Research methods

Question 1

aims

Answer 1

statement of what the researcher aims to find out in a research study

Question 2

debriefing

Answer 2

a post-research interview designed to inform participants of the true nature of the study and restore them to the state they were in at the start of the study. May be used to gain feedback. way of dealing with ethical issues

Question 3

Ethical issues

Answer 3

concern questions of right and wrong. arise in research where there are conflicting sets of values between researchers and participants concerning the goals procedures or outcomes

Question 4

Experiment

Answer 4

research method where causal conclusions can be drawn because and IV has been deliberately manipulated to observe the causal effect on the dependent variable

Question 5

Extraneous variable

Answer 5

do not vary systematically with the IV so do not act as a alternative IV but may have an effect on the dependent variable

Question 6

Hypothesis

Answer 6

Precise and testable statement about the assumed relationship between variable. must be operationalised to make it testable

Question 7

Independent variable (IV)

Answer 7

An event that is directly manipulated by an experimenter to test its effect on another variable (the DV)

Question 8

Dependent variable (DV)

Answer 8

the variable which is measured to determine the effect of the IV

Question 9

Informed consent

Answer 9

Participants must be given comprehensive information concerning the nature and purpose of the research and their role in it so they can make and informed decision about whether to participate

Question 10

Operationalise

Answer 10

Ensuring variables ate in a form that can be easily tested e.g. educational attainment could be specified as GCSE grade in maths

Question 11

Standardised procedures

Answer 11

A set of procedures that are the same for all participants in order to be able to repeat the study including standardised instructions which tell the participant how to perform the task

Question 12

Alternate hypothesis (non-directional)

Answer 12

a statement that makes a prediction that something will happen in a study without stating the direction of the difference e.g. there is a correlation between a persons stress rating on a questionnaire (operationalised) and the number of days illness they have had in the past 6 months

Question 13

null hypothesis

Answer 13

states that there is no effect or association or that ay relationship effect is due to chance e.g. there is no correlation between a persons stress rating on a questionnaire and the number of days illness they had in the past 6 months

Question 14

Alternate hypothesis (directional)

Answer 14

states the direction of the relationship or difference between variable e.g. there is a positive correlation between a persons stress rating on a questionnaire and the number of days illness they have had in the past 6 months

Question 15

pilot studies

Answer 15

a small-scale trial study done before the main study to check and improve the design and procedure of a study

Question 16

What are the different experimental designs

Answer 16

Repeated measures, independent measures, matched pairs

Question 17

repeated measures design

Answer 17

all participants receive all levels of the IV

Question 18

Strengths of repeated measures

Answer 18

strengths - no participant variable as all Ps do every condition
fewer Ps needed so more economical

Question 19

Weaknesses of repeated measures and how to overcome them

Answer 19

order effects Ps may do better on better or worse on second condition e.g. if bored or practiced. counterbalancing (one does A then B other does B then A). use different tests to reduce practice effects (2 tests must be equivalent)
Ps may guess the aim of experiment (demand characteristics)
cannot use the same stimulus material, material must be of matched difficulty

Question 20

Independent measures

Answer 20

Participants are placed in separate groups and each group does 1 level of the IV

Question 21

Strengths of Independent measures

Answer 21

No order effects
Same stimulus material can be used for both IVs
less chance of demand characteristics

Question 22

Weaknesses of independent measures and how to overcome them

Answer 22

Participant variables, variation between Ps in the groups may be a confounding variable. Random allocation distributes participants evenly between conditions

Question 23

Matched pairs

Answer 23

Uses 2 groups of Ps who each do 1 level of the IV but participants in opposite groups are matched on characteristics which would effect performance on the DV