Research Methods

• Hypothesis


  A precise testable statement predicting the outcome of an experiment including the relationship between the IV and the DV.
• Independent Variable


  Variable you later which produces the experiment conditions.
• Dependant Variable


  The variable you measure to see the effect of the IV.
• Lab Experiment


  Experiment with controlled conditions, lots of equipment.
• Field Experiment


  Experiment carried out in real life settings.
• Natural Experiment/Qiasi


  Experiment where you don't manipulate the IV, it naturally occurs.
• Anomalous Result


  Odd one out in data, result that does not match the rest of your results.
• Quantitative Data


  Any number data that can be interpreted objectively eg. numbers, dates, birthdays.
• Qualitative Data


  Words, opinions or subjective data that cannot be interpreted objectively.
• Mean


  Average where you add all the numbers up together and divide by the number of numbers eg. 3+3+2+3+4 divided by 5 = 3
• Mode


  The most popular number eg. 1,2,2,3,4 mode is 2
• Median


  The middle number when the numbers are in order from smallest to largest. In a situation where there are two numbers, you add them together and divide them by 2 eg. 1,2,2,3 2+2=4 divided by 2=2
• Range


  The largest number minus the smallest number, or the difference between the largest and smallest numbers eg. 1,2,2,3,4 range is 3.
• Percentage (%)


  Amount out of a target amount, amount divided by total amount x100 eg. 10/60x100=16.6%
• Stratified Sampling


  Sampling method where you identify subgroups in the target population and work out what proportion of the target population your group represents. You then mirror your participant sample to match the correct percentage for each subgroup.
• Systematic Sampling


  Sampling method where every nth member of the target population is selected eg. 7n would mean every 7th person is selected.
• Opportunity Sampling


  Sampling method where researchers choose only available and willing participants.
• Random Sampling


  Sampling method where every member of the target population has an equal chance of being selected as a participant. The names are often drawn out by computer systems.
• Repeated Measures


  Experimental design where one group of participants takes part in both experiment conditions.
• Independent Groups


  Experimental design where two groups of participants take part in one condition each, so two different conditions.
• Matched Pairs


  Experimental design where participants are tested on a certain characteristic and matched up into pairs such as Aa, Bb etc. One person takes part in one condition and the other person takes part in the second condition.

  
  

  advantages:

  1: it is more sensitive to dependent variables than the independent measures design(although obviously not as sensitive as the repeated measures design)

  
  

  2: it can be used to carry out experiments in situations where a repeated measure design cannot be used e.g for the rasons given above.

  
  

  disadvantages:

  1: more subjects are required than for a repeated measures design.

  
  

  2: it is not as sensitive as a repeated measures design
• Protect Confidentiality


  Guideline where names, faces, addresses etc. must be kept private.
• Right to Debriefing


  Guideline where the participant must be told about the study at the end of their participation in it.
• Avoiding Deception


  Guideline forbidding researchers to lie to the participant without briefing or debriefing them.
• Avoiding Distress


  Guideline where participants must not experience stress, be injured or take part in anything dangerous in the experiment.
• Gaining Consent


  Guideline where the participant must give informed consent either before or after the experiment.
• Right to Withdraw


  Guideline where participants must be able to leave at any time and withdraw their data.
• Demand Characteristics


  Where the participant gives the researcher what they think they want.
• Counter-balancing


  An experimental design where variables are presented in many possible ways to reduce order effects.
• Standardisation


  Where you give all participants the same instructions.
• Extraneous Variables


  A variable that is not the IV but could affect the DV if it is not controlled.
• Participant Variables


  The individual characteristics of a participant that may affect how they respond.
• Confounding variables


  Confounding variables are factors other than the independent variable that may cause a result. In your caffeine study, for example, it is possible that the students who received caffeine also had more sleep than the control group. Or, the experimental group may have spent more time overall preparing for the exam.
• Experimental method


  this appraoch aims to control all the factors or variables involved in the hypothesis as carefully as possible. this might be done either in a laboratory [ a lab experiment ] or in the outside world. a field or naturalist experiment
• Survey method


  this involves constructing a questionaire to find out about peoples views or attitudes. they may be given a questionaire to answer in the privacy of their own home or it may involve a face-to-face interview. this method can involve large numbers of the general public.
• Observational method


  with this approach, the researcher tests their hypothsis by viewing people in their natural evrionments and carefully recording their observations
• Correlational method


  this is a statistical technique where the researcher observes and measures the relationship two naturally occurring variables.
• Controlled variable


  e.g if one single driver is driving all red and all black cars then one unwanted variable (driving skill) may have been successfully eliminated.

  
  

  hypothesis: people who drive red cars have more accidents than people who drive black car.s
• experimental design


  independent measures, repeated measutes and matched pairs
• independent measures


  this design involves taking all the people who are to be the subjects in the experiment and dividing them into two (or more) seperate groups. both groups are treated in exactly the same way except that one group (the experimental group) is exposed to the independent varibale of the hypothesis whereas the other group [ the control group] s not

  
  

  disadvantages:

  1: that because it required a large number of subjects it is more expensive in terms of time and money to administer.

  2: differences between the subjects in each group may mask the differences on the dependent varibale betwent eh group