Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Psychology U3/4 > Science Skills > Flashcards

Science Skills Flashcards

SAC 2 - Has variables and experimental design

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
Psychology 101 flashcards GRE® Psychology flashcards AP® Psychology flashcards
1
Q

Define experimental group

A
  • The group within the study that is exposed to the IV
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Define control group

A
  • The group that is not exposed to the IV
  • Used as a baseline for comparison
  • Used to determine whether the IV has directly influenced the results
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What is random allocation?

A
  • Procedure used to place participants in groups so that they are as likely to be in one group as the other
  • Equal chance of being selected for any of the groups
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is the purpose of random allocation?

A
  • To obtain groups that are as alike as possible in terms of participant variables before introducing the IV
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is random sampling?

A
  • One of the methods that can be used to select participants for an experiment
  • ‘Equal opportunity for all participants’
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is the difference between random allocation and random sampling?

A
  • Random allocation is used to place participants in groups (internal validity)
  • Random sampling is used to choose participants for an experiment (external validity)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is a between subjects experimental design?

A
  • Each participant is randomly allocated to one of two (or more) groups or conditions and provides ONE score for data

Data compared BETWEEN groups

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What are the advantages of a between subjects design?

A
  • Not often a need to spread out the time period between the different experimental conditions
    • Experiment can therefore be completed on the occasion, decreases dropout rate
  • No order effects between conditions to control
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What are the disadvantages of a between subjects design?

A
  • Need a larger number of participants to help ensure the spread of participant variables within the sample will match the distribution within the population
  • Less control over participant variables than in other designs
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is a within subjects experimental design?

A
  • Each participant is in BOTH the experimental and control groups or all the treatment conditions
  • Order effects need to be considered
    • One task could influence performance on the next
    • Fatigue and boredom need to be considered
    • Unwanted variable that needs to be controlled because the experimenter cannot be confident about whether the IV or order effect causes the change in the DV

Data compared WITHIN one group

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What are advantages of a within subjects design?

A
  • Gives experimenter strict control over all the possible participant variables
  • Tends to require a relatively smaller number of participants when compared with other designs because the same participants are in all conditions
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What are disadvantages of a within subjects design?

A
  • Does not control all participant variables that can influence the results
    • Participants can guess what the experiment is about
    • Can respond ingenuinely
  • Other uncontrolled order effects in addition to practice and fatigue are more likely to occur
    • Can result in unwanted participant attrition (loss) before the experiment is completed

Order Effects can be controlled by counterbalancing

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is counterbalancing?

A
  • Split group in half
  • Two different orders
  • Data is combined at the end
  • Eliminates order/practice effect impact on the data for within subjects
    • If results are the same even with changing the order then it can be stated that the IV most likely solely influenced the DV
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is an extraneous variable?

A
  • A variable other than the IV that can cause a change in the DV
  • Deemed as a confounding variable if it has had an unwanted effect on the DV
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What is a mixed design experiment?

A
  • Combines features between a between subjects design and a within subjects design
  • Able to compare between experimental group and control group (between) in addition to between the same people in the experimental group and control group respectively to each other (within)
  • All groups must experience the same condition

Data compared BETWEEN groups and WITHIN the same group

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What are the advantages of a mixed design experiment?

A
  • Can capitalise on the strengths of between subjects and within subjects
  • Fewer participants needed
  • Results tend to be more precise and detailed
  • Can test multiple independent variables - Time and cost effective
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What are the disadvantages of a mixed design experiment?

A
  • Although it capitalises on strengths, weaknesses of respective designs are still present
    • Order Effect
    • Extraneous Variables
    • Participant Variables
  • Higher rate of participant withdrawl than in between subjects
  • Less control over participant knowledge of the study
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Why do samples need to be regulated?

A
  • In order to be able to generalise the conclusion to the population
  • In order to properly represent the population
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is an aim in an experiment?

A
  • A statement outlining the purpose of an investigation
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is a variable in an experiment?

A
  • A condition or component of an experiment that can be measured or manipulated
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What is an independent variable?

A
  • What is manipulated by the experimenter
  • The thing that is different between the groups
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What is the dependent variable?

A
  • What is measured to test the effect of the independent variable
  • What is influenced by the IV
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What is a hypothesis?

A
  • A testable prediction that identifies the population, strength and direction of a relationship between 2 variables
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What information should be included in a hypothesis?

A
  • Identification of the population
  • Identification of both conditions of the independent variable
  • Identification of the dependent variable
  • A directional prediction
  • E.g It is hypothesised that VCE students who study for one hour per day will report lower levels of stress during the examination period than those who complete no study
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What are the 3 types of hypotheses?

