Research Methods and statistics

Question 1

Confounding variables

Answer 1

also referred to as the third variable (alternative explanations) outside influences that changes the effect of a dependent and independent variable

Question 2

Environmental Variables

Answer 2

Time of day, temperature, noise levels, colours

Question 3

Participant variables

Answer 3

IQ, age, gender, education, income, birth order, health

Question 4

Time related variables

Answer 4

fatigue, practice

Question 5

What are three types of extraneous variables?

Answer 5

Environmental, Participant and time related

Question 6

What does control refer to?

Answer 6

controlling the extraneous variables (we must stop extraneous variables from becomming confounding variables

Question 7

How can we control extraneous variables?

Answer 7

• Holding constant (same time of day, same room,same researcher, same noise, same age, gender)
• Matching across groups (same gender mix in each group, same average age, IQ, counter balancing)
• Randomization (the quick and easy solution?)

is there a perfect solution?

Question 8

Between subject research design (BSD)

Answer 8

(also known as independent-measures experimental design)

One score per participant

• different participants in each group
• thus the scores are not dependent on the same participant thus independent-measures design

Question 9

Between subject design advantages (BSD)

Answer 9

scores are independent so there is no need to worry about

• practice effects
• fatigue effects
• carry over effects

Question 10

Between subject design disadvantages (BSD)

Answer 10

individual differences (what is these introduce confounding variables?) - what if random assignment to groups has failed thus assignment bias?

Question 11

Assignment bias

Answer 11

a threat to internal validity when the process assign different participants to different treatments produces groups of individuals with noticeably different characteristics

Question 12

Differential Attrition (withdrawal)

Answer 12

treatment group may cause more withdraw than the comparison group

Question 13

Diffusion

Answer 13

When the treatment spreads from one treatment group to the control group (participants talk)

Question 14

Within-subject experimental design (WSD)

Answer 14

Also known as Dependent-measures experimental design

Question 15

advantages of within-subject design (WSD)

Answer 15

reduce error in measurement (participants serve as their own control group) -individual differences have been eliminated (IQ, gender

-reducing error variance thus increasing power

Question 16

disadvantages of within subject design

Answer 16

testing (order) effects such as practice, fatigue (progressive error), sequence, and carry over.

• practice and fatigue come from the experiment in general
• carry over from a specific treatment (treatment A affecting outcome of treatment B) to avoid use counterbalancing

Question 17

counterbalancing

Answer 17

technique used to deal with order effects when using repeated measures design. participants sample is divided in half (one half completing two conditions in one order and the other completing the conditions in the reverse order)

Question 18

Quasi Experimental design

Answer 18

No control over group assignment (also called nonequivalent group design) e.g. male vs female.

• there is assignment bias in the study when using this strategy

Question 19

Examples of quasi-experimental designs

Answer 19

DONT WORRY TOO MUCH ABOUT THESE

1) differential research design (race, gender ect.)
2) postest-only non-equivalent control group design (smokers with treatment vs non-smokers with no treatment)
3) pretest-postest nonequivalent control group design

Question 20

pretest-postest nonequivalent control group design

Answer 20

this design is usually referred to as a quasi-experimental design

• pretest observations (O) limit somewhat the threat due to assignment bias
• the researcher can compare the groups before treatment (X)

Question 21

Developmental research designs

Answer 21

two types

Cross-sectional research design (one observation)(cohort effect)

Longitudinal research design (multiple observations) (no cohort effect)

Question 22

Cohort effect

Answer 22

particular impact of a group bonded by time or common life experience.

Question 23

correlation

Answer 23

demonstrates a relationship (between a and b for example)

• no control or manipulation of the variables
• cannot talk about cause and effect
• no IV DV
• all variables are equal

Question 24

Advantages of correlation

Answer 24

High external validity (measures what is there, no manipulation or artificial settings)

Question 25

Disadvantages of correlation

Answer 25

Low internal validity

No clear explanation for the relationship between A and B is given

Question 26

Problems with correlation

Answer 26

• Third variable problem

- direction unknown ( do not know if A affects B or B affects A or both?)

Question 27

Descriptive research strategy types

Answer 27

• Observational (systematic recording of behaviours in the field e.g. real life)
• Survey (questionnaire based, asking about attitudes, health etc.
• case (‘looking’ at a single participants in detail)

Question 28

Types of observation

Answer 28

• Naturalistic observation (real life)
• participant observation (real life but the observer is part of the situation e.g. observers pretend to be mental patients and report on their experience
• contrived (structured) observation (the situation is set up by the experimenter)

Question 29

Observational scoring

Answer 29

• frequency method (number if ‘play’ in a 30min ‘block’
• duration method ( time (minutes) engaged in play in a 30min block
• interval method (30 mins split into 30 intervals each one minute, rate if ‘play’ for each minute.

Question 30

survey

Answer 30

questionnaire based, asking about attitudes, health, shopping habits, brand recognition, voting etc.

Question 31

Naturalistic observation (observer info)

Answer 31

• Bias in behaviour due to the observer (habituation)
• subjective interpretation by observer (create behavioral categories (play, agression, social interaction, play alone etc, then define each) (use more than one observer (rater) then calculate inter-rater reliability which ranges from 0 = no agreement to 1= perfect agreement.