Research Methods Flashcards
Give the definition of falsifiable
Being able to prove the truth of a hypothesis by proving an alternative hypothesis is false
What is empirical evidence?
Information gathered by experimentation which doesnt come from personal experience or a subjective opinions
What is the difference between an extraneous variable and a confounding variable?
Confounding variables DO vary systematically with the iv, where extraneous variables DONT
Give 3 examples of extraneous variables in an experiment.
Age
time of day
amount of sleep
caffine intake
Give the definition of independent groups design
Each participant only takes part in one condition of the iv
what is repeated measures design?
Each participant takes part in both conditions of the iv
How does matched pairs design differ from independent groups design?
Both designs take part in only one condition of the iv but during Matched pairs, participants are matched based on shared characteristics
Give 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses of independent groups design.
S: order effects are not an issue
Lower risk of demand characteristics
W: individual difference more likely to distort findings
Less economical
Give 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses of repeated measures design
S:participant variables controlled, higher validity
fewer participants needed
W: higher risk of demand characteristics as both conditions are seen
order effects can be an issue
Give 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses of matched pairs
S:individual difference unlikely to distort findings as participants are paired
order effects/ demand characteristics are less of an issue
W:matching participants can be difficult and time consuming (less economical)
Participants can never be matched exactly which may distort results
what are order effects
How the positioning of tasks influences the outcome of an experiment
what is a hypothesis
a statement about the prediction of the result on an experiment
What is operationalisation
How a variable is defined/ specified by the researcher
A hypothesis can either be alternative or null, what does this mean?
An alternative hypothesis states that there WILL be a significant difference between the 2 conditions , where a null hypothesis states the opposite of this (NO sig diff)
State the difference between a directional and a non-directional hypothesis.
A directional hypothesis states the direction the researcher predicts the result will favour, where a non-directional hypothesis doesn’t state any direction
