Research Methods DP #1

Question 0

What is a variable?

Answer 0

Something that can change over time, a characteristic

Question 1

Define Psychology

Answer 1

The scientific study of mental processes and behaviours

Question 2

What are the five different types of variables?

Answer 2

Independent Variable, Dependent Variable, Extraneous Variable, Controlled Variable and Confounding Variable

Question 3

Which variable influences the other?

Answer 3

The IV influences the DV

Question 4

What is the Independent Variable?

Answer 4

The variable that is manipulated by the experimenter

Question 5

What is the Dependent Variable?

Answer 5

The variable that is changed or manipulated.

Question 6

What is an Extraneous Variable?

Answer 6

Any variable other than the IV that can influence the DV

Question 7

What are the three types of Extraneous Variables?

Answer 7

Participant, Situational and Experimenter variables

Question 8

What is a Confounding Variable?

Answer 8

Any variable other than the IV that has a systematic effect on the DV.

Question 9

What are the three types of experimental design?

Answer 9

Repeated Measures, Independent Groups, Matched Participants

Question 10

What occurs in the repeated measures design?

Answer 10

Participants are randomly allocated to E and C groups and then they swap

Question 11

Name one strength and one weakness of repeated measures.

Answer 11

One strength: Requires a smaller sample as participants do both conditions
One weakness: Time consuming

Question 12

What is an Order Effect?

Answer 12

When a participant either does better on a later trial due to practice or worse due to fatigue/boredom

Question 13

Name one way Order Effect can be overcome

Answer 13

By counterbalancing which is when half of the participants to the E condition first and the other half the C condition and then they swap

Question 14

What occurs in the Matched Participants design?

Answer 14

A pre-test is conducted on participants who are then paired up according to ability relevant to the research. Then the two participants are randomly allocated to the E and C groups

Question 15

Name one strength and one weakness of Matched Participants.

Answer 15

One strength: More participants used, increasing external validity
One weakness: Not good for small samples

Question 16

What occurs in the Independent Groups design?

Answer 16

Participants are randomly allocated to the E and C groups.

Question 17

What is a placebo?

Answer 17

A fake treatment with no actual benefit

Question 18

What is the placebo effect?

Answer 18

The placebo effect is when a participants improvement in wellbeing is due to a belief that they are receiving some experimental treatment

Question 19

How can the placebo effect be minimised?

Answer 19

By using a single-blind procedure

Question 20

What is the single blind procedure?

Answer 20

Where the participant is unaware of which group they have been allocated to in order to control the placebo effect

Question 21

What is the experimenter effect?

Answer 21

It refers to an experimenter’s expectations having a systematic effect of the performance of participants.

Question 22

How can the experimenter effect be minimised?

Answer 22

By using the double-blind procedure

Question 23

What is the double blind procedure?

Answer 23

The double blind procedure is when neither the participant or experimenter is aware of which group is the E or C group?