Component 2

• aim


  a statement of the purpose of the study
• Alternative hypothesis


  A testable statement that a piece of research attempts to support or reject
• Directional hypothesis


  a hypothesis that suggests there will be a difference/relationship between variable,where the IV will affect the DV in one specific direction or outcome.
• Non-directional hypothesis


  A hypothesis that suggests there will be a difference/relationship between the variables,the IV will affect the DV,but does not state a specific direction/outcome for results.
• Null hypothesis


  A hypothesis that suggests there will be on difference/relationship between variables,any does occur does so by chance
• Independent variable 


  The variable that is being manipulated that controls to see how it affects behaviour.
• Dependant variable 


  The variable that is being measured by the psychologist
• Co-variables


  indicate 2 or more quantities being measured in a correlation by the researcher that may or may not vary with each other
• Operationalisation


  giving a precise definition of the behaviour being manipulated/observed/measured.Allows repetition and raises reliability.
• Confounding variable

  variables that are not being measured or manipulated by the researcher,that affect SOME participants behaviour.Lowers validity
• Extraneous variables


  variables in a study that are not being measured or manipulated by the researcher but affect ALL participants.
• Experiments


  a research method where cause and effect is measured,through the control and manipulation of key variables,and participants are randomly allocated to experimental/control groups.
• Quasi-experiments


  research where the experimenter has NOT deliberately manipulated the IV and the participants are NOT randomly selected.e.g natural experiments
• Natural experiments


  a research method where the IV arises naturally,although the DV can still be measured in a lab or any other location.Used if its unethical to manipulate the IV
• Participant observations


  a research method where the researcher takes on the role of a participant whilst observing the other participants behaviour around them
• Non-participant observation


  a research method where the researcher watches and records participants behaviour from a distance without interfering
• Content analysis


  a research method which involves exploration of behaviour to see what categories,codes or themes emerge,and tallying each time material fits a theme.Converts qualitative data into quantitative
• Structured interviews


  a research method that includes standardised questions ,are known as an interview schedule ,usually face to face
• Questionnaires


  a research method that includes a list of written questions,which generate closed and or open answers.
• Semi-structured interviews


  a research method that involves asking participants questions,usually face to face.Can be in the form of an interview schedule,but could also include follow up questions to expand on answers
• Correlation studies


  a research method which involves an in-depth investigation of a phenomenon,which uses a descriptive analysis of a person,group or event.
• Self-reports


  a method which involves a participant reporting their own thoughts and feelings through methods such as interviews
• Quantitative data


  a type of data that can be measured numerically ,so statistical analysis can be completed
• qualitative data


  a type of data that can be observed,but not measured numerically.It usually takes the form of words,thoughts,feelings and is difficult to analyse
• Primary sources


  information sources/data that is directly collected by the researcher first-hand
• Secondary sources


  information sources/data that have not been directly colleced/created by the researcher
• Cross-sectional studies


  a method which involves comparing one group of participants,representing a cross-section of society,against another at the same point in time
• Brain scans


  a research method which involves taking images of the living brain to investigate brain function
• Longitudinal studies/research


  a method which involves conducting research over a long period of time in order to observe long-term effects of X on a specific behaviour.
• Conducting research in a lab

  a location of research where scientific research and measurement can be taken using specialist/large equipment.Conditions and variables are controlled and procedures are standardised
• conducting research in the field

  a location of research outside of the lab,in a natural setting.Uses standardised procedures but cant control confounding variable as well as in a lab
• conducting research online


  a location of research where the participants are accessed via the internet/social networks/mobile apps.Often involves questionnaires but can also be experimental etc
• Target population


  the group of individuals the researcher is interested in studying
• Sampling frames


  a group/population that is identified when it is unrealistic to study the whole target population
• Random sampling


  a sampling technique where participants are selected from the sampling frame,where everyone has an equal chance of being selected
• Opportunity sampling


  a sampling technique where participants are selected at the researchers convenience without knowing any details about the sample in advance
• Systematic sampling


  a sampling technique where every nth person on the list is selected by the researcher
• stratified sampling


  a sampling technique where the target group is divided into subgroups
• quota sampling


  a sampling technique where the target population is divided into subgroups
• Self-selected sampling


  a sampling technique where participants volunteer for research