Research Methods Year 1 Flashcards
what is an experimental method
manipulation of IV to measure effect on DV
what is an aim
statement of what intend to investigate
what is a hypothosis
clear, testable statement that you test throughout the research
what is a non-directional hypothosis
doesnt state direction, just what will happen
what is a directional hypothosis
states direction of the difference/relationship
what is a variable
anything that can change within an investigation
what is an independent variable
what we change
what is a dependent variable
what we measure
what is an extraneous variable
any variable other than IV that may affect DV if arnt controlled
what is a demand characterisitc
anything the investigator does that may reveal purpose of investigation, encouraging ptps to act certain way
define investigator effect
any effect of investigators behaviour on DV
define randomisation
use of chance methods to reduce bias
define standardisation
use exact same procedure and instructions for all ptps in study
what is experimental design
ways ptps organised in relation to experimental conditions
what is independent group design
ptps allocated different groups, each group represents one condition
what is repeated measure
all ptps take part in all conditions
what is matched pairs design
pairs of ptps matched on variables that may affect DV, then one member of pair assigned to condition A, other condition B
what is random allocation
attempt to control for particular variables in an independent group design, ensuring each ptp has same chance for being in all conditions
what is counterbalancing
half ptps have conditions in one order, other half in opposite order
what is a lab experiment
controlled environment where IV manipulated and record effects on DV, strict control on EV
what is a field experiment
in natural setting where IV manipulated, records effect on DV
what is a natural experiment
change in IV not brought about by researcher, but naturally occuring. records effect on DV
what is a quasi experiment
IV not determined, variables simply exist
define population
group researcher is interested in
define sample
smaller percentage from population
define sampling technique
method of selecting sample from population
define bias
certain groups over or under represented in a sample
define generalisation
extent to which findings can be applied to whole population
define ethical issues
conflict between ptps rights and goal of the research
what is a pilot study
small scale version of investigation to check procedures, materials, measuring scales etc to make any changes
what is a naturalistic observation
watch and record behaviour in setting it normally occurs
what is a controlled observation
watch and record behaviour in structured environment
what is a covert observation
ptps behaviour watched and recorded without their knowledge
what is overt observation
ptps behaviour watched and recorded with their knowledge
what is participant observation
researcher becomes member of group their watching
what is non-participant observation
researcher remains outside group when observing
what are behavioural catagories
target behaviour broken up into observable and measurable components
what is event sampling
target behaviour/event established then record every time happens
what is time sampling
target individual or group established, researcher records behaviour in fixed time
what are self report techniques
person has to state/explain own ideas experiences etc
what is a questionnaire
set of questions to asses thoughts/experiences
what is an interview
one person asks questions, other answers
what are the different types of interviews
- structured or unstructured
- open or closed
- face to face
- telephone
what is an open question
no fixed choice or response, answer how wish
what is a closed question
fixed choice of answers
what is a correlation
assses association between 2 variables
what is a co-variable
variables investigated within a correlation
what is a positive correlation
as one co-variable increases so does another
what is a negative correlation
as one co-variable increases the other decreases
what is a zero correlation
no relationship between covariables
what is meta analysis
combining findings of numerous studies on a particular topic to produce overall statistical conclusion
what is descriptive statistics
use of graphs, tables and summary statistics to identify trends and analyse sets of data
what are measures of central tendency
any measure of the average value in data set
what is mean
add all values and divide by how many to get average
what is median
middle value
what is mode
most common value
what is a scattergram
graph that represents strength and direction of relationship between co-variables in a correlation analysis
what is a bar chart
graph where frequency of each variable is represented by height of bar
what is a histogram
graph showing frequency through the area of bar
what is statistical testing
way of determining if hypotheses should be accepted or rejected, find out if difference/relationship between variables significant or chance
what is sign test
statistical test analysing different scores between related items
what is peer review
assessment of scientific work by field specialists to ensure research of high quality before published
What is a single blind design
Pros unaware of researchers aim
What is deception
Not revealing/ lying about study’s aim
What 5 ethics must a study have
- deception
- withdrawal
- consent
- protection from harm
- privacy
What is the indirect investigator effect
Cues from investigator that encourages curtain behaviour
What is the indirect investigator effect
Cues from investigator that encourages curtain behaviour
What is a double blind trial
Ptps and conductor unaware of aims and hypothesis
Pro of independent group studies
Harder to guess aim as ptps not redoing study
Con of independent group study
Expensive as need high recruitment
Pro of repeated measure study’s
Cheap and quick
Con of repeated measure
May work out study’s aim
Pro of matched pair study
Order effects minimised
Con of matched pairs
Time consuming and complex to organise
