Research Methods - The Experimental Method Flashcards
What is an experiment?
A research method in which the effect of two or more conditions of the IV on a DV is measured, other variables controlled, in order to investigate a cause-and-effect relationship.
What is the dependent variable?
The variable being measured, that varies as a consequence of the changes in the IV.
What is the dependent variable?
The variable being measured, that varies as a consequence of the changes in the IV.
What are extraneous variable?
Factor other than the IV which could affect performance on the DV, and so distort the results.
What are the levels of the IV?
The different conditions under which participants are tested in an experiment that are manipulated, changed or compared by the researcher are the levels of the IV.
What is the control condition?
An experiment characterised but the absence of the IV. It is used as a baseline for comparison with an experimental condition.
What does operationalisation mean?
The definition of variables so that they can be accurately manipulated, measured or quantified and replicated is called operationalisation?
What does the term experimental design?
The term “experimental design” refers to the way in which participants are allocated to levels of the IV.
What is the independent measures design?
An experimental design in which different participants are used for each level of the IV.
What is the repeated measures design?
An experimental design in which each participant performs every level of the IV.
What is the matched participant design?
An experimental design in which participants are arranged in pairs. Each pair is similar in ways that are important to the study and one member of each pair performs one of the levels of the IV.
What are demand characteristics?
Features of an experimental setting that indicate to participants the aims of the study and so can influence their behaviour.
What is meant by the term ‘single blind’?
A single blind experimental procedure ensures that participants are unaware of the level of the IV in which they are performing. This helps to reduce the effect of demand characteristics.
What is meant by the term ‘double blind’?
A double blind experimental procedure protects against both demand characteristics and researcher bias. It ensures that neither the researcher working with the participants nor the participants themselves are aware of which condition an individual is in.
What is meant by the term ‘researcher effects”?
Researcher effects are the negative influences researchers can have on a study by their presence or beliefs.
What is meant by the term ‘participant variables’?
Participant variables are individual differences between participants (such as age, skills, personality) that could affect their responses in a study.
what is the order effect?
In a repeated measures design, order effect (either practice or fatigue effects) can produce changes in performance between conditions that are not the result of the IV, so can obscure the effect on the DV.
What is the practice effect?
The practice effect refers to the situation where participants’ performance improves because they experience the experimental task more than once. They might become more familiar with the task or recall they previous answers.
What is the fatigue effect?
The fatigue effect refers to the situation where the participants’ performance declines because they have experienced an experimental task more than once. They might be bored or tired.
What is meant by the term “counterbalancing”?
Counterbalancing is used to overcome order effects in a repeated measures design. Each possible order of levels of the IV is performed by a different sub-group of participants. This can be described as an ABBA design. as half the participants do condition A then B, and half do B then A.
How are the participants allocated to levels of the IV in a true experiment?
In a true experiment, a researcher can randomly allocate participants to different levels of the IV.
How are the participants allocated to levels of the IV in a quasi experiment?
In a quasi experiment, an experimenter makes use of an existing change or difference in situations to create levels of an IV, and then measures the DV in each condition.
What is a field experiment?
A field experiment is a study in which the researcher manipulates an IV and measures a DV in the natural setting of the participants for the activity being tested.
What is a laboratory experiment?
A laboratory experiment is a study conducted in an artificial environment in which the experimenter manipulates an IV and measures the consequent changes in a DV, while carefully controlling extraneous variables.
What are standardised instructions?
A set of spoken, written or recorded instructions presented to participants to tell them what to do. This ensures that all participants receive identical treatment and information, so differences between their performance on the DV are more likely to be the result of the IV.
What are situational variables?
Factors in the environment surrounding participants that can affect their performance on the DV, and so could obscure the effect of the IV.
What is mundane realism?
The extent to which an experimental task represents a real world situation.
What is generalisability?
The extent to which findings from one situation or sample will apply to other situations or people.
