pilot studies

• Pilot study


  A small-scale version of an investigation which is done before the real investigation is undertaken
• Single-blind procedure


  A research method in which the researchers do not tell the participants if they are being given a test treatment or a control treatment
• Double-blind procedure


  A research method in which neither the participants nor the researchers know which participants are receiving the test treatment and which are receiving the control treatment
• A pilot study is a small-scale version of an investigation which is done before the real investigation is undertaken
• Pilot studies are carried out to allow potential problems of the study to be identified and the procedure to be modified to deal with these
• Pilot studies also allow money and time to be saved in the long run
• Double blind studies are particularly useful for preventing bias due to demand characteristics or the placebo effect
• Double blind studies give a way to reduce the investigator effects as the investigator is unable to unconsciously give participants clues as to which condition they are in