Pilot studies

    Cards (6)

    • What is a pilot study?
      a small-scale trial run of the actual investigation (before the main study)
    • Aims
      • allows a researcher to identify any potential issues and to modify the design, materials or procedure if necessary
      • saves money and time in the long-run
    • In experiments
      check whether ppts understand standardised instructions, whether timings are adequate, etc
    • In self-reports
      remove ambiguous or confusing qs
    • In observational studies
      check coding systems(behavioural categories)
    • 'The study aimed to investigate whether or not the presence of loud noise in the background impacted on the recall of photo-based images of people' - suggest what elements of the procedure a researcher may want to check as part of the pilot procedure
      • whether noise is loud enough
      • if images were presented for long enough
      • if instructions were understood