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Experimental Method

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The experimental method concerns the manipulation of an independent variable (IV) to have

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an effect on the dependent variable (DV)

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which is measured and stated in results. These

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experiments can be: field

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laboratory

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Aims

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An aim is a general statement made by the researcher which tells us what they plan on

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investigating

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the purpose of their study. Aims are developed from theories and develop from

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reading about other similar research.

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Hypotheses

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A hypothesis is a precise statement which clearly states the relationship between the

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variables being investigated. The hypothesis can either be non-directional or directional. A

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directional hypothesis states the direction of the relationship that will be shown between the

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variables whilst a non-directional hypothesis does not.

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E.g.

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If a researcher is carrying out a study to investigate whether sleep helps memory

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performance:

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• A directional hypothesis for this would be - “The more sleep a participant has the better

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their memory performance.”

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• A non-directional hypothesis would be - “The difference in the amount of hours of sleep a

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participant has will have an effect on their memory performance

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which will be shown by the

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difference in the memory test scores of the participants.’

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A directional hypothesis tends to be used when there has already been a range of research carried

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out which relates to the aim of the researcher’s investigation. The data from this previous research

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would suggest a particular outcome. However if there has been no previous research carried out

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which relates to the study’s aim or the research is contradictory than a non-directional hypothesis is

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appropriate.

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Independent and dependent variables

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The independent variable refers to the aspect of the experiment which has been manipulated

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by the researcher or simply changes naturally to have an effect on the DV which is then

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measured. The dependent variable is the aspect of the study which is measured by the

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researcher and has been caused by a change to the IV. All other variables that could affect the

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DV should be carefully controlled so that the researcher is able to confidently conclude that the

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effect on the DV was caused by only the IV.

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In order to properly test the effect of the IV we need different conditions: the experimental condition

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and the control condition. You can have various experimental conditions which will allow you to

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compare the effects of different levels of the IV.

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Operationalisation of variables

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Operationalisation refers to the act of a researcher clearly defining the variables in terms of

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how they are being measured. This means the variables should be defined and measurable. The

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hypotheses states should also show this operationalisation e.g. the aforementioned directional

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hypothesis would be even better if operationalised:

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