A statement of what the researchers intend to find out in a study.
what is a hypothesis?
An explanation or prediction that can be tested through research about the assumed relationship between variables.
Operationalising variables is the process of defining the variables in a way that allows them to be measured. eg. number of people in a group. This is done so that the research is replicable, establishing reliability.
The independent variable is the variable that is manipulated by the researcher to determine the effect on the dependent variable.
The dependent variable is the outcome of the experiment and is the variable that is measured. by the researcher.
extraneous variables are variables that are not directly related to the independent variable but may affect the dependent variable.
Examples of extraneous variables are age or gender.
an alternative hypothesis is a statement that states what you expect to happen in the experiment. states an expectation of an effect or relationship between variables.
a null hypothesis is a hypothesis that states that there is no difference or relationship between the variables being studied.
a directional hypothesis is a hypothesis that predicts the precise direction of the relationship between the independent and dependent variables using previous research. (uses words like more, less, faster)
a non-directional hypothesis is a non-specific statement about the prediction of a relationship between two variables.
Internal validity: the degree of which the results of the study are due to the independent variable and not due to other factors.
external validity: the extent to which the results of a study can be generalised to other populations.
ecological validity is the extent to which the findings of the study can be generalised to the real world.
population validity is the extent to which the results of the study can be generalised to the population as a whole.
historical validity is the extent to which the research findings are still generalizable to other situations over a period of time.
mundane realism refers to how a study reflects real-world situations and how the research environment is similar to experiences that occur in reality.
Ethical issues Acronym
DR PIC
what are the ethical issues?
deception, right of withdrawal, protection of participants, informed consent, confidentiality.
Dealing with informed consent
Sign a form, reminder of ROW
Dealing with deception
Debriefing
Dealing with right of withdrawal
Participants are reminded before the study of this right
dealing with protection of participants
Avoid unnecessary risks not found in real life, or stop study entirely
dealing with confidentiality
Give anonymity of ppts in the study results (fake names)
dealing with privacy
Do not study people without informed consent
cost-benefit analysis: a method of decision making that compares the benefits of a decision with its costs
Demand characteristics: cues that unconsciously convey the aims of the experiment to the participant or helps them work out how the experimenter wants them to behave.
Order effects: an extraneous variable caused as a result of the order in which conditions are presented to participants in a repeatedmeasures design. These include practice effects or fatigue effects.
Counterbalancing: a technique used to counter the order effects by ensuring each condition is tested first or second in equal amounts.
Investigator effects (experimenter bias): cues from an investigator that influence the way a participant behaves in a study. These can be direct (interaction between ppt and investigator) or indirect (consequence of the design of the study by the investigator).
Participant variables: when the characteristics of an individual participant in a study affect the conditions of the study. These include age, gender, IQ, memory span, etc.
Situational variables: features of an experimental environment that influence behaviour or conditions of a study. These act as confounding variables and could be the time of day, temperature of a room, lighting, etc.
Single blind design: when a participant does not know the true condition of the study, but the researcher does. Prevents ppt seeking cues about the aim.
Double blind design: when neither the ppt or the researcher knows the aims/hypotheses of the study. This is done by not using the actual investigator of the research as the study conductor. Reduces experimenter bias and demand characteristics.
Experimental realism: when the researcher makes the study task engaging enough that the ppt pays full attention to the task and not on the observer.
Interviews: a research method that involves a researcher asking questions to an individual face-to-face to gather information and data.
Interviewer bias: unconsciously communicated cues to an interviewee about the interviewer’s expected answers. This can come in the form of leading questions.
Questionnaires: A questionnaire is a research method consisting of written questions that is used to gather information from a large number of people.
Social desirability bias: when an individual responds untruthfully to questions in order to present themselves in a better light.
Structured interview: an interview where the questions are pre-written and the interviewer asks the questions in a set order.