pilot studies and more Flashcards
pilot study
a small-scale version of an investigation that takes place before the real investigation is conducted
aim - check that procedures, materials, measuring scales work
aim - allow researcher to make changes if necessary
what studies can have pilot studies
not just restricted to experimental
- self-report - questionnaires, interviews - useful to try out questions in advance
- observational - provides way of checking coding systems and important part of training observers
benefit of pilot study
allows researcher to identify potential issues and to modify the design or procedure, saving time and money in the long run
single-blind procedure
participants not told the aim of the research at the beginning of the study, condition of experiment, whether theres another condition
- any information that might create expectations is not revealed until the end of the study to control for the confounding effects of demand characteristics
double blind procedure
neither participants nor researcher who conducts the study is aware of the aims of the investigation
- often a third party conducts the investigation without knowing its main purpose
- often drug trials - if they dont know what each participant is receiving then expectations cannot influence participant behaviour
control groups and conditions
eg drug trial
experimental group - real drug
control group - placebo
control - control of variables in order to set a baseline
- allow for greater comparison
if change in behaviour of experimental group significantly greater than control then researcher can conclude that cause of effect was IV (assuming all other possible confounding variables also constant)
control in repeated measures
each participant takes part twice - once in the experimental condition and then in the control condition
control group definition
used for the purpose of comparison with the experimental group so the researcher can be more certain of the effect of the IV and DV
