Experiments Flashcards

1
Q

Lab Experiments

A

The IV is manipulated by the researcher and the experiment is carried out in a controlled lab setting

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2
Q

Lab Experiment advantages

A

-More controlled
-Higher internal reliability
-Less extraneous variables
-High construct validity

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3
Q

Lab experiment disadvantages

A

-May not be natural
-Lack ecological validity
-More effort to conduct

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4
Q

Field experiments

A

The IV is manipulated by the researcher, but the experiment is carried out in a participants normal surroundings

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5
Q

Field experiment advantages

A

-Higher ecological validity
-Less effort to conduct
-High construct validity

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6
Q

Field experiment disadvantages

A

-Harder to standardise
-Harder to get consent
-Low construct validity due to extraneous variables
-Lower internal reliability due to participants having different experiences

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7
Q

Quasi experiments

A

The IV is naturally occurring and not manipulated by the researcher

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8
Q

Quasi experiment advantages

A

-High ecological validity
-Helps us study variables we can’t manipulate
-Don’t have to ‘set up’ IV

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9
Q

Quasi experiment disadvantages

A

-Less opportunity to do experiments
-Difficult to conduct
-Low construct validity

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10
Q

Repeated measures design

A

Having the same people in each condition

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11
Q

Repeated measures advantages

A

-Less impacted by participant variables
-Easier to obtain sample as smaller

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12
Q

Repeated measures disadvantages

A

-Influenced by order effects-need to counter balance
-Reduced construct validity due to demand characteristics

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13
Q

Independent measures design

A

Using different people in each condition

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14
Q

Independent measures advantages

A

-No order effects
-Reduced demand characteristics

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15
Q

Independent measures disadvantages

A

-More impacted by participant variables
-Need a larger sample-more effort

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16
Q

Matched pairs design

A

Using different people in each condition, but attempting to make the participants as similar as possible by testing the individuals on key characteristics

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17
Q

Matched pairs advantages

A

-Less impacted by participant variables
-Not influenced by order effects
-Lower chance of demand characteristics

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18
Q

Matched pairs disadvantage

A

-More effort/time consuming
-Need a larger sample
-Can’t control all extraneous variable

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19
Q

Why must extraneous variables be controlled?

A

To establish a cause-and-effect relationship

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20
Q

Participant variables

A

Characteristics of the individual participant which may influence results (eg: age, intelligence, skill)

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21
Q

How can participant variables be controlled?

A

-Use a repeated measures or matched participants design
-Randomly assign participants to groups if using independent measures so variables are spread evenly across groups

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22
Q

Situational variables

A

Features of a research situation which may influence a participants behaviour and therefore the result (eg: order effects)

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23
Q

How to control situational variables?

A

-Having different people in each group-independent measures or matched participants design
-Counter-balance if repeated measures design is used

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24
Q

How to control environmental factors? (temperature, noise, etc)

A

-Impose controls to ensure as little difference as possible between conditions

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25
Q

Demand characteristics

A

Cues in an experiment which communicate to participants what is expected of them and may influence their behaviour

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26
Q

How to limit demand characteristics?

A

Do not tell participants the aim of the study

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27
Q

Single-blind research

A

Participants do not know the aim of the study

28
Q

Double-blind research

A

Neither the researcher or participant know the aim of the study-to remove researcher effects/bias

29
Q

Alternative hypothesis

A

A hypothesis that predicts the IV will affect DV

30
Q

Null hypothesis

A

Predicts the IV will not effect the DV, and any difference seen will be to chance factors.

31
Q

Two-tailed alternative hypothesis

A

Does not indicate the direction the difference the IV affects the DV will be

32
Q

One-tailed alternative hypothesis

A

Predicts the IV will have a significant effect on the DV, and indicates in what direction

33
Q

Target population

A

The group of people the researcher is interested in studying

34
Q

Sample

A

The actual group of participants used in the research

35
Q

Sampling methods

A

The ways in which researchers can obtain a sample of people from within the target population to take part in their study.

36
Q

Self-selecting

A

When people volunteer to take part in the study after seeing it advertised

37
Q

Self-selecting advantages

A

-Gain consent easily
-Removes researcher bias
-Easy to obtain

38
Q

Self-selecting disadvantages

A

-Volunteers may not be generalisable (more co-operative)
-Expensive/time consuming

39
Q

Opportunity

A

Selecting those most readily available at a given time and place selected by the researcher

40
Q

Opportunity advantages

A

-Easy to obtain
-Likely to be more generalisable
-Good way to obtain target population

41
Q

Opportunity disadvantages

A

-Potential researcher bias
-May get an unrepresentative sample

42
Q

Random

A

Where each member of the target population is selected randomly and has an equal chance of being selected

43
Q

Random advantages

A

-No researcher bias
-Equal chance of being selected
-Representative of samples

44
Q

Random disadvantages

A

-Those selected may not consent
-May not be generalisable enough
-Outliers may be selected

45
Q

Snowball

A

When participants are asked to contact friends and family, who contact their friends and family and so on

46
Q

Snowball advantages

A

-Covenient
-Already have consent
-Easy to obtain sample
-Less researcher bias

47
Q

Snowball disadvantages

A

-Friends/family may be too similar to make it generalisable
-Message may get distorted

48
Q

Ideal sample size

A

20 per condition

49
Q

Primary data

A

Data collected directly by the researcher

50
Q

Secondary data

A

Analysing data that has already been produced (eg: crime statistics already possessed by police)

51
Q

Mean advantages

A

-Involves all the data

52
Q

Mean disadvantages

A

-Can only be used for numerical data
-Includes all outliers which may skew result
-Can give decimal figures

53
Q

Median advantages

A

-Discounts outliers so not skewed

54
Q

Median disadvantages

A

-Can only be used for numerical data
-May not be a specific middle value-decimal
-Doesn’t include all data collected

55
Q

Mode advantages

A

-Can be used for quantitative and qualitative data
-Easy to calculate
-Always a whole value

56
Q

Mode disadvantages

A

-May be no mode or more than one mode
-Doesn’t include all data points

57
Q

Quantitative data advantages

A

-Easier to interpret and display
-Easily make comparisons
-No researcher bias
-Easily establish reliability of results

58
Q

Quantitative data disadvantages

A

-Doesn’t show reasoning behind participants actions
-Harder to show anomalies
-Can lack ecological validity

59
Q

Qualitative data advantages

A

-Shows reasoning behind participant actions
-More detail

60
Q

Qualitative data disadvantages

A

-Harder to interpret and display
-Harder to make comparisons
-Harder to interpret and display
-Can have researcher bias-interpreted in multiple ways

61
Q

Range advantages

A

-Quick and easy to calculate
-Shows how consistent data is

62
Q

Range disadvantages

A

-Doesn’t show if the spread is even
-Can be skewed by outliers
-Doesn’t include all the data

63
Q

Variance advantages

A

-Takes into account all values in the data set
-Less likely to be affected by outliers

64
Q

Variance disadvantages

A

-More time consuming to calculate
-Not in the same units as original measure

65
Q

Standard deviation advantages

A

-Same units as original measure
-Easy to calculate if variance already done

66
Q

Standard deviation disadvantages

A

-Time consuming/difficult to calculate without variance
-Takes into account extreme outliers