Scientifc Method and Evaluation

Question 1

What is the independent variable? (IV) and dependent variable? (DV)

Answer 1

IV - deliberately manipulated or changed by the researcher to determine its effect on another variable.
DV - what is measured in the research, its value depends on IV.

Question 2

What is a hypothesis and research question?

Answer 2

hypothesis - a statement or testable prediction about the likely results of the research
research question - identifies what you’re trying to explore/research, typically used in qualitative research, starting with what/how

Question 3

What are constant variables?

Answer 3

variables that remain the same and is controlled, as the only variable that should vary is the IV that is being studied

Question 4

What are extraneous variables? (EV)

Answer 4

any variable other than the IV that could cause an unwanted or unplanned change in the DV, interfering with data

Question 5

What are the 4 types of extraneous variables?

Answer 5

1. participant variables
2. experimenter effects
3. demand charcteristics
4. situational variables

Question 6

What are participant variables?

Answer 6

the individual characteristics of each study participant that impacts how they respond (e.g. age, sex, intelligence, ethnicity, etc.)

Question 7

What are experimenter effects?

Answer 7

personal characteristics of the experimenter and their behaviour – unintentionally affecting participants response (e.g. bad mood, unwell, brining bias)

Question 8

What are demand charcteristics?

Answer 8

when participants form an interpretation of the study and adjust their behaviour in a socially-desirable manner in an attempt to support the hypothesis (negative-participant role)

Question 9

What are situational variables?

Answer 9

related to things in the environment that impact how participants respond. (e.g. noise, temperature, and lighting conditions)

Question 10

Confounding variables?

Answer 10

if extraneous variables are not controlled and they do have an effect on the DV, they become confounding variables, meaning that the EV not IV caused change in results

Question 11

What is the population and sample?

Answer 11

population - entire group of research interest (e.g. all Year 12 students in South Australia)
sample - a smaller group of participants being studied in the research (e.g. 100 SA Year 12 students)

Question 12

What is convenience sampling? and what is the advantages and disadvantages?

Answer 12

involves selecting a sample from a group of people that the researcher has access to.
advantages = quick and convenient
disadvantages = range of bias in form of participants variables, therefore inaccurate sample

Question 13

What is random sampling? and what is the advantages and disadvantages?

Answer 13

involves every member of the population having equal chance of being selected in the sample (e.g. name out of hat)
advantages = systematic, non bias
disadvantages = uneven groups e.g. males and females

Question 14

What is validity? and what are the 2 different types?

Answer 14

the extent to which the scores from a measure represent the variable
2 types:
1. internal validity
2. external validity

Question 15

What is internal validity?

Answer 15

refers to whether the effects observed in a study are due to the manipulation of the independent variable and not some other factor.
can be improved by controlling extraneous variables

Question 16

What is external validity?

Answer 16

refers to the extent to which the results of a study can be generalized to other settings (ecological validity), other people (population validity) and over time (historical validity)
can be improved by setting experiments in a more natural setting and using random sampling

Question 17

What is reliability? and what are the 3 types?

Answer 17

refers to the consistency of a measure.
3 three types of consistency:
1. over time (test-retest reliability)
2. across items (internal consistency)
3. and across different researchers (inter-rater reliability)