research methods

• What is an extraneous variable?


  Something that may impact the experiment but is not suppose to
• What is an aim ?

  A general statement of what the researcher intends to investigate; the purpose of the study.
• What is a null hypothesis ?

  This ALWAYS predicts that any difference or relationship is down to CHANCE so there is NO significant difference or relationship
• What is operationalisation ?

  Explaining precisely how IV can be manipulated and how DV can be measured.
• What is a directional hypothesis?

  A one tailed hypothesis - it will specifically state the direction of the results.
• What is a lab experiment ?

  Setting - a tightly controlled artificial experiment.

  IV - deliberately manipulated by the experimenters.

  DV - the experimenters measure it. It will produce quantitative data.

  Extraneous variables - attempt to control and minimise them.
• What is a field experiment ?

  Setting - natural real word environment.

  IV - deliberately manipulated

  DV - measured

  Extraneous variables - minimal control
• What is a natural experiment ?

  Setting - any setting

  IV - not manipulated, but naturally occurring (event or experience)

  DV - measured

  Extraneous variables - little to no control
• What is a quasi experiment ?

  Setting - any setting

  IV - pre existing characteristics, so not manipulated

  DV - measured

  Extraneous variables - little to no control
• What is internal validity?


  - Investigator effects

  - Demand Characteristics

  - Social Desirability
• What is external validity?

  - Population validity

  - Temporal validity

  - Ecological validity
• What are demand characteristics ?

  Any cue from the researcher or the research situation that may be interpreted by participants as revealing the purpose of the investigation. This may lead to a participantchanging their behaviour within the research situation.
• How to control for Demand Characteristics?

  Use a single blind trial, where only the researcher knows the true aim of the experiment. This limits demand characteristics.
• What is mundane realism?


  The extent to which the tasks used in the experiment are representative of tasks completed in every day life.
• What is standardization?


  Keeping everything the same

  
  

  The extent to which there is confidence in the IV causing the effect on the DV.
• What is replication?


  Findings should be able to be repeated on different occasions
• What are some advantages of lab experiments ?

  High internal validity/ high reliability
• What are disadvantages of lab experiments ?

  Low ecological validity and mundane realism/ High demand characteristics
• What are advantages of field experiments ?

  High ecological validity and mundane realism / low demand characteristics
• What are disadvantages of natural/quasi experiments ?

  Low internal validity / low reliability
• What's a situational variable ?


  Features of the environment or setting that may affect participants behaviour

  
  

  Lighting/weather
• What's a participant variable ?


  Individual differences between participants and the ways in which each participant varies from the other

  
  

  
  

  Eyesight/ IQ /age
• What may occur if demand characteristics have an effect ?

  Participants conform to what they believe the researcher wants and expects to happen

  
  

  They ruin the results by changing their behaviour
• How can demand characteristics be resolved ?

  Deception - not revealing the true aim and hypothesis of the study

  
  

  Double blind - procedures where neither participants or the researcher interacting with them are aware of the conditions they have been assigned to
• How can investigator effects be controlled?

  Using the same researcher for all participants

  
  

  Double blind - neither participants or researcher is aware of what the conditions are
• What are the 3 types of experimental designs ?

  Repeated Measures

  Independent Groups

  Matched Pairs
• What are some advantages and disadvantages of repeated measures ?

  Advantages = participant variables are controller

  
  

  Disadvantages = demand characteristics are likely to be experienced / order effects may be experienced
• What is counterbalancing?


  An attempt to control for the effects of order in a repeated measures design: half the participants experience the conditions in one order, and the other half in the opposite order.

  
  

  
  

  ABBA
• What is Randomisation?


  The use of chance when designing investigations to control for the effects of bias. It is to do with thematerials/task.
• What is Random Allocation?

  An attempt to control for participant variables in an independent groups design which ensures that each participant has the same chance of being in one condition as any other. It is to do withparticipants.
• What is independent groups ?


  Participants are allocated to different groups where each group represents one experimental condition

  Different people in each condition
• What are advantages and disadvantages of independent groups ?

  Advantages = there is less chance of demand characteristics

  There is less chance of order effects occurring

  
  

  
  

  Disadvantages = participant variables aren't controlled
• What is a matched pairs design?

  Uses different participants in each condition but attempts to match them on important characteristics
• What is a target population?


  The group of people from whom the sample is taken. In some cases, the largest group to which results can be generalised.
• What are advantages and disadvantages of matched pairs ?

  Advantages = there is less chance of order effects, demand characteristics

  
  

  Disadvantages = matched pairs is extremely difficult to achieve
• What is a sample

  A small number of people taken from the target population who participate in the investigation

  - as representative of the target population as possible so that the psychologist can generalise the results to the target population without having to study all of them

  A representative sample should have the same characteristics as the target population
• What is a sampling bias

  A sampling bias has occurred if the sample selected under or over represent certain groups that compose the target population. In this case, the sample is unrepresentative of the target population. This limits the extent to which generalisations can be made. To avoid this, the sample should be as large as possible
• What is random sampling


  Where every participant in the target population has an equal chance of being selected, through a lottery system, with no bids from the psychologist. Those selected are then contacted and invited to participate.

  
  

  Eg; inputting names of all those in the target population to a computer based randomiser which allocated each a number and then selects the required amount of numbers
• What are advantages of random sampling

  The sample is likely to be unbiased representative of the target population. This is because everyone in the target population has the same and equal chance of being selected without bias from the researcher

  
  

  Conclusion - this means the findings from the study can be generalised back to the target population
• What are disadvantages of random sampling

  It is more time consuming and inconvenient compared to opportunity sampling

  - this is because the researcher has to obtain information about everyone in the target population to give each one an equal chance of being selected - this is often impractical if the target population is large

  
  

  Conclusion =

  This means that random sampling is difficult to achieve in psychological research because it is time consuming