Research methods: Experimental designs Flashcards
What are experimental designs
They refer to how participants are arranged in relation to experimental conditions
What are the three types of experimental designs
Independent group design
Repeated measure design
Matched pairs design
What is the independent group design
A type of experimental design where participants who are allocated into separate conditions only experience one level of an independent variable
How will results from the independent groups design be recorded
Performance of the separate groups will be compared
What are the weaknesses of the independent groups design
Participants in the separate groups have different participant variables
It is not the most economical experimental design
What are the strengths of the independent groups design
Order effects are not an issue
There are no demand characteristics
Why are participant variables bad
The results of the dependent variable may be influenced by participant variables instead of by the independent variables
How can participant variables be reduced in independent groups design
It can be reduced by randomly allocating participants into the separate groups
What is the repeated measure design
It is an experimental design where all participants experience both conditions of the experiment
What are the weaknesses of the repeated measures design
It is an experimental design
How will results from the repeated measures design be recorded
The two mean scores for each condition would be compared
Why would there be 2 mean scored from each condition in the repeated measures design
This is due to counterbalancing - the experiment would have to be repeated in a different sequence
How can order effects be reduced in repeated measures design
Counterbalancing
What is counterbalancing in terms of repeated measures design
When the experiment would have to be repeated in a different sequence - ABBA
What are the weaknesses of the repeated measures design
Order effects
Demand characteristics
How will order effects interfere with results with experiments conducted by repeated measures design
Repeating tasks could cause fatigue or boredom
Performance may improve due to practice
What are the strengths of the repeated measures design
Participant variables are controlled - higher validity
Less participants are needed
What is the matched pairs design
This is an experimental design where participants are paired together on variables relevant to the experiment
What are the weaknesses of the matched pairs design
Pre-testing to match participants is time consuming
Attempt to reduce participant variables with never be 100% effective
What are the strengths of the matched pairs design
Order effects and demand characteristics are reduced
