Research methods

Question 1

What is the aim?

Answer 1

• the aim is a statement of what the researcher intends to investigate; the purpose of the study

Question 2

What’s the independent variable?

Answer 2

• the variable we change

Question 3

What is the dependant variable?

Answer 3

• the variable we measure

Question 4

What is the alternative/experimental hypothesis?

Answer 4

• a prediction about the variables in the study that must state an outcome of the research

Question 5

What’s operationalising?

Answer 5

• turning your variables into a measurable form

Question 6

What’s the null hypothesis?

Answer 6

• any difference or effect from the study occurs by chance and not because of the variable that you have manipulated or the sample you have drawn

Question 7

What’s the directional hypothesis? Is it one or two-tailed?

Answer 7

• a hypothesis that she’s the kind of the difference between two conditions or two groups of participants
• it’s direct, gets to the point
• one-tailed

Question 8

What’s the non-directional hypothesis? Is it one or two-tailed?

Answer 8

• a hypothesis that states there is a difference between the two conditions or two groups of participants, but not how
• two-tailed

Question 9

What’s a population?

Answer 9

• a large group of people you are interested in studying

Question 10

What’s a target population?

Answer 10

• a specific group of people

Question 11

What’s the sample?

Answer 11

• the even smaller group of people taken from the target population to study