A level aqa psychology topic 7 research methods

• What is the aim of a study?

  The aim is what the study is trying to find out.
• What is a general aim in research?

  A general aim is to see if physiological states can affect our cognitive function.
• What is a hypothesis?

  A hypothesis is a prediction about the variables in the study.
• What is the alternative hypothesis?

  The alternative hypothesis is a prediction that includes the independent variable and dependent variable.
• What does IV stand for?

  IV stands for Independent Variable.
• What does DV stand for?

  DV stands for Dependent Variable.
• What is a one-tailed test?

  A one-tailed test is a directional hypothesis indicating a clear direction between the variables.
• What is a two-tailed test?


  A two-tailed test is a non-directional hypothesis where there is no clear direction between the variables.
• When would you use a one-tailed test?

  You would use a one-tailed test when there are clear previous research findings and a clear direction of the variables.
• When would you use a two-tailed test?

  You would use a two-tailed test when there are no clear research findings.
• What are the levels of the independent variable?

  To test the IV, you will need to use different experimental conditions.
• What is the experimental condition?

  The experimental condition tests the actual effect of the independent variable.
• What is the control condition?

  The control condition is a comparison condition to test whether it is the independent variable affecting the dependent variable.
• In a hunger/memory study, what could the experimental condition involve?

  The experimental condition could involve starving participants for a few hours.
• What does operationalization mean?


  Operationalization means specifying how variables will be measured.
• How might memory be operationalized in a study?

  Memory could be operationalized as the percentage of food-related words recalled.
• What does the null hypothesis suggest?

  The null hypothesis suggests that any difference or effect occurs by chance and not because of the manipulated variables.
• How is the null hypothesis written?

  The null hypothesis is always written the same as the alternative hypothesis, stating no difference or correlation.
• What is the alternative hypothesis regarding weather and mood?

  The alternative hypothesis states that happiness levels will be different when it is sunny compared to when it is raining.
• What is the null hypothesis regarding weather and mood?

  The null hypothesis states that happiness levels will not be different when it is sunny compared to when it is raining.
• What is the alternative hypothesis regarding age and memory?

  The alternative hypothesis states that people in their 80s will score differently on a memory test than 30-year-olds.
• What is the null hypothesis regarding age and memory?

  The null hypothesis states that people in their 80s will not score differently on a memory test than 30-year-olds.
• What is the alternative hypothesis regarding spiders and fear?

  The alternative hypothesis states that exposure to spiders in a particular environment can alter people's fear response to spiders.
• What is the null hypothesis regarding spiders and fear?

  The null hypothesis states that exposure to spiders in a particular environment cannot alter people's fear response to spiders.
• What is standardization in an experiment?


  Standardization means having a consistent control variable during a study.
• What are extraneous variables?

  Extraneous variables are nuisance variables that may interfere with the experiment.
• Why do we want to control extraneous variables?

  We want to control extraneous variables to ensure that changes in the dependent variable are due to the independent variable.
• What are participant variables?


  Participant variables are differences between the participants that may affect the outcome.
• What are situational variables?


  Situational variables are features of the experimental situation that may affect the outcome.
• What are confounding variables?

  Confounding variables are variables that interfere with the effect of the independent variable.
• How can confounding variables affect study results?

  Confounding variables can explain the results of the study with a factor other than the independent variable.
• What are demand characteristics?


  Demand characteristics occur when participants try to work out what’s going on in the experiment and change their behavior.
• What is the "please you" effect?


  The "please you" effect occurs when participants comply with the experimenter.
• What is the "screw you" effect?

  The "screw you" effect occurs when participants do not comply with the experimenter.
• What are investigator effects?

  Investigator effects are any unwanted influence of the investigator on the outcome of the study.
• How can randomization help in experiments?

  Randomization helps reduce investigator effects by making many things random.
• What is standardization in the context of experiments?

  Standardization involves giving all participants the exact same environment, information, and experience.
• What is the purpose of counterbalancing?

  Counterbalancing is used to control for order effects by varying the order of conditions for participants.
• What is the purpose of experimental design?

  The purpose of experimental design is to manipulate an independent variable to measure a dependent variable.
• What is a laboratory experiment?

  A laboratory experiment takes place in a highly controlled environment where the researcher manipulates the independent variable.