A
  • Research
  • Operational
  • Null
    • Stating that there won’t be a difference
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

What is an experiment?

A
  • Where a cause and effect relationship is measured, by testing the effect of the IV on the DV in an controlled environment
27
Q

What is a case study?

A
  • An in-depth or detailed study on a particular activity, behaviour, event or problem
  • May be historical, hypothetical or current
  • Things that are rare and cannot be experimented on
  • Difficult to generalise
28
Q

What is an observational study?

A
  • A methodology that involves investigation through observing and interacting with an environment in a naturalistic setting
29
Q

What is meant by the term ‘population’?

A
  • The people that are of interest to the research
  • The group that the researcher will seek to generalise the conclusion to
30
Q

What is a sample?

A
  • A subset of a population
  • People selected for the experiment
  • Selecting a sample is the first place where bias and error are eliminated
  • As the sample size increases, so does time and cost
  • Must be representative of the population
31
Q

What are 3 ways to create a sample?

A
  • Convenience Sampling
    • Survey
    • Sample is selected in the quickest and easiest way possible
    • Not representative of the population
    • For interest based experiments and therefore not publishable
  • Random Sampling
    • Every member has an equal chance in being selected
    • Free from bias
    • May not be representative of the population
    • Large samples
  • Stratified Sampling
    • Breaking population into subgroups and selecting participants in accordance to their fraction in the population
    • More representative of the population
    • Time consuming
    • For important research where characteristics can skew the data
32
Q

What are advantages to using random sampling?

A
  • Quick and relatively simple to employ
  • Less chance of bias
33
Q

What is a disadvantage to using random sampling?

A
  • Under or over represented groups in the population
34
Q

What is an advantage of stratified sampling?

A
  • Enables researcher to sample specific groups within populations for comparison purposes
35
Q

What is a disadvantage of stratified sampling?

A
  • Can be a time-consuming procedure
36
Q

What are the different classifications of data?

A
  • Primary → Collected directly from source by researcher for their specific purpose of addressing their research question
      • Little doubt about quality
      • Time-consuming process
  • Secondary → Not directly collected by the researcher - Earlier time by someone else
      • Readily available & accessed in less time
      • Uncertainty about quality because it was usually collected for a different purpose
  • Quantitative (preferred because of precision and ease of communication) → Numerical
  • Qualitative → Not expressed numerically (words, pictures)
37
Q

What is accuracy?

A
  • How close a measurement is to the true value
  • Accuracy is not quantifiable… described qualitatively
    • More accurate
    • Less accurate
    • Expected
  • Level of accuracy can be judged by repeating the experiment

True Value - Value/ range of values that would be found if the quantity could be measured perfectly

38
Q

What is precision?

A
  • How close a set of measurement values are to each other
  • Not the same as accuracy because it does not involve reference to the true value
39
Q

What is repeatability?

A
  • Consistency in successive measurements
    • Similar results
  • Same researchers
  • Within context of the same study
  • Same…
    • Measurement procedure
    • Observer
    • Measuring instrument
    • Conditions
    • Location
  • Repetition over a short period of time

No repeatability - May be due to chance, extraneous variables

40
Q

What is reproducibility?

A
  • Different researcher undertaking the same study in different conditions
  • Control extraneous variables in order to gain results that prove the IV’s impact on the DV
  • Different…
    • Method of measurement
    • Observer
    • Measuring instrument
    • Location
    • Conditions of use
    • Time and/or culture(s)
41
Q

What is validity?

A
  • Internal
    • If the variables are operationalised properly
    • Multiple practices increase - Allow comparison
  • External
    • To what degree can the results be applied to the population
    • Need high representativeness = Good (stratified) sampling
42
Q

What is a personal error?

A
  • Mistakes, miscalculations and observer errors made when conducting research
  • To remove → Investigation should be repeated correctly
    • Errors should not be included in the reporting and analysis of the data
43
Q

What is a systematic error?

Measurement Error

A
  • Affects accuracy of a measurement by causing readings to differ from the true value by a consistent amount
  • All readings are shifted in one direction from the true value
  • Error cannot be improved by repeating measurements → Error present all the time
    • Continuing to use faulty equipment will not improve accuracy
  • To remove → Be familiar with limitations of instruments and being experienced with their correct use
44
Q

What is a random error?

Measurement Error

A
  • Affect the precision of a measurement by creating unpredictable variations in the measurement process
  • Spread of readings
    • Cause one measurement to differ slightly from the next
  • Present in all measurements except for those involving counting
  • To remove → Making more/ repeated measurements
    • Calculating a new mean
    • Increasing the sample size
    • Refining measurement method/ technique
45
Q

What does it mean if findings are ‘robust’?

