Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Cognitive Psychology > research methods - cog > Flashcards

research methods - cog Flashcards

1
Q

cognitive approach

A

how information is processed in the brain

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what is an experiment?

A

a scientific procedure undertaken to test a hypothesis in order to demonstrate casual relationships

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

hypothesis

A

statement of what a theory predicts

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

laboratory experiment

A

occurs in a controlled artificial environment

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

field experiment

A

occurs in a natural environment

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

lab experiment - strengths

A

very scientific - hypotheses tested in a fully controlled environment

standardised procedure usually used - easy to repeat

participants are normally aware they are taking part - can give informed consent

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

lab experiment - weaknesses

A

time consuming to design and conduct

difficult to recruit participants

expensive

participants likely to guess the aim of the study and therefore behave differently

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

field experiment - strengths

A

shows natural behaviour but is also controlled

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

field experiment - weaknesses

A

doesn’t have full control over variables - cannot be replicated easily

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

operationalisation

A

making the variable clear and precise

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

experimental group

A

the group where the variable is manipulated to see if there is an effect

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

control group

A

the group where nothing is manipulated so it acts as a baseline for comparison

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

random allocation

A

randomly allocating participants to independent variable conditions means that all participants have an equal chance of taking part in each conditon

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

directional hypothesis

A

states the direction in which the results are expected to go

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

non-directional

A

doesn’t make any claim to which way the results may go

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

null hypothesis

A

a statement of no difference

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

independent measures

A

different participants are used in each condition of the independent variable

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

independent measures - strengths

A

avoids order effects

makes guessing the aim unlikely

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

independent measures -weaknesses

A

participant variables
- individual differences
- solution : randomisation

requires a large amount of participants

chances of obtaining the true aims of the experiment are lower

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

repeated measures

A

each condition of the experiment includes the same group of participants

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

repeated measures - strengths

A

suits research when only a small amount of participants are available

controls participant variables

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

repeated measures - weaknesses

A

order effects
- practice effect
- fatigue effect
- solution: counterbalancing

participants may guess aims

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

matched pairs

A

participants are matched in terms of key variables and then one member of each pair in placed into the experimental group and into the control group

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

matched pairs - strengths

A

avoids order effects

controls participant variables

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
matched pairs - weaknesses
experimenter effects - the experimenter has had to choose who to match time consuming costly doesn't control all participant variables
26
counterbalancing
the participant sample is divided in half, with one completing the two conditions in one order and the other half completing the conditions in the reverse order
27
random allocation (randomisation)
all participants have an equal chance of taking part in each condition avoids bias limits the effects of participant variables
28
what are the types of extraneous variables?
experimenter effects demand characteristics situational variables
29
participant variables
characteristics of those taking part e.g. age or IQ
30
situational variables
environmental factors that may affect the results e.g. temperature or time of day
31
experimenter effects
things about the experimenter which may affect the results e.g. gender or tone of voice
32
experimenter bias
beliefs about what they are studying can create bias could be conscious or subconscious
33
demand characteristics
occur when the participants try to make sense of the research and act accordingly to support the aim of the research. or when participants change their behaviour a a result of cues from the research situation
34
how can demand characteristics and experimenter effects/ bias be prevented?
single blind or double blind studies however, participant is unaware of the study so cannot give informed consent
35
objectivity
based on scientific facts and observations provable, measurable and observable not influenced by the researchers emotions, personal opinions or expectations
36
subjectivity
affected by assumptions, beliefs, opinions influenced by emotions, personal feelings and experiences
37
reliability
the idea of consistency or replicability
38
test re-test reliability
a measure of whether something varies from one time to another
39
inter-rater
two or more individuals have a high agreement on a score and therefore the measurement of behaviour is reliable
40
standardised procedure
a clearly defined and documented process that remains the same and consistent throughout the research
41
validity
whether a result is 'true' whether the experiment measures what it is supposed to
42
internal validity
how well the procedure establishes a cause and effect relationship can be improved by controlling extraneous variables
43
construct validity
how well the measure being used is a useful indicator of what is supposed to be studied
44
predictive validity
the extent to which the performance on the measure can predict the future performance on a similar criteria
45
triangulation
using multiple studies on the same topic and comparing results
46
how is internal validity assessed?
examine construct validity, predictive validity and triangulation
47
external validity
how well the study applies to real life
48
population validity
the extent to which findings apply to other populations than those used as the sample
49
ecological validity
the extent to which the research can be generalised to real life everyday situations
50
mundane realism
the extent to which a task reflects ordinary life
51
how is external validity assessed?
examine population validity, ecological validity and mundane realism
52
sampling
the process of selecting subjects to study from the target population
53
sample
a smaller group selected from a target population
54
random sampling
everyone in the target population has an equal chance of being selected
55
random sampling - strengths
cost effective avoids bias representative
56
random sampling - weaknesses
may not be representative time consuming for larger samples
57
opportunity sampling
uses people from the target population who are available at the time and willing
58
opportunity sampling - strengths
easy less time consuming convenient no need for advertisements
59
opportunity sampling weaknesses
could be biased/ sampling bias
60
volunteer sampling
participants who respond to advertisements asking for people to take part in research
61
volunteer sampling - strengths
convenient participants get into contact
62
volunteer sampling - weaknesses
not very representative of target population bias - people taking part may be more willing to please
63
stratified sampling
the researcher divides or stratifies the target group into sub groups
64
stratified sampling - strengths
representative of target population
65
stratified sampling - weaknesses
complicated time consuming

Cognitive Psychology (15 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions