Psychology Unit 2 - 1. Aims, Hypothesis & Variables Flashcards
What is an aim?
the aim of research is the intended purpose of the investigation
What is a (research) hypothesis?
a statement that predicts what the research expects to find
What is an experimental hypothesis?
the term used for the hypothesis in experimental investigations
What is an alternative or non-experimental hypothesis?
the term used for the hypothesis in non-experimental investigations
What is a directional or one-tailed hypothesis?
a statement that predicts the direction in which the results are expected to go
What is a non-directional or two-tailed hypothesis?
a statement that predicts that there will be a difference between the set of results, but it does state any direction
What is a null hypothesis?
states that there will be no significant difference within the results
What is an independent variable?
the variable that is manipulated/changed to see what impact it has on the dependent variable
What is a dependent variable?
the variable that is measured
What is a confounding variable?
factors that will affect some participants and not others which could bias the results
What is an extraneous variable?
factors that will affect all participants equally which could bias the results
What is the operationalisation of variables?
when a variable is defined by the researcher and a way of measuring that variable is developed
