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psychology - research methods > Experiments > Flashcards

Experiments Flashcards

1
Q

List the 4 main types of experiments.

A
  1. Lab
  2. Field
  3. Natural
  4. Quasi
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2
Q

What is a lab experiment?

A
  • Conducted under controlled conditions.
  • The researcher manipulates the independent variable to measure the effect on the dependent variable.
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3
Q

Give the 3 strengths of lab experiments and their effects.

A
  1. High levels of control; reduces the risk of extraneous and confounding variables.
  2. Standardised measures are used; easily replicable and therefore highly reliable.
  3. High internal validity.
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4
Q

Give the 3 limitations of lab experiments and their effects.

A
  1. Low ecological validity; does not generalise well outside of lab settings.
  2. Low mundane realism; does not generalise well to real life.
  3. Risk of demand characteristics; when participants change their behaviour because they know they’re being observed.
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5
Q

What is meant by the term ‘ecological validity’?

A

The extent to which findings can be generalised to real world settings.

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6
Q

What is a field experiment?

A
  • Conducted in a natural setting e.g sports centre/public transport.
  • The researcher manipulates something (IV) to see the effect of this on something else (DV).
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7
Q

Give the 4 strengths of field experiments.

A
  1. High ecological validity.
  2. High mundane realism.
  3. Higher internal validity than natural/quasi experiments.
  4. Reduced demand characteristics.
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8
Q

Give the 3 limitations of field experiments.

A
  1. Lack of informed consent; leading to deception.
  2. Reduced control; higher risk of extraneous + confounding variables.
  3. Reliability could be low; not as easily replicable.
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9
Q

What is a natural experiment?

A
  • Carried out in natural conditions.
  • The reseracher cannot manipulate the IV; therefore examines the effects of a naturally occuring variable on the DV.
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10
Q

Give the 3 strengths of natural experiments.

A
  1. High ecological validity.
  2. High mundane realism.
  3. Reduced risk of demand characteristics.
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11
Q

Give the 4 limitations of natural experiments.

A
  1. Lack of control; higher risk of extraneous + confounding variables.
  2. Lack of internal validity.
  3. Ethical issues e.g consent, deception.
  4. Lack of reliability.
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12
Q

What is a quasi experiment?

A
  • Contains a naturally occuring IV.
  • The naturally occuring IV is a difference between people that already exists e.g gender, age.
  • The researcher examines the effect of this variable on the DV.
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13
Q

Give a strength of quasi experiments.

A
  • Allows us to study variables we cannot otherwise do so.
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14
Q

Give the 2 limitations of quasi experiments.

A
  1. Lack of control; possibility of extraneous and confounding variables.
  2. We cannot manipulate the IV so may not be able to study behaviours exactly as we want to.
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15
Q

Summarise what a ‘pilot study’ refers to and what they test.

A

Small, trial versions of proposed studies to test their effectiveness and make improvements.

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16
Q

What are pilot studies helpful for detecting?

A

Potential issues, which can be rectified before committing to the length and expense of a full investigation.

17
Q

What is meant by the term ‘standardisation’?

A
  • The process in which procedures used in reserach are kept the same.
  • Great attention is taken to keep all elements of a procedure identical.
18
Q

Why is standardisation important?

A

It is far more likely that results will be successfully replicated on subsequent occasions.

19
Q

What is meant by the term ‘demand characteristics’?

A
  • There is a high risk that participants will change their behaviour in line with their interpretation of the aims of the study.
20
Q

What is ‘social desirability bias’?

A
  • This occurs in partipants’ behaviour when they note aspects of the study that have to do with particular norms of expectations.
  • Therefore, they present themsevles in what they deem as socially acceptable fashion.
  • This can result in inaccurate information/data being gathered.
21
Q

What is meant by the term ‘investigator effect’?

A
  • Where a reseracher acts in a way to support their prediction.
  • This can be a problem as when observing events that can be interpreted in more than one way.

psychology - research methods (8 decks)

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