Research Methods Flashcards

Key words

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1
Q

aims

A

what the researcher intends to find out in research

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2
Q

debriefing

A

post research interview
inform participants of the true nature of the study
a way of dealing with ethical issues

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3
Q

ethical issues

A

concern questions of right and wrong

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4
Q

experiment

A

a research method

causal conclusions can be drawn due to manipulation of an independant variable

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5
Q

extraneous variables

A

don’t vary with the IV but are other factors that can have an effect of the DV
make study more difficult

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6
Q

hypothesis

A

a precise and testable statement

operationalised variables

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7
Q

independant variable

A

a factor that is directly manipulated by an experimenter in order to test it’s affects on the DV

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8
Q

dependant variable

A

the variable that changes according to the IV

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9
Q

informed consent

A

participants given information about the nature and purpose of experiment
eg. what the will experience

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10
Q

operationalise

A

making variables into a form that can be easily tested

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11
Q

standardised procedures

A

a set of procedures that are the same for all participants in order to be able to repeat the study
including the same instructions

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12
Q

confounding variable

A

a variable that is not the IV but may also affect the DV

makes the outcome of the experiment meaningless

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13
Q

control variables

A

variables that are kept constant and are regulated by the researcher
avoids the influencing DV

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14
Q

internal validity

A

the degree to which an observed effect was due to the experimental manipulation rather than other factors (confounding variables)
shows a high validity in the lab

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15
Q

mundane realism

A

refers to how well a study mirrors the real world

high ecological validity - the variables in the experiment are realistic and will occur in the real world

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16
Q

validity

A

whether an observed effect is a genuine one and how accurate the results are

17
Q

confederate

A

a person in a study that is not a real participant and has been instructed on how to behave by the investigator

18
Q

directional hypothesis

A

states the nature of the relationship between the two variables

19
Q

non directional hypothesis

A

states that there is a relationship between two variables but doesn’t say what it is

20
Q

pilot study

A

a small scale trial run of a study

tests aspects of the design - saves time and money if method needs to be changed

21
Q

counterbalancing

A

a technique used to overcome order effects when using a repeated measures design
ensures each condition is tested first or second in equal amounts

22
Q

experimental design

A

the way the levels of the independant variables are delivered

23
Q

independant groups design

A

participants allocated to two or more groups representing different levels of the IV
allocated randomly

24
Q

matched pairs design

A

pairs of participants are matched in terms of key variables eg. age, IQ
one member of each pair is allocated to one condition and the other member to another condition

25
Q

order effect

A

in repeated measures design an extraneous variable comes from the order on which the participants experience each condition of the IV

26
Q

random allocation

A

allocating participants to experimental groups using random techniques

27
Q

repeated measures design

A

each participant takes part in every condition under test

28
Q

field experiment

A

a controlled experiment conducted outside a laboratory
IV still manipulated by experimenter

+ high external validity

  • low internal validity (harder to control variables)
29
Q

laboratory experiment

A

carried out in a controlled setting

+ high internal validity

  • low ecological validity
30
Q

natural experiment

A

researcher hasn’t manipulated IV directly
researcher records effect of IV on a specific DV

+ used for ethical or practical reasons
+ psychologists can study real problems eg. natural disasters

  • can’t identify causal relationships as there may be other factors
31
Q

quasi experiment

A

IV doesn’t vary - is a condition that exists eg. personality

+ allows comparisons between types of people

  • causal conclusions are hard to draw
32
Q

demand characteristics

A

when participants have an idea of the aims of the study and change their behaviour to what they think you want

33
Q

investigator effect

A

anything and investigator does that has an effect on a participants performance in the study
may act as a confounding or extraneous variable

34
Q

bias

A

a systematic distortion

35
Q

generalisation

A

applying the findings of a particular study to the population