Pilot Studies

• What are pilot studies?

  Small scale trial runs of the research before the research is carried out
• What do we do in pilot studies?

  1. check participants understand instructions

  2. materials are clear (video quality)

  3. questions are clear and interpreted the same

  4. behavioural categories, timings

  5. operationalise

  6. ethical issues
• Single-blind procedure


  participants aren't told aim of research at beginning of experiment

  
• What confounding variable does a single blind procedure reduce?

  Demand characteristics
• Double blind procedure


  researcher nor participants are aware of the aims of the study

  
• Which confounding variables do double blind procedures reduce?

  • demand characteristics
  • investigator effects
• Control groups


  used as a baseline condition
• control conditions


  allow researchers to make comparisons between experimental conditions