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psychology > research methods: key terms > Flashcards

research methods: key terms Flashcards

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1
Q

independent variable

A

variable you manipulate or vary in an experimental study to explore its effects

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2
Q

dependent variable

A

variable that changes as a result of the independent variable manipulation

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3
Q

uncontrolled variables

A

mediator variables which can change at any time. Dependent variables and independent variable can be impacted, making results difficult to interpret

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4
Q

experimental condition

A

the procedure that is varied in order to estimate a variables effect by comparison with a control condition

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5
Q

control condition

A

a condition of the independent variable in an experiment in which the independent variable itself is absent. It’s compared to one or more experimental conditions

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6
Q

experimental design

A

the way in which participants are allocated to conditions/levels of the independent variable

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7
Q

independent measures design

A

experimental design in which a different group of participants is used for each level/condition of the independent variable

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8
Q

demand characteristics

A

features of experimental situation which give away the aims. Can cause participants to try and change behaviour, which reduced the validity of the study

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9
Q

random allocation

A

a way to reduce the effect of confounding variables such as individual differences. Participants are put in each level of the independent variable such that each person has an equal chance of being in any condition.

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10
Q

repeated measures design

A

an experimental design in which each participant performs every level of the independent variable

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11
Q

participant variables

A

individual differences between participants (age, personality, intelligence, etc) that could affect their behaviour in a study that would hide or exaggerate differences between the levels of the independent variable

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12
Q

confounding variable

A

an uncontrolled variable that acts systematically on one level of the independent variable so could hide or exaggerate differences between levels and therefore confound or confuse the results making it difficult to understand the effect of the IV on the DV

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13
Q

matched pairs design

A

an experimental design in which participants are arranged into pairs. Each pair is similar in ways that are important to the study and one member of each pair performs in a different level of the IV.

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14
Q

controls

A

ways to keep potential confounding variables constant, eg between levels of the IV, to ensure measured differences in the DV are likely to be due to the IV, raising validity.

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15
Q

standardisation

A

keeping the procedure for each participant in a study exactly the same to ensure that any differences between participants or conditions are due to variables under investigation rather than differences in the way they were treated.

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16
Q

pilot study

A

a small-scale test of the procedure of a study before the main study in conducted. It aims to ensure that the procedure and materials are valid and reliable, so that they can be adapted if not

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16
Q

validity

A

the extent to which the researcher is testing what they claim to be testing

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17
Q

operational definition

A

the clear description of a variable such that it can be accurately manipulated, measures or quantified, and the study can be replicated. This includes the way that the IV and DV in experiments, and the co-variables in correlations, are described

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18
Q

generalise

A

to apply the findings of a study more widely, eg to other settings and populations

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19
Q

ecological validity

A

the extent to which the findings of research conducted in one situation would generalise to other situations. This is influenced by whether the situation (eg laboratory) represents the real world effectively and whether the task is relevant to real life (has mundane realism)

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20
Q

co-variables

A

two measures are taken and then compared to look for a relationship/correlation

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21
Q

cohort

A

a group of participants selected at the same age or stage

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22
Q

situational variable

A

a confounding variable caused by an aspect of the environment, eg amount of light or noise

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23
Q

sample attrition

A

loss of participants from a sample overtime. May be due to many reasons, eg losing contact, desire to discontinue, through boredom, being unavailable or death

24
Q

intelligence quotient (IQ)

A

a measure of general reasoning and problem solving ability

25
Q

self-report

A

a research method, such as questionnaire or interview, which obtains data by asking participants to provide information about themselves

26
Q

inter-rater reliability

A

the extent to which two researchers interpreting qualitative responses in a questionnaire or interview will produce the same records from the same raw data

27
Q

social desirability bias

A

trying to present oneself in the best light by determining how to respond to the task in a way that would be most acceptable to other people, rather than the researcher

28
Q

filler questions

A

items put into a questionnaire, interview or test to disguise the aim of the study by hiding the important questions among irrelevant ones so that participants are less likely to work out the aims and then alter their behaviour

29
Q

subjectivity

A

effect of an individuals personal viewpoint on, for example, how they interpret data. Interpretation may differ between individual researchers as a viewpoint may be biased by one’s feelings, beliefs or experiences, so is not independent of the situation

30
Q

objectivity

A

impact of an unbiased external viewpoint on, for example, how data is interpreted. Interpretation isn’t effected by an individuals feelings, beliefs or experiences, so should be consistent between different researchers.

