Psychology

• What does EV stand for in psychological research?

  Extraneous Variable
• What are individual differences in the context of psychological research?

  Differences between participants that might affect their performances
• What is an extraneous variable?


  A variable other than the independent variable that affects the dependent variable
• How would a psychologist deal with extraneous variables?

  By using designs such as repeated measures or matched pairs
• What is a matched pairs design?

  A design where participants are matched by key variables such as age and IQ
• What is random allocation in psychological research?

  Involves chance to allocate participants to each condition
• What are situational variables?


  Factors in the setting and circumstances of the research that affect participant performance
• What is standardization in research?

  Keeping procedures, materials, and instructions the same for all participants
• What are order effects?

  When the performance of participants in the second condition is impacted by their participation in the first
• What is participant reactivity?

  Behavior changes due to awareness that they are being studied
• What is social desirability bias?

  When participants feel they would be judged by the researcher and try to present themselves in a more desirable light
• What is researcher bias?

  When the researcher influences the outcome of the study
• What is counterbalancing?


  A method to balance out order effects in research
• What is the single blind technique?

  A method where participants are unaware of the condition they are in
• What is deception in psychological research?


  Leading participants to believe the research is about something other than it is or withholding the aim
• Why are labs considered to have high levels of control?

  Because they are most susceptible to participant reactivity due to participants knowing they are being studied
• What are standardized instructions in research?

  Instructions that should be read in the exact same way to each participant, often done in the form of a script
• What is the double blind technique?


  A method where both the participant and researcher are unaware of what condition the participants are in
• What is randomization in research?

  Using chance to control the effects of bias when deciding things like the order of conditions
• What are the key methods to control extraneous variables in psychological research?

  • Repeated measures design
  • Matched pairs design
  • Random allocation
  • Standardization of procedures
  • Counterbalancing
  • Single blind and double blind techniques
  • Randomization
• What is the name of the experimental design that involves participants experiencing both conditions of the experiment?

  Repeated Measures
• How do participants experience conditions in a Repeated Measures design?

  Participants experience both (or more) conditions of the experiment.
• What is the typical structure of a Repeated Measures design?

  It often takes the form of being tested before and after manipulation of the independent variable (IV).
• What is the name of the experimental design where different individuals are used for each condition?

  Independent Groups
• How do participants experience conditions in an Independent Groups design?

  Participants only experience one condition of the experiment.
• What is a key requirement for participants in an Independent Groups design?

  Participants should be randomly assigned to a group.
• What is the name of the experimental design that uses different participants for each condition but matches them on an important variable?

  Matched Pairs
• How are participants matched in a Matched Pairs design?

  Participants are matched on a variable important to control in the study.
• What happens to participants in a Matched Pairs design?

  Each participant in one condition has a matched partner in the other condition.
• What are the strengths of Repeated Measures design?

  • Controls for individual differences between participants
  • Reduces the chance of extraneous variables affecting the dependent variable (DV)
  • Eliminates practice and order effects
  • Ensures participants don't become fatigued
• What are the weaknesses of Repeated Measures design?

  • Order effects may affect performance in the second condition
  • Individual differences between participants may still exist
  • Impossible to match participants on every possible variable
• What is a potential issue with order effects in Repeated Measures design?

  Participants' performance in the second condition may be affected by their performance in the first condition.
• How can individual differences affect the results in Independent Groups design?

  Individual differences between the two groups may be the reason for differences in behavior.
• Why is it difficult to match participants in a Matched Pairs design?

  It is impossible to match participants on every possible variable, which may still cause participant variables to occur.
• What are the strengths of Independent Groups design?

  • Reduces order effects
  • Participants only take part in one condition
  • Eliminates practice effects
• What are the weaknesses of Independent Groups design?

  • Individual differences may affect results
  • Requires a larger number of participants
  • Cannot control for participant variables as effectively