Unit 3: Area of Study 1 - How does the Nervous System Enable Psychological Functioning? Flashcards
What is an Experiment?
Is a type of Research Method in which a Researcher tests whether a Variable influences or causes a change to another Variable under controlled conditions
What is an Independent Variable?
Is a Variable that is manipulated in order to test its effects on the Dependent Variable
What is a Dependent Variable?
Is a Variable in an Experiment the Researcher chooses to measure in order to assess the effect/s of the Independent Variable/s
What is an Extraneous Variable?
Is any variable other than the Independent Variable that can cause a change on the Dependent Variable and therefore affect the validity of the results in an unwanted way
The Aim of Research
Is the purpose of the research
Control Group
Is the group in an experiment that is not exposed to the Independent Variable (IV)
Experimental Group
Is the group in an experiment that is exposed to the Independent Variable (IV)
Operationalised Hypothesis
Is a detailed Hypothesis that is written in one sentence but gives you detailed information about the Independent Variable, the Dependent Variable, the subjects used and the direction the study is going to take
Experimental Methods
- Brain Imaging and Recording Technologies
- Case Studies
- Experiments
- Observational Studies
- Self Reports
Brain Imaging and Recording Technologies
Are scientific technologies that gain structural or functional images of an active Brain
Advantage of Brain Imaging and Recording Technologies
These technologies provide highly specific information about the Brain and its functions
Disadvantages of Brain Imaging and Recording Technologies
- These technologies are expensive to use
- The findings can be difficult to generalise to the wider population, as no 2 Brains are alike
Case Studies
Is a detailed study on a single person or a small group of people
Advantage of Case Studies
It allows researchers to gain very specific information about a particular occurrence or phenomenon
Disadvantages of Case Studies
- Case Studies can be time-consuming to undertake
- It is difficult to generalise findings from one person to the wider population
Experiments
Is when a cause and effect relationship is measured, by testing the effect of the Independent Variable (IV) on the Dependent Variable (DV)
Advantages of Experiments
- They are easy to set-up and run
- It is easy to replicate
Disadvantages of Experiments
- They are time-consuming to undertake
- Can create unrealistic situations
Observational Studies
Involves an individual observing another individual or a group of people in a natural environment, and recording observations about the behaviour they witness
Advantage of Observational Studies
They eliminate the Extraneous Variable of Artificially
Disadvantage of Observational Studies
The recordings are subject to Observer Bias, where the observer sees what they want or expect to see, which may result in a biased representation of the behaviour
Self-Reports
Is when people are asked to comment on their own thoughts, emotions and beliefs by answering a series of questions on a particular topic
Advantage of Self-Reports
Allows researchers to collect subjective data, that cannot be measured, which can gain insight into and individual
Disadvantage of Self-Reports
Difficult to compare data due to its subjective nature