31
Q

inter-observer reliability

A

the consistency between two researchers watching the same event, ie whether they will produce the same records

32
Q

replicability

A

the extent to which the procedure of a study can be kept the same whenever the research is repeated. This is especially important when a study is repeated, either by the same or different researchers to verify results. It also enables researchers conducting other studies to follow exactly the same procedure to test different aspects of a problem, different participant groups, etc

33
Q

test-retest

A

a way to measure the consistency of a test or task. The test is used twice and if the participants’ two sets of scores are similar, i.e. correlate well, it has good replicability

34
Q

reliability

A

the extent to which a procedure, task or measure is consistent, for example, that it would produce the same results with the same people on each occasion

35
Q

ethical guidelines

A

pieces of advice that guide psychologists to consider the welfare of participants and wider society

36
Q

ethical issues

A

problems in research that raise concerns about the welfare of participants (or have the potential for a wider negative impact on society)

37
Q

debriefing

A

giving participants a full explanation of the aims and potential consequences of the study at the end of the study so that they leave in at least as positive a condition as they arrived

38
Q

experiment

A

an investigation that allows researchers to look for a casual relationship; an independent variable is manipulated and is expected to be responsible for changes in the dependent variable

39
Q

placebo

A

a pill or procedure given to a patient who believes it to be a real treatment which in fact has no active ‘ingredient’, i.e. no active drug in the case of a pill or no therapeutic value in the case of an intervention

40
Q

informed consent

A

knowing enough about a study to decide whether you want to participate

40
Q

right to withdraw

A

a participant should know that they can remove themselves, and their data, from a study at any time

41
Q

protection from harm

A

participants should not be exposed to any greater physical or psychological risk than they would expect in their day-to-day life

42
Q

deception

A

participants should not be deliberately misinformed about the aim or procedure of the study. If this is unavoidable, the study should be planned to minimise the risk of distress, and participants should be thoroughly debriefed. It may be done to reduce the effects of demand characteristics but should be avoided.

43
Q

privacy

A

participants’ emotions and physical space should not be invaded, for example they should not be observed in situations or spaces where they would not expect to be seen

44
Q

confidentiality

A

participants’ results and personal info should be kept safely and not released to anyone outside the study

45
Q

closed questions

A

a question format in questionnaires, interviews or test items that produces quantitative data. They have only a few, stated alternative responses and no opportunity to expand on answers

46
Q

open questions

A

a question format in questionnaires, interviews or test items that produces qualitative data. Participants give full and detailed answers in their own words, that is, no categories or choices are given.

47
Q

generalisability

A

how widely findings apply, e.g. to other settings or populations

48
Q

triangulation

A

is when different techniques, e.g. observations, interviews and tests, are used to study the same phenomenon. If they produce similar results, this suggests the findings are valid.

49
Q

behavioural categories

A

activities recorded in an observation. They should be operationalised and should break a continuous stream of activity into discrete, recordable events. They must be observable actions rather than inferred states.

50
Q

correlations

A

a research method that looks for a relationship between two measured variables. A change in one variable is related to a change in the other variable (although these changes cannot be assumed to be casual)

51
Q

aim

A

the intention of the study, the idea being tested or the purpose of the research, such as to investigate a question or solve a problem

52
Q

standardised instructions

A

the written or verbal info given to participants at the beginning and sometimes during a study that ensure the experience of all participants, regardless of level of the IV, is as similar as possible

53
Q

sample

A

the group of people selected to represent the population in a study

54
Q

bar chart

A

a graph used for data in discrete categories and total or average scores. There are gaps between each bar that is plotted on the graph because the columns are not related in a linear way

55
Q

histogram

A

a graph used to illustrate continuous data, e.g. to show the distribution of a set of scores, It has a bar for each score value, or group of scores, along the x-axis

56
Q

scatter graphs

A

a way to display data from a correlation study. Each point on the graph represents the point where one participant’s score on each scale for the co-variables cross

psychology (6 decks)

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