Unit 1 - research methods keywords

Question 1

Demand characteristics

Answer 1

A cue that makes participants aware of what the researcher expects to find or how participants are expected to behave

(Trigger a predictable response)

Question 2

Variables:

1 - Independent (IV)

2 - Dependent (DV)

3 - Extraneous (EV)

4 - Participant

5 - Situational

Answer 2

1 - Event directly manipulated by experimenter in order to observe its effects on DV

2 - Depends in some way on the IV

3 - Any variable other than the IV, which may potentially affect the DV and thereby confound the findings

Order effects, participant variables and situational variables may act as EVs

4 - Explains why certain participants in one group do better e.g age, intelligence…

5 - May explain group differences e.g. time of day, temperature, noise…

Question 3

Order effects

Answer 3

In a repeated measures design, as EV arising from the order in which conditions are presented e.g. a practice effect

Question 4

Random allocation

Answer 4

Allocating participants to experimental groups using random techniques

Question 5

Investigator effects

Answer 5

Investigator directly or indirectly has an effect on a participant’s performance, other than what was intended

Question 6

Single blind technique

Answer 6

Participants don’t know the true aim of the study

Question 7

Double blind technique

Answer 7

Investigators and participants don’t know the true aim of the study

Question 8

Pilot study

Answer 8

Small scale trial of a study

Small group of participants run through the procedures

Aims to test any aspects of the design, with a view to making improvements

Question 9

Reliability

Answer 9

A measure of consistancy

Question 10

1 - Internal reliability

2 - External reliability

Answer 10

1 - Concerns consistency within set of scores or items

2 - Concerns consistency over time such that it is possible to obtain the same results on subsequent occasions when the measure is used with the same thing

Question 11

Validity

Answer 11

The extent to which a study and its findings are legitimate or true

Question 12

1 - Internal validity

2 - External validity

3 - Ecological validity

4 - Population validity

5 - Historical validity

Answer 12

1 - Whether a study has tested what it set out to test

2 - The degree of which the research finding can be generalised

3 - Form of external validity. Generalise a research based on it’s research findings

4 - Form of external validity. Generalise beyond the population analysed

5 - Form of external validity. Generalise beyond the time

Question 13

Attrition

Answer 13

Loss of participants from a study over time

Likely to leave a biased sample, or a sample that is too small

Question 14

Random technique

Answer 14

Method of selection that ensures each member of the population has an equal chance of being selected

Question 15

Sampling

Answer 15

Process of taking a sample

Technique uses aims to produce a representative selection of the target population

Question 16

Target population

Answer 16

Group of people that the researcher is interested in

The group of people from whom a sample is drawn

Group of people from whom generalisations can be made

Question 17

Volunteer bias

Answer 17

Form of sampling bias

Occurs because volunteer participants are usually more highly motivated than randomly selected participants

Question 18

1 - Quantitative data

2 - Qualitative data

Answer 18

1 - NUMBERS

2 - Express the quality of things e.g. pictures, colours. NOT NUMBERS

Question 19

Quantitative data analysis

Answer 19

Any means of representing trends from numerical data, such as measures of a central tendency