Control of Variables

Question 1

What is an Extraneous variable?

Answer 1

Any variable which is not the IV but may effect the DV. Do not confound the results but make cause and effect harder to establish.

Question 2

What is a Confounding variable?

Answer 2

Any variable which is not the IV but effects the DV.

Question 3

What are demand characteristics?

Answer 3

Any cue the researcher or the research situation may give which causes the particpant to guess the aim of the investigaton.

Question 4

What is Social Desirability?

Answer 4

A type of DC where an individual acts in a way they believe to be most socially acceptable and so reduces the accuracy of results.

Question 5

What are investigator effects?

Answer 5

When the way a researcher behaves impacts the results eg how they select or interact with ppts.

Question 6

What is Randomisation?

Answer 6

The use of chance to reduce the effects of bias from investigator effects eg selection of ppts.

Question 7

What is Standardisation?

Answer 7

Using the exact same formalised procedures and instructions for every single ppt.