the experimental method

• difference between an aim and hypothesis

  an aim is a general statement that describes the purpose of a study whereas a hypothesis is able to predict the outcome of the research
• difference between a directional and non-directional hypothesis

  non directional hypotheses state that an effect will occur whereas a directional will predict the direction of the effect
• what is a one tailed hypothesis

  directional - only one direction that the results are predicted to go in
• what is a two tailed hypothesis

  non-directional - results could go in two different ways
• when to write a non-directional hypothesis

  when there is contradictory evidence and it is difficult to predict the results
• when to write a directional hypothesis

  where there is past researched evidence to suggest that it is likely
• what is an independent variable

  a factor which is manipulated by the researcher
• what is a dependent variable

  the factor that is measured in the experiment and is affected by the iv
• what is meant by operationalisation of variables

  making sure the hypothesis is clear and specific and can tell us how it will be tested
• example of a directional hypothesis

  people who exercise once a day will have a lower heart rate than people who dont
• example of a non-directional hypothesis

  there will be a difference between the heart rate of people who exercise once a day than those who dont