Research methods in psychology Flashcards
Counterbalancing
Systematically changing the order of treatments or tasks for participants in a ‘balanced’ way to counter the unwanted effects on performance of any one order.
Cross-sectional study
Research method involving selection and comparison of groups of participants on one or more variables of interest at a single point in time.
Observational study
Collection of data by carefully watching and recording behaviour as it occurs.
Double blind procedure
Helps ensure that neither the participants nor the researcher interacting with them knows which participants are in an experimental or control group.
Experimenter effect
A researcher’s cognitive bias causes them to subconsciously influence the participants of an experiment, influencing the results.
Extraneous variable
Any variable other than the independent variable that can cause a change in the independent variable and therefore affect the validity of the results.
Matched participants
An experimental research design for which each participant in one condition ‘matches’ a participant in the other condition on one of more participant variables.
Non-standardised
Research procedures that are not the same for all participants
Standardised
The same for all participants
Repeated measures design
Each participant is in both the experimental and control groups.
Random allocation
The random allocation of participants in the experimental and control groups.
Random sampling
Ensures that every member of a population of research interest has a genuinely equal chance of being selected as a participant.
Qualitative data
Data involving the qualities of characteristics of a participants experience of what is being studied.
Quantitative data
