research issues,controls and pilot studies

• What are demand characteristics in research?

  Interactions affecting research findings
• How can demand characteristics affect research findings?

  They can lead to artificial participant behavior
• What might participants do in response to demand characteristics?

  Pick up cues about the research aim
• How do lab settings differ from natural settings in research?

  Lab settings may cause unnatural responses
• What forms of communication can affect research outcomes?

  Both implicit and explicit communication
• How might participants behave towards the researcher?

  They may try to please or annoy
• What does it mean if participants behave according to perceived research aims?

  Performance is likely to be artificial
• How can researchers control demand characteristics?

  By using a single-blind procedure
• What is an investigator effect?

  Researcher's presence biases the research
• How can a researcher's characteristics influence participants?

  They may remind participants of someone
• What aspects of the researcher can affect participant reactions?

  Accent, tone, and non-verbal cues
• How can a researcher's tone of voice impact the study?

  It introduces an emotional component
• Why is clothing important for researchers during studies?

  Distracting clothing can affect participant focus
• How can a researcher's bias manifest in instructions?

  They may unconsciously lead participants
• How can investigator effects be controlled?

  By using a double-blind procedure
• What does randomisation aim to achieve in research?

  Avoidance of bias to maintain objectivity
• How can participants be randomly assigned to conditions?

  Using methods like a name draw
• Why is randomisation important in the research process?

  It prevents researcher bias from invalidating results
• What does standardisation ensure in research?

  Identical procedures across all participants
• What are standardised instructions in research?

  Instructions given uniformly to all participants
• How does standardisation contribute to research reliability?

  It allows for replication of the study
• What is a pilot study?

  A small-scale trial run to test some or all aspects of the investigation
• What was Milgram's (1963) study originally intended to be?

  A pilot study for obedience research
• What is the purpose of conducting a pilot study?

  To identify potential issues before the main study
• What can pilot studies help researchers test for?

  Reliability and validity of the measures
• What happens if problems are identified in a pilot study?

  Researchers can fix issues before the main study
• Why might a researcher choose a matched pairs design after a pilot study?

  If repeated measures design affects validity
• How can pilot studies assist in funding research?

  Findings can support funding applications
• What must researchers do after altering a procedure post-pilot study?

  Conduct another pilot study to test changes
• What can pilot studies determine about the proposed investigation?

  If it is worth the time and resources