Research issues

Question 1

The key to an experiment is that what is manipulated to see how it affects what?

Answer 1

An IV is manipulated to see how this affects the DV

Question 2

The only thing that should influence the DV is what?

Answer 2

The IV

Question 3

What should happen to any other variables that might potentially interfere with the IV or DV?

Answer 3

They should be controlled or removed

Question 4

What are additional unwanted variables in an experiment called?

Answer 4

Extraneous variables

Question 5

When is the ideal time to identify extraneous variables?

Answer 5

At the start of a study

Question 6

What are extraneous variables that are easy to control described as?

Answer 6

‘nuisance variables’

Question 7

True/False: ‘nuisance variables’ vary systematically with the IV

Answer 7

False

Question 8

True/False: ‘nuisance variables’ may ‘muddy’ the experimental water so to speak but do not confound the findings of the study

Answer 8

True

Question 9

‘Nuisance variables’ make it harder to do what?

Answer 9

Detect a result

Question 10

Confounding variables do/don’t change systematically with the IV

Answer 10

Do

Question 11

Participant reactivity is a significant __________ variable in experimental research and one that is very _________ to control

Answer 11

extraneous and difficult

Question 12

In a research situation, participants will try to work out what is going on. Certain clues may help them interpret what’s going on. What are these clues (or cues) called?

Answer 12

Demand characteristics

Question 13

What may demand characteristics help a participant do?

Answer 13

‘second-guess’ the experimenter’s intentions and the aims of the study

Question 14

Participants may look for clues to tell them how they should behave in the experimental situation. What is this called?

Answer 14

Demand characteristics

Question 15

What is the ‘please-U effect’?

Answer 15

Participants acting in a way that they think is expected and over-performing to please the experimenter

Question 16

What is the ‘screw-U effect’

Answer 16

Participants acting in a way to deliberately under-perform to sabotage the results of the study

Question 17

Demand characteristics can lead to what effect on participant behaviour?

Answer 17

It no longer being natural

Question 18

Demand characteristics leading to participant behaviour not being natural is an extraneous variable that may affect what?

Answer 18

The DV

Question 19

What does an ‘investigator effect’ refer to?

Answer 19

Any unwanted influence of the investigator on the research outcome

Question 20

Give an example of what an ‘investigator effect’ can include

Answer 20

Any from expectancy effects, unconscious cues and any actions of the researcher that were related to the study’s design

Question 21

Actions of the researcher that were related to a study’s design that can be classed as investigator effects include…

Answer 21

the selection of participants, the materials, the instructions, etc.

Question 22

Leading questions are a good example of the power of ____________ effects

Answer 22

investigator

Question 23

What does randomisation refer to?

Answer 23

The use of chance methods to reduce the researcher’s unconscious biases when designing an investigation

Question 24

Randomisation in an experiment is an attempt to control which type of effects?

Answer 24

Investigator effects

Question 25

If an experiment involves participants recalling words from a list, why should the order of the list be randomly generated?

Answer 25

So that the position of each word is not decided by the researcher

Question 26

In an experiment where participants are involved in a number of different conditions, how should the order of these conditions be determined?

Answer 26

Randomly

Question 27

As far as possible within an investigation, all participants should be subject to the same what?

Answer 27

Environment, information and experience

Question 28

To ensure all participants are subject to the same environment, information and experience, what is done to all procedures?

Answer 28

They are standardised

Question 29

All procedures in experiments are standardised - in other words...

Answer 29

there is a list of exactly what will be done in a study

Question 30

What does standardisation mean about non-standardised changes in procedures?

Answer 30

They do not act as extraneous variables