experimental designs

Question 1

What is an experimental design?

Answer 1

How the researchers allocate the participants to conditions of the IV

Question 2

What is an experimental group?

Answer 2

All conditions of the IV which are being manipulated by the researcher

Question 3

What is a control group?

Answer 3

A condition where nothing has been changed

Question 4

What are the types of experimental design?

Answer 4

repeated measures, independent measures and matched pairs

Question 5

What is a repeated measures design?

Answer 5

Where all participants take part in all conditions and their results are compared against themselves

Question 6

What are strengths of a repeated measures design?

Answer 6

• very practical
• less participants are needed
• controls for participant variables

Question 7

What are weaknesses of a repeated measures design?

Answer 7

• order effects
• demand characteristics
• situational variables

Question 8

How can weaknesses of repeated measures be controlled?

Answer 8

• counterbalancing (order effects)
• deception

Question 9

What is independent measures?

Answer 9

Where participants only take part in one condition and results are compared to a participant from another condition.

Question 10

What are strengths of an independent measures design?

Answer 10

• effective
• avoids order effects
• minimised demand characteristics

Question 11

What are weaknesses of the independent measures design?

Answer 11

• time-consuming
• less practical
• participant variables

Question 12

What is a matched pairs design?

Answer 12

When participants only take part in one condition and results are compared to someone from another condition with the same characteristics as them

Question 13

What are strengths of matched pairs?

Answer 13

• very effective
• avoids order effects
• minimised demand characteristics
• minimises effect of participant variables

Question 14

What are the weaknesses of matched pairs?

Answer 14

• time-consuming
• can be argued that it is not possible to fully match participants therefore participant variables will still affect the DV

Question 15

Which design is random allocation a control for?

Answer 15

Independent measures design

Question 16

What are the steps for random allocation?

Answer 16

1- assign each participant a number
2- write numbers on pieces of paper and then put them in a hat
3- pick out a number then allocate to condition A then pick a number to allocate to condition B
4- repeat until all numbers have been assigned