Research Methods

Question 1

What is a null hypothesis?

Answer 1

The assumption that there is no difference between two conditions or no relationship between two variables. (Any difference seen is considered a coincidence).

Question 2

What is a directional hypothesis?

Answer 2

A prediction that states the direction of the difference between two conditions or which states the direction of any correlation between two variables.

Question 3

What is a non-directional hypothesis?

Answer 3

A prediction that states that there will be no difference between conditions or that there will be a correlation but which does not state the direction.

Question 4

What is an extraneous variable?

Answer 4

Any variable which may affect the dependent variable other than the IV.

Question 5

Why do researchers try to control or eliminate extraneous variables?

Answer 5

To make it a fair test.

Question 6

What does an alternative hypothesis state?

Answer 6

That there is a significant difference between two conditions or that there is a significant relationship between two variables.

Question 7

What does the confounding variable affect?

Answer 7

The dependent variable

It also varies systematically with the independent variable

Question 8

Explain the independent groups, experimental design.

Answer 8

Different participants in each condition of the IV.

Question 9

Explain the repeated measures, experimental design.

Answer 9

Each participant does both conditions of the independent variable.

Question 10

Name a strength and a weakness of the independent groups, experimental design.

Answer 10

Strength - there is no chance of learning or improving between the first time they do the experiment and the second time.
Weakness - there may be difference between the participants, participant variables.

Question 11

Order effects may be present in the repeated measures, experimental design, explain what this is.

Answer 11

Where a person may either be better the second time due to practice, or be worse due to boredom/fatigue.

Question 12

Explain the matched pairs, experimental design.

Answer 12

One person does one condition of the IV, but are matched with another person doing the other condition on some important extraneous variable.

Question 13

Explain counterbalancing.

Answer 13

Half the participants in one particular order and the other half do the conditions in the opposite order.

Question 14

Explain why counterbalancing is done.

Answer 14

To balance possible order effects.

Question 15

Name an advantage and a disadvantage of a lab experiment.

Answer 15

Advantage - done in a controlled environment, reduced extraneous variable, easily repeated, reproducible.
Disadvantage - demand characteristics are likely, low ecological validity

Question 16

Name a pro and a con of a field experiment.

Answer 16

Pro - higher ecological validity, natural environment, no demand characteristics
Con - low control, increased extraneous variables, not as easy replicated

Question 17

Name an advantage and a disadvantage of using standard deviation.

Answer 17

Advantages - much less affected by outlying results, allows us to understand where an individual score lies in relation to the general population, shows us the variability of the data.
Disadvantages - hard to interpret data if not normally distributed, harder to calculate the range.

Question 18

What is the target population in relation to a psychological study?

Answer 18

Group of people you’re interested in studying, the population you want to generalise the findings of your study to.

Question 19

How does random sampling work?

Answer 19

Every member of the target population has the same chance of appearing in the sample.

Question 20

What is opportunity sampling, what’s a pro and a con?

Answer 20

The researcher uses whoever is available from the target population at the time.
Pro - quick
Con - can be biased

Question 21

What is volunteer sampling?

What’s a pro and a con?

Answer 21

Participants choose themselves by doing a questionnaire or answering an advertisement.
Pro - quick
Con - not a representative sample

Question 22

Give the 4 demand characteristics.

Answer 22

• participants may want to appear ‘normal’
• participants may guess the aim and act how they think the investigator wants them to act.
• they may deliberately try to behave unexpectedly
• participants may attempt to look socially desirable

Question 23

Name 3 examples of investigator effects.

Answer 23

• researcher may unwittingly influence the participants behaviour
• researcher may interpret data wrong
• an attractive researcher may cause demand characteristics.

Question 24

Which experimental design did Peterson and Peterson’s (1959) study on STM use?

Answer 24

Repeated measures

Question 25

What experimental design was used in Baddeley’s (1966a and b) studies on memory encoding?

Answer 25

Independent groups

Question 26

What’s an extraneous variable?

Answer 26

Any variable other than the independent variable that affects the dependent variable.

Question 27

What are the 4 types of extraneous variables?

Answer 27

1) Situational variables
2) Participant variables
3) Investigator effects
4) Demand characteristics

Question 28

What are situational variables?

Answer 28

Aspects of the environment that might affect a participants behaviour, they should be the same for everyone.

Question 29

What are participant variables?

Answer 29

How a participant varies from another which could affect results (e.g. Mood, anxiety, intelligence, concentration)

Question 30

How can situational variables be reduced?

Answer 30

Standardised procedures are used to reduce situational variables.

Question 31

How are participant variables reduced?

Answer 31

Using random allocation of conditions for the independent variable.

Question 32

How can order effects be reduced?

Answer 32

Counterbalancing

Question 33

What are investigator effects?

Answer 33

Either the personal attributes of the experimenter will affect the behaviour of the participants (e.g. Appearance, accent, gender, manner).
Experimenter bias

Question 34

What is experimenter bias?

Answer 34

Where the experimenter unconsciously conveys to participants how they should behave.