Research Methods

• Experimental research involves manipulating variables and measuring the effects on other variables.
• Purpose and procedures of random allocation ?

  purpose: this removes bias and controls participant variables

  procedure: participants are picked out at random and put in groups to complete conditions
• Purpose and procedures of randomisation?

  purpose: reduces predictability

  procedure: presentation of stimuli are ordered randomly by the hat method
• Procedures and purpose of standardisation?

  purpose : to keep EVERYTHING the same to ensure equality

  procedure: researcher keeps EVERYTHING the same
• What is the purpose and procedure of counterbalancing ?

  purpose: equally distributes order of effects

  procedure: participants are grouped and complete the conditions in different orders
• How can you make it easier to replicate the research?

  Operationalisation
• whats counterbalancing?

  Participants are grouped and then each group completes the conditions in a different order
• What’s an extraneous variable?

  Any variable other than the Independent variable that could affect the dependent variable
• What’s a confounding variable ?

  a variables that varies with the Independent variable and affects the dependent variable
• what are task variables?

  when participant’s complete multiple conditions so their performance could be affected
• What are situational variables ?

  when participant’s performance could be affected by differences in the situation
• What’s the independent groups design?

  different participants take part in each condition of the experiment

  used to compare one group to another
• whats is the Repeated measures design ?

  Same participants take part in all conditions

  used to compare participants before and after performance
• What’s the matched pairs design ?

  Different participants take part in each condition of the experiment

  however these participants are matched on key variables that could affect the dependent variable
• What’s objectivity ?

  operationalising the variables so there’s no subjectivity making the research objective
• What’s replicability?

  Operationalising the variables to make it easy to replicate the research
• What is the experimental method ?

  manipulating the IV

  resulting in 2 conditions

  these conditions are then measured

  they're then compared for a difference

  if there’s a difference we can establish cause and effect