PSYCH RESEARCH METHODS

Question 1

controlled variable

Answer 1

anything you keep the same
example:
- Participant differences
- Noise levels in the experiment
- Caffeine consumption

Question 2

extranous variable

Answer 2

anything that is not the IV but may affect the DV (reduces internal validity)

Question 3

confounding variable

Answer 3

variable other than the IV that has affected the results (either an EV that was not controlled or could not be controlled) (reduces internal validity)

Question 4

opertaionalising variables

Answer 4

refers to specifying exactly how the variables will be manipulated or measured in a particular controlled experiment.

Question 5

sample representation

Answer 5

sample population would be representative of the differences presented within the target population.

Question 6

convenience sampling

Answer 6

readily available
- volunteer

Question 7

convenience sampling - pros

Answer 7

• quick
• cheap

Question 8

convenience sampling - cons

Answer 8

• biased, the sample might not represent the whole population.
• not random, increases the chance of inaccurate results.

Question 9

random sampling

Answer 9

• every member of the population has the same chance of being selected

Question 10

random sampling - pros

Answer 10

• sample generated can be more rep than conveince sampling.
• reduces experimenter bias in selecting partipcants

Question 11

random sampling - cons

Answer 11

• time consuming, to ensure every participant has an equal chance of being selected.
• may not create a rep sample when sample is small.

Question 12

stratified sampling

Answer 12

selecting people from the population in a way that ensures that its (subgroups) are fairly represented in the sample

Question 13

stratified sampling - pros

Answer 13

• produce rep sample

Question 14

stratified sampling - cons

Answer 14

• time consuming and expensive

Question 15

within subjects

Answer 15

participants complete every experimental condition.

Question 16

within subjects - pros

Answer 16

• no participant variables (more likely that results are due to manipulation of IV and not any EVs)
• less people required

Question 17

within subjects - cons

Answer 17

• can produce order effects;
  completing one experimental condition may influence how participants perform in the latter condition/s (e.g. due to fatigue, practice, participants’ expectations)
• participant dropping out of this experiment = greater impact as the experimenter loses two data points instead of one.

Question 18

prevent control for order effects (within subjects)

Answer 18

counterbalancing - changing the order of conditions for different participants to cancel out order effects.

Question 19

between subjects

Answer 19

participants are divided into different groups and complete only one experimental condition.

Question 20

between subjects - pros

Answer 20

• less time consuming than within-subjects design
• does not create order effects.

Question 21

between subjects - cons

Answer 21

• may require more participants than a within -subjects design.
• participant differences

Question 22

mixed design

Answer 22

combination of elements from within- & between-subjects.

Question 23

mixed design - pros

Answer 23

• can compare results across experimental conditions AND individuals
• multiple experimental conditions can be compared to a baseline control group.

Question 24

mixed design - cons

Answer 24

• costly and time consuming

Question 25

field work

Answer 25

research involving observation and interaction with people and environments in real world settings

Question 26

field work - pros

Answer 26

- provides detailed data. - can uncover information that may not be immediately obvious to researchers and participants.

Question 27

field work - cons

Answer 27

- time-consuming - can be expensive

Question 28

qualitative vs. quantitative

Answer 28

quantitative = numbers qualitative = words

Question 29

repeatability

Answer 29

how consistent the results are when the same study is repeated under the same conditions. conditions that should be the same include: the observer, e.g. the same researcher the instructions the measurement instrument, e.g. data collection tool

Question 30

reproducibility

Answer 30

how similar the results are when the study is repeated, even with different conditions.