CHAPTER 1; RESEARCH METHODS Flashcards
What is the Scientific Method?
a logical process of problem solving applied in all sciences. It involves eight steps.
What is a Hypothesis?
a clear statement predicting how changes in the independent variable(s) will affect the value of the dependent variable(s). A hypothesis should also clearly state the population about which the researcher intends to draw conclusions.
What is an Independent variable?
the variable that is manipulated by the experimenter who then measures resulting changes in the DV.
What is a Dependent variable?
the variable that is measured by the researcher to discover the effects of the IV.
What is an Extraneous variable?
a variable other than the IV that could cause changes in the value of the DV. Extraneous variables are undesirable.
What is a confounding variable?
a variable other than the IV that has a systematic effect on the value of the DV (it acts like a second, unwanted, IV).
What is ‘Population’?
the group which we wish to draw conclusions from.
What is ‘Random Sampling’?
sampling procedure in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected.
What is the Experimental group?
the group in the experiment which are exposed to the IV, and undergo the ‘treatment’.
What is the Control group?
the group in the experiment who are not exposed to the IV, and do not receive the treatment. Its purpose is to form a basis for comparison with the E-group.
What is ‘Random allocation’?
means that all participants who have been selected for an experiment must have an equal chance of being in the E-group or C-group.
What is ‘Repeated measures design’?
each participant is part of the both E-group and C-group.
What is ‘Matched participants design’?
enables a researcher to identify a variable that is likely to confound and to eliminate the effects of this variable from the experiment. Participants can be ranked in accordance with their scores on this variable and then allocated o the respective groups.
What is ‘Independent groups design’?
allocates participants to E-group or C-group at random.
What is a sample?
the members of the population that have been chosen to take part in the research.
What is ‘Convenience sampling’?
Using any person ‘conveniently’ available as part of the sample.
What is ‘Stratified sampling’ and ‘Stratified Random sampling’?
processes by which the effects of a certain variable can be eliminated as a possible confound in a experiment.
What is ‘Treatment’?
the variable that the experimental group participants receive and members of the control group do not.
What is a Controlled variable?
the variable after the potential effects of an extraneous variable have been removed from the experiment (usually by the experimental design).
What is ‘Operationalisation’?
means that it is stated in terms that show how it is measured.
What is ‘Counterbalancing’?
a procedure where half the participants will first perform the task with the IV present (experimental condition) and then perform the task with the IV absent (control condition). The other half of the participants will experience the conditions in reverse order.
What is a Placebo?
an object or procedure that is expected to have no effect on the value of the DV, administrated to the control group to provide a basis for comparison with the effects of the IV, administrated to the experimental group.
What is the Placebo effect?
refers to the participants’ behaviours being influenced by their expectations of how they should behave, caused by the belief that they have received some treatment.
What is the Single-blind procedure?
allocation of participants to groups in such a way that they do not know whether they are in E-group or C-group.
