validity - order effects ie boredom, demand characteristics as they’re able to guess the aims of the study.
less time consuming, requires a smaller sample. high internal validity of individual differences.
what are independent groups. give strengths and weaknesses.
If two groups in an experiment consist of different individuals then this is an independent measures design.
time consuming, requires twice as many ppts.
less risk of demand characteristics/order effects.
what are matched pairs design
participants are matched in pairs based on shared characteristics before they are assigned to groups; one participant from the pair is randomly assigned to the treatment group while the other is assigned to the control group.
time consuming, trying to find the perfect match. less likely to have demand characteristics.
what is counterbalancing - why is it good?
each group perform a slightly different task (sometimes in a different order), so that any imbalance in the task is canceled out to minimize the influence of extraneous factors, such as practice or fatigue, on experimental results
what is randomisation.
the process of assigning participants to treatment and control groups, assuming that each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to any group. reduces researcher bias, more representative
what are ppt variables. give examples.
A participant variable is any characteristic or aspect of a participant’s background that could affect study results, even though it’s not the focus of an experiment. Participant variables can include sex, gender identity, age, educational attainment and religion.
what are situation variables. give examples.
Situational Variables are factors in the environment that can unintentionally affect the results of a study. Such variables include noise, temperature, odors, and lighting.
