Aims, hypothesis and variables Flashcards
What is an aim?
General topics of psychology which are being investigated - whether IV effects DV.
What is a directional hypothesis?
Predicts a specific outcome.
What is a non-directional hypothesis?
Predicting a general outcome.
What is a null hypothesis?
Predicting that nothing will happen - your IV will not affect your DV.
What is an independent variable?
A variable that you change/manipulate.
What is a dependent variable?
Variable that you measure.
What is an operationalised variable?
Making the item (variable or category) specific and measurable/testable.
What is a confounding variable?
Variables which could have affected the DV, which is not the IV.
What is an extraneous variable?
Variables that you have to try to control in your experiment, which could effect the DV that is not the IV.
What are situational variables?
Aspects of the research situation itself which may affect the participant’s behaviour, such as time of day, lighting or temperature of the room.
What are participant variables?
Characteristics of the participants in a study which could affect the DV, which is not the IV.
What is a test of difference?
When you compare two sets of results.
What is a test of correlation?
When you are measuring two variables.
