Experimental method Flashcards

1
Q

What’s an experiment?

A

research method where a causal relationship can be drawn because the IV is deliberately manipulated to observe the causal effect on the DV.

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2
Q

What’s an aim

A

A general statement about what the researcher intends to study —> states the purpose if a study

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3
Q

What’s a hypothesis

A

a precise statement which clearly states the relationship between the variables that are being investigated.

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4
Q

What are the 4 types of hypothesis?

A

Directional (one tailed)
Non-directional (two tailed)
Experiment/ alternate
Null

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5
Q

What’s a directional hypothesis?

A

predicts the nature of the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable .
e.g. adults will recall more words than children

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6
Q

What’s a non-directional hypothesis?

A

states an expected diffrence but not the direction of results e.g. there will be a difference between the number of words recalled by adults than by children.

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7
Q

What’s an experimental/ alternate hypothesis?

A

A hypothesis in the context of an experiment —> predicts a difference or an effect between two variables.

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8
Q

What’s a null hypothesis?

A

predicts there won’t be a difference or effect between two variables
e.g. there won’t be a difference between the number of words recalled by adults compared to children.

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9
Q

What is an experimental design?

A

the different ways in which the testing of ppts can be organised in relation to the experimental conditions.

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10
Q

What are the 3 experimental designs?

A

Independent groups
Matched pairs
Repeated measures

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11
Q

What is independent groups?

A

Participants are randomly allocated into two conditions. One group does the experiment with variable 1, the other group does the experiment with variable 2. Results are compared.

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12
Q

What’s repeated measures?

A

Participants are not divided into groups. Instead, all participants do the experiment with variable 1, then afterwards the same participants do the experiment with variable 2. Results are compared.

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13
Q

What’s matched pairs?

A

all ppts take part in both conditions

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14
Q

+/- IDG

A

-More ppts needed
-Least effective design for controlling extraneous or confounding variables.
+Reduces the chance of demand characteristics
+Random allocation

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15
Q

+/- MP

A

-More ppts needed
-Not possible to match all ppt characteristics
+Use identical twins
+Good attempt to control ppt variables

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16
Q

+/- RM

A

-Demand characteristics
-Ppts may guess the purpose of the experiment
+Fewer ppts needed
+Can reduce order effects through counterbalancing

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17
Q

What’s counterbalancing?

A

A technique used to counteract order effects: ABBA half ppts do condition A then B and the other half do B then A.

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18
Q

What’s the IV?

A

The variable that’s manipulated

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19
Q

What’s the DV?

A

Measured

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20
Q

What’s operationalisation?

A

How IV is manipulated and how DV is measured

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21
Q

What’s an extraneous variable?

A

Additional variable to the IV that should be account for and controlled to avoid the impact on the DV.
E.g. time of day

22
Q

What’s a confounding variable?

A

A variable that may have impacted the study that hasn’t been controlled and may affect the nature of the study e.g. IQ

23
Q

What are demand characteristics?

A

Any cue that makes the ppt unconsciously aware of the aims of a study that helps ppts work out what the researcher expects to find.

24
Q

What are investigator effects?

A

Anything that an investigator does that has an effect on the ppts performance in a study other than what was intended.

25
Q

What’s randomisation?

A

Use of chance to reduce the effects of bias from investigator effects.

26
Q

What’s standardisation/ standardised procedures?

A

A set of procedure that are the same for all ppts in order for the study to be replicable

27
Q

How many types of experiment are there?

A

Lab
Field
Natural
Quasi

28
Q

What’s a lab study?

A

An experiment in an artificial environment where variables can be strictly controlled.

29
Q

+/- lab

A

+high degree of control
+replicable
-experimenter bias
-low ecological validity

30
Q

What’s a field experiment?

A

An experiment conducted in a natural environment but IV is still controlled.

31
Q

+/- field

A

+naturalistic
+controlled IV
-ethical considerations (informed consent)
-loss of control

32
Q

What’s a Quasi experiment?

A

Experiment where the IV hasn’t been determined rather than instead of it naturally occurring e.g. gender difference studies

33
Q

+/- quasi

A

+controlled conditions
-can’t randomly allocate ppts

34
Q

What’s a natural experiment?

A

An experiment in an in the IV isn’t brought about by the researcher and would’ve happened even if the researcher hadn’t been there.
e.g. if studying reactions for to earthquakes

35
Q

+/- natural

A

+provides opportunities
+high external validity
-natural occurring events
-very difficult to randomise

36
Q

What’s sampling?

A

The group of ppts the researcher is interested in / testing

37
Q

What are the 5 types of sampling?

A

Opportunity
Random
Systematic
Stratified
Volunteer

38
Q

What’s opportunity sampling?

A

Ppts happen to be available at the time of the study - recruited conveniently

39
Q

+/- opportunity

A

+time saving
+cost efficient
-not representative
-researcher bias

40
Q

What’s random sampling?

A

When all members of the sample have an equal chance of being selected

Uses methods:
Lottery
Random number generator

41
Q

+/- random

A

+no researcher bias
-time consuming
-volunteer bias: ppts can refuse to take so can end up with an unrepresentative sample

42
Q

What’s systematic sampling?

A

Every nth member is selected from the sample

43
Q

+/- systematic

A

+usually fairly representative
-not truly unbiased

44
Q

What’s a stratified sample?

A

Composition of the sample reflects the varying proportions of people in a particular strata within the wider population

45
Q

+/- Stratified

A

+no researcher bias
+representative data due to proportional strata
-time consuming
-identified strata can’t reflect all differences between people of the wider population

46
Q

What’s a volunteer sample?

A

Self selection - ppts offers to take part either in response to an advert or when asked to

47
Q

+/- volunteer

A

+easy and not time consuming
+more likely to corporate in the study
-volunteer bias

48
Q

What’s a pilot study?

A

Small-scale version of an investigation which is done before the real investigation is undertaken

49
Q

What’s a single-blind procedure?

A

A research method in which the researcher doesn’t tell the ppts if they’re given the treatment or placebo

Avoids demand characteristics

50
Q

What’s a double-blind procedure?

A

Neither the experimenter or researcher knows who is receiving the treatment