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Psychology > Research Methods - Experiments > Flashcards

Research Methods - Experiments Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the independent variable?

A

The variable being changed/ manipulated

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2
Q

What is the dependent variable?

A

The variable being measured

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3
Q

What does it mean to operationalize?

A

To specify in enough depth to make replication possible

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4
Q

Does operationalizing apply to the independent variable, dependent variable or both?

A

Both

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5
Q

What is a research aim?

A

Something that states what the researcher intends to find out

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6
Q

How would you write a research aim?

A
  • Start with “To investigate” or “To see whether”
  • Must include the IVs and DV
  • Must be operationalized
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7
Q

What is a research question?

A

Something that rephrases the research aim as a question

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8
Q

How would you write a research question?

A
  • Start with “Do” or “Does”
  • Finish with “?”
  • Must include IVs and DV
  • Must be operationalized
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9
Q

What is a hypothesis?

A

A precise and testable statement that makes a prediction

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10
Q

What are the two types of hypothesis’?

A

One-tailed hypothesis and two-tailed hypothesis

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11
Q

What is a one-tailed hypothesis?

A

A hypothesis that DOES predict the expected direction of results e.g. there will be and increase/decrease

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12
Q

What is a two-tailed hypothesis?

A

A hypothesis that DOES NOT predict the expected direction of results e.g. there will be a significant difference

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13
Q

What is the one-tailed hypothesis formula?

A

There will be a significant/ significantly “increase, decrease, more, less” in “dependent variable” for “IV1” than “IV2”

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14
Q

What is the two-tailed hypothesis formula?

A

There will be a significant “difference” in “dependent variable” between “IV1” and “IV2”

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15
Q

What is an alternative hypothesis?

A

A hypothesis that suggests there WILL be a difference/ increase/ decrease

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16
Q

What is a null hypothesis?

A

A hypothesis that suggests there will be NO difference

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17
Q

What are the 3 types of experimental methods?

A
  • Laboratory
  • Field
  • Quasi
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18
Q

What is a laboratory experimental method?

A

An experimental method that is conducted and controlled in a lab, IV is manipulated

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19
Q

What are the strengths of a laboratory experimental method?

A
  1. Highly controlled environment - this means extraneous variables controlled for, establishing cause and effect
    –> Also means future researchers can easily replicate environment, increasing replicability
  2. Collects an accurate measurement of data - results have less researcher bias resulting in more validity
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20
Q

What are the weaknesses of a laboratory experimental method?

A
  1. Participants are aware they are being studied due to artificial setting and tasks - more demand characteristics, reducing validity
  2. Low similarity to real-life situations - artificial tasks/ environment mean decreased ecological availability, so less generalisable to real world
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21
Q

What is a field experimental method?

A

An experimental method that is conducted in a natural environment, IV is manipulated

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22
Q

What are the strengths of a field experimental method?

A
  1. More true to life due to natural environment - means ecological validity is higher so more generalisable to real world
  2. Participants are not aware they are being studied due to natural environment - no demand characteristics, increasing validity
23
Q

What are the weaknesses of a field experimental method?

A
  1. Participants are not always aware they are taking part - doesn’t always gain informed consent making it unethical
  2. Total control over extraneous variable is impossible - extraneous variables may influence DV, so cause and effect difficult to establish
24
Q

What is a quasi experimental method?

A

An experimental method that is conducted in either a lab or a natural environment, but IV is not manipulated

25
Q

What are the strengths of a quasi experimental method?

A
  1. Natural IV makes it more true to life - ecological validity increased making it more generalisable to real world
  2. Participants already have the IV - ethical as participants already have a phobia rather than giving them a phobia for the purpose of the study
26
Q

What are the weaknesses of a quasi experimental method?

A
  1. Environment is not controlled - harder for future researchers to replicate the environment, reducing replicability
    –> Also means extraneous variables cannot be controlled for, may influence DV meaning cause and effect cannot be established
  2. May be difficult to find participants with correct IV - sample size may be smaller and may be time-consuming to find participants
27
Q

What is an extraneous variable?

A

Any variable other than the IV that MAY impact results

28
Q

What is a confounding variable?

A

Any variable other than the IV that HAS impacted results

29
Q

Why do psychologists try to control extraneous variables so they don’t become confounding variables?