A
  • Results remain valid across a variety of conditions
46
Q

What is the difference between uncertainty and errors?

A
  • Uncertainty → Lack of exact knowledge of the value being measured
  • Errors → Mistakes within an experiment
47
Q

What are the types of investigation methodologies?

A
  • Controlled experiment
  • Case study
  • Correlational study
  • Fieldwork
  • Literature review
48
Q

What is a controlled experiment?

A
  • Experimental investigation of a relationship between one or more IVs and DVs → All other variables controlled
  • Aim to find whether an IV has an effect on a DV
49
Q

What are the strengths of a controlled experiment?

A
  • Identifies a cause-and-effect relationship between an IV and DV
  • Results may be generalised to the population of interest if the study is deemed to have good (external) validity
  • Can be repeated to gather more data + Test the reproducibility and repeatability of results
50
Q

What are the limitations of controlled experiments?

A
  • Require strictly controlled conditions → Difficult to maintain; results influenced by extraneous variables
  • Participant behaviour influenced by the artificial nature of the setting
    • External validity low
  • Unethical/ impossible to conduct a controlled experiment on particular variables
51
Q

What are the strengths of a case study?

A
  • Useful when a limited number of participants are available
  • Used to study experiences where it would be unethical or impossible conduct a controlled experiment
  • Provide rich qualitative data
  • Can act as a basis for further research
52
Q

What are the limitations of a case study?

A
  • One person/ group cannot be representative of a population → Can’t be generalised because of low external validity
  • Researcher bias may influence the recording, collation and treatment of data
  • May not be repeatable to gain more data or test reliability
  • Typically time consuming
53
Q

What is a correlational study?

A
  • Planned observation and recording of events and behaviours that have not been manipulated or controlled in order to…
    • Understand the relationships or associations existing between variables
    • Identify which factors may be of greater importance
    • Make predictions
  • Variables not controlled
54
Q

What are the strengths of correlational studies?

A
  • Direction and strength of a relationship between variables can be determined using a correlational study
  • Gather information that cannot be obtained by a controlled experiment due to ethical reason
  • Observation of behaviours in a real-life environment → More natural
  • High in external validity
55
Q

What are the limitations of correlational studies?

A
  • Correlation does not equal or imply causation
  • Relationship is bi-directional → Cannot determine which variable has more influence
  • Large amount of data required
  • Extraneous variables not controlled → Cannot determine if there was an influence = Low internal validity
56
Q

What is fieldwork?

A
  • Collecting information by observing and interacting with a selected environment
    • Often real-life
57
Q

What are the strengths of fieldwork?

A
  • Information on sensitive topics can be obtained
  • Larger amount of quantitative data in shorter time compared to controlled experiment
  • Anonymity in questionnaires reduce dishonest/ biased answers
  • Qualitative responses in participant’s own words
  • Natural setting = More accurate
  • Used when impossible or unethical for controlled
58
Q

What are limitations of fieldwork?

A
  • Observed behaviour subjective → Open to interpretation and bias by researcher
    • May be inaccurate
  • Prone to social desirability bias → Respond in a way they think is expected
  • Time consuming
  • Minimal control over extraneous variables
  • Ethical concerns with lack of informed consent
59
Q

What is a literature review?

A
  • Collating and analysing secondary findings/ viewpoints
  • Combine theories and results and act as a starting point for primary data collection
  • No new research
  • Good starting point to obtain further primary data
60
Q

What are the strengths of a literature review?

A
  • Determine what is already known based on multitude of sources
  • Context for primary research
  • Identify expert researchers in field
  • Identify gaps in understanding (hence areas for further research)
  • Identify successful and unsuccessful findings
61
Q

What are the limitations of a literature review?

A
  • Key studies may be missed → Cause lack of depth
  • Selection bias may result in review being unrepresentative
  • May not comment on validity of original research/ how studies were selected
    • Difficult to gauge quality of featured study
  • Describe multiple studies but lack detail
  • Only secondary data involved
62
Q

What are the factors to consider when determining external validity?

A
  • If the sample is representative
  • Degree to which the design tested the research question
    • Internal validity
  • Impact of extraneous/ confounding variables
63
Q

What is a strength of observational studies?

A
  • Genuine human behaviour
64
Q

What are the limitations of observational studies?

A
  • Not quantitative data
  • Leaves a lot of room for assumptions

Psychology U3/4 (12 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions