Research Methods Flashcards
Correlation
a mutual relationship or connection between two or more variables.
Experiment
a scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact.
Co-variables
a continuous control variable that is observed rather than manipulated but can affect the outcome of an experiment or study.
Scattergrams
a graph in which the values of the two variables are plotted along to axes, the pattern of the result revealing any correlation present.
Correlation co-efficient
a number between +1 and -1 calculated so as to represent the linear interdependence of two variable sets of data.
validity
the quality of being logically or factually sound; soundness or congency.
Inter- observer
the amount of variation between the results obtained by two or more observers examining the same material.
Ethical issue
a problem or situation that requires a person or organization to choose between alternatives that must be evaluated as right or wrong.
Ethical commitee
a body responsible for ensuring that medical experimentation and human research are carried out in a ethical manner in accordance with national and international law.
Independent variable
Manipulated or charged.
Dependent variable
what is being measured.
Extraneous variable
not intentionally studying in your experiment or test.
Confounding variable
factors other that IV that may cause a result.
Operationalise
process of defining the measurement of phenomenon that is not directly measurable.
Control group
composed of participants who do not receive the experimental treatment. They also closely resemble the participants who are in the experimental group.
presumptive consent
when researchers based on their participants gender, age and background, presume they are likely to give consent to being studied on.
Prior general consent
Before participants are recruited they are asked whether they are prepared to take part in research where they might be deceived about the true purpose.
ethical guidelines
Ethical guidelines or codes are used by groups and organizations to define what actions are morally right and wrong. Psychologists use ethical guidelines in order to be certain that treatment and research are being conducted in a manner which is not harmful to participants.
Lab experiment
takes place in controlled environment within which the researcher manipulates the IV and records the effects on the DV, whilst maintaining strict control of extraneous variables.
field experiment
takes place in a natural setting within which the researcher manipulates the IV and records the effect on the DV
Natural experiment
where the change in IV is not brought about by the researcher but would have happened even if the researcher had not been there. The researcher records the effect on the DV.
Quasi experiment
a study that is almost an experiment but lacks key ingredients. The Iv has bot been determined by anyone - the variables simply exist, such as being old or young. strictly speaking this is not an experiment.
Demand Characteristics
refers to an experimental artifact where participants form an interpretation of the experiment’s purpose and unconsciously change their behavior to fit that interpretation.
Investigator effects
occur when a researcher unintentionally, or unconsciously influences the outcome of any research they are conducting.
