Research Methods

• directional hypothesis is a hypothesis that is clear what difference is anticipated between 2 conditions - uses words like more less higher lower
• a non directional hypothesis simply states that there is a difference between conditions
• an aim is a general statement of what the researcher intends to investigate
• a hypothesis is a clear statement that states the relationship between 2 conditions
• experimental method involved the manipulation of an independant variable to measure the effect on the dependant variable
• professional bodies draw up guidelines for all professions - british psychological society publishes guidelines for human and non human research
• informed consent means the old should know what they are getting into beforehand - they should know the aims
• right to withdrawal - a pps should be able to leave a investigation at any time
• deception - no misleading or withholding information the pps should know
• protection from harm means that there shouldn’t be any more risk than daily life
• privacy means pps can control the info shared about themselves
• confidentiality means the pps should be able to have their personal data protected
• to deal with informed consent - consent letter
• to deal with deception - debrief
• to deal with protection from harm - counselling
• to deal with confidentiality - anomity
• demand characteristics are any due from the researcher or from the situation that may be interpreted by pps as revealing the purpose of the study - may lead to a change of behaviour
• investigator effects are any effects of the investigators
• examples of demand characteristics:

  • interaction
  • study procedure
  • rumours
  • title
  • tools
  • instruments
  • setting
• single blind design - the pps arent aware of the research aims and conditions they are receiving
• double blind design is where both the investigator and pps are blind to the aim
• experimental realism - making the task engaging makes pps focus less on why they are there
• participant variables - differing individual characteristics ( of pps ) in an experiment eg age mood intelligence - can be considered as extraneous variables ( variables that affect the results but that the experimenter isn’t studying )
• random allocation is done so that individual characteristics are randomly distributed ( in theory )
• counterbalancing is when both halves of pps of experience the conditions in different orders
• to be standardised means that there is a plan of exactly what will be done in the study which means that non-standardised changes don’t act as extraneous variables
• to ensure all pps have the same experiment:

  • same place
  • same equipment
  • same levels of lighting
  • same noise
  • same heat
• experimental design is the different ways in which the testing of pps can be organised in relation to the experimental conditions
• examples of experimental design :

  • independant groups design
  • repeated measures design
  • matched parts design
• independant groups design is when 2 sepearate groups of ops take part in 2 different conditions of the experiment
• repeated measures design is when the same group take part in the investigation in 2 different conditions
• matched pairs design is when pairs of ops are matched on some variables that may affect the dependant variable
• order effects occur in repeated measure design and refer to how positioning of tasks affect the outcomr
• counterbalancing is a technique used to manage order effects
• demand characteristics suggest there is a high risk that people will change their behaviour
• strengths of repeated measure design:

  • counterbalancing is used
  • pps variables kept constant
  • pps take part in all conditions
  • fewer pps needed
  • order effects improve performance
• weaknesses of repeated measures design:

  • order effects like fatigue affect performance
  • demand characteristics could be prominent as pps take part in all conditions
• strengths of independent groups design :

  • sample is divided
  • demand characteristics less likely to be a problem as pps take part in 1 condition
  • order effects don’t occur
  • randomisation is used to manage pps variables
• weaknesses of independant groups design:

  • pps variables affect results
  • more pps needed
• strengths of matched pairs design:

  • sample is divided
  • demand characteristics are less likely to be a problem as pps take part in 1 condition
  • order effects do not occur