Experimental design

Cards (5)

  • Repeated measures design
    • all Ps partake in all conditions
    Strengths
    • P variables are less of a problem
    • less Ps needed, so less time consuming
    Weaknesses
    • order of tasks can influence results
    • more likely to work out aims if they do all conditions and so can result in demand characteristics
  • Independent Measures
    • diff groups of Ps for each condition
    Strengths
    • reduce possibility of demand characteristics compared to a repeated design as Ps only do one condition
    Weaknesses
    • P variables are a greater issue
    • time consuming as the same amount of data must be generated for each participant
  • Matched pairs
    • Ps are paired on key variables that affect the DV
    Strengths
    • Ps take part in one condition, so demand characteristics are less of a problem , as well as order effects
    • P variables are less of a problem as they are matched to another person
    Weaknesses
    • hard to match Ps exactly
    • time consuming to match
  • Order effects
    • the order that tasks are done in may affect results
    • to control, use counterbalancing
    • Ps are split into two groups
    • one completes one condition first, the other will do condition two and then switch
  • Participant variables
    • minimised by adding random allocations to conditions
    • placing names in a hat