A

To establish cause and effect

30
Q

List the two types of extraneous variables

A
  • Participant variables
  • Situational variables
31
Q

What is a participant variable? Provide examples

A

Characteristics of the participant that may effect results:
- Age
- Gender
- IQ
- Personality

32
Q

List the 5 types of situational variables

A
  1. Order effects
  2. Demand characteristics
  3. Researcher bias
  4. Researcher effect
  5. Environmental variables
33
Q

What is order effects?

A

Where participant results are either better or worse the second time they complete the DV which may effect results

34
Q

What is demand characteristics?

A

When participants form an interpretation of the experiment purpose, e.g. they might guess the aim, and change their behaviour which may effect results

35
Q

What is researcher bias?

A

When subtle or deliberate cues, from the researcher, encourage certain behaviours from participants which MAY effect results

36
Q

What is researcher effect?

A

Anything the researcher does that HAS effected results

37
Q

What are environmental variables?

A

A feature of the research environment that may effect results

38
Q

What is a control group?

A

The group who receives no manipulation

39
Q

What is an experimental design?

A

The decision about which condition of the IV should groups of participants be allocated in

40
Q

What is an independent measures design?

A

Using different participants for each condition (of IV) of the experiment.
Participants take part in one condition (either IV1 or IV2)

41
Q

What are the strengths of an independent measures design?

A
  1. Less demand characteristics - because participants only take part in one condition, increasing validity
  2. No order effects - participants will not produce a second set of results so increases validity
42
Q

What are the weaknesses of an independent measures design?

A
  1. More participants are needed - participants only take part once so researchers will need more participants for more reliability, so more equipment might be needed, making it more expensive
  2. Participant variables differ - participants in one condition might have different variables compared to those in second condition, making it harder to control, may impact results
43
Q

What is a repeated measures design?

A

Using the same participants for each condition (of IV) of the experiment.
Participants take part in both conditions (IV1 and IV2)

44
Q

What are the strengths of a repeated measures design?

A
  1. Participant variables remain constant - participants in both conditions have same variables, so easier to control, valid results
  2. Need less participants - participants take part in both conditions so less equipment needed and less time consuming
45
Q

What are the weaknesses of a repeated measures design?

A
  1. Order effects - participants might get bored as they progress through, meaning unnatural behaviour being measured, decreasing validity
  2. Demand characteristics - taking part in both conditions helps participants to guess the aim and they will therefore change their behaviour, decreasing validity
46
Q

What is a matched participants design?

A

Where participants are matched on a relevant participants variable (e.g. same height).
one member is allocated to condition 1/ IV1 and the other to condition 2/ IV2.
Different participants used for each condition, and participants only take part in one condition

47
Q

What are the strengths of a matched participants design?

A
  1. No order effects - participants only take part in one condition so wont become bored or improve through practice, increasing validity
  2. No demand characteristics - participants only take part in one condition, so no clues or cues for them to change behaviour, increasing validity
48
Q

What are the weaknesses of a matched participants design?

A
  1. More participants needed - twice the number of participants required, meaning more equipment, making the experiment more expensive
  2. Variables differ - different participants being used in each condition, so IV isn’t the only variable to change across different conditions, so cause and effect cannot be established
49
Q

How do you control for participant variables?

A
  1. Sample - having a large sample, random sampling
  2. Experimental design - repeated measures design
  3. Allocation to conditions - randomly allocate participants to conditions
50
Q

How do you control for environmental variables?

A
  1. Standardize procedure - keep everything the same for each participant
  2. Standardize instructions - keep instructions the same for each participant
51
Q

How do you control for order effects?

A
  1. Counterbalancing - the participant sample is divided in half, one half completes the two conditions in one order, the other half completes the two conditions in the opposite order. This balances out any order effects.
52
Q

How do you control for demand characteristics?

A
  1. Deception - lie about the aim, filler questions, distractions tasks
  2. Single-blind - participant is unaware which variable they are in
53
Q

How do you control for researcher bias?

A
  1. Double-blind - neither the researcher nor the participants know which condition they are in
  2. Inter-rater reliability - the agreement between individuals rating the same behaviour as the researcher, can check for agreement.
54
Q

Why do we control for extraneous variables?

A
  1. To establish cause and effect
  2. To gain results that are more valid
  3. Research is more scientific
  4. To avoid extraneous variable’s becoming confounding variables

Psychology (6 decks)

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