Lesson 8- Control Of Extraneous Variables Flashcards
What are Extraneous variables?
Unwanted factors that are not the independent variable which could potentially affect the results of the study.
Why is it important to control extraneous variables?
In order to ensure that a study has validity, extraneous variables must be controlled to prevent them from becoming CONFOUNDING variables
What are participant variables?
Characteristics of the participants which may affect the dependent variable (e.g age, intelligence, gender)
What types of experimental designs can help overcome participant variables?
1.Matched pairs
2.Repeated Measures
What is one problem that arises when a using matched pairs design?
Can lead to order effects
What are environmental variables?
These are factors in the environment where the experiment is conducted that could affect the DV (e.g time of day, temperature,lighting)
What process can we use to overcome environmental variables
Standardisaton
What is standardisation?
Ensuring that all the conditions, materials and instructions are the same for all participants
What are investigator effects?
This is when the person collecting the data has knowledge of what the research aim is and that knowledge affects the data obtained.
Name one type of investigator effect?
Observer bias
What is observer bias?
Occurs when a researcher's expectations, opinions, or prejudices influence what they perceive or record in a study
What process can we use to overcome investigator effects?
Double-blind technique
What is the double blind technique?
When neither the participants nor investigator know the hypothesis of the study or what condition the participant is in
Why is it important for standardised scripts to be given to the investigator?
To ensure that the investigator acts in a similar way with all participants
What are demand characteristics?
Defined as the process in which a paricipant may guess the purpose of the study and alter their behaviour accordingly based on what the features of the study are.
