Pilot Studies

• Define pilot study?


  A small scale version of an investigation which is done before the real investigation is undertaken
• Why are pilot studies carried out?


  to allow potential problems of the study to be identified and the procedure to be modified to deal with these
• What do pilot studies also save?


  Money and time in the long run
• What is a single blind procedure?


  a research method in which the researcher do not tell the participants if they are being a test treatment or a control treatment
• Why are single blind procedures done?


  To ensure that participants do not bias the results by acting in ways they think they should ask
• What do single blind procedures avoid?


  Demand characteristics
• Define double blind procedure?


  Reesearch procedure in which neither the participants nor the experimneter knows who is receiving a particular treatment.
• Why is a double blind procedure used?


  To prevent bias in research results
• Why may bias occur?


  Due to demand charatceristics/ placebo effect
• Why does double blind procedures reduce investigator effects?


  As the investigator is unable to unconsciously give participants clues as to which condition they are in
• Why is a control group used in studies?


  It sets a baseline where results from the experimental condition can be compared to results from this one
• What can the researcher establish if there is a significantly greater change in the experimental group compared to the control?


  the cause of the effect was the IV