Scientific Methods Flashcards
What is a correlational study?
Gather information about participants and examine the relationship between different attitudes/behaviours
Do NOT manipulate any factors
Major limitation: Cannot infer cause and effect
Positive correlation (+)= When a high score on one variable is associated with a high score on another variable
Negative correlation (-)= when a high score on one variable is associated with a low score on another variable
No correlation= No relationship between the two variables
What is an experimental study?
Independent variable
Must have at least two levels/conditions
Is manipulated by experimenter
Is expected to have an effect on the participants behaviour
Dependant variable
Must be measurable (ie. a number)
Rely on tightly controlled settings to rule out confounding variables
Use of random assignment
The process in which all participants have an equal chance to be in any condition of the experiment
What is a quasi-experimental study?
A study in which participants cannot be randomly assigned to the different levels of the independent variable
Ex. Introversion/extroversion
Does not allow for direct casual conclusions to be drawn
