Research methods - Control

Question 1

What are the 4 methods that researchers will use to try and control and minimise the effect of extraneous/confounding variables?

Answer 1

Random allocation
Counterbalancing
Randomisation
Standardisation

Question 2

What is random allocation? Example?

Answer 2

A method of controlling participant variables when allocating participants to the experimental conditions as it gives every participant an equal chance of being selected for any condition.

For example; Pulling names out of a hat.
+ It also controls investigator effects as it prevents the researcher choosing which participants go in which condition.

Question 3

What is counterbalancing? Example?

Answer 3

A method of controlling demand characteristics, such as order and practice effect and fatigue and boredom, and changing the order that participants would do condition A followed by B and the other half would do B followed by A, simply referred to as ABBA.

Question 4

What is randomisation? Example?

Answer 4

A method of controlling demand characteristics by randomly allocating the materials and other factors in the experiment.

For example: if a researcher wanted to find out if people are more likely to remember the last three words on a list, randomising the order of easy and hard words on a list for each participant would prevent the researcher from deliberately choosing easy words at the end of the list.

Question 5

What is standardisation?

Answer 5

A method of controlling all extraneous variables by standardising all aspects of the research experiment or investigation. This is done through standardised instructions and standardised procedures.