research methods

Question 1

test retest

Answer 1

administering the same test/ questionnaire to each person

Question 2

inter observer reliability

Answer 2

measures the degree of agreement between different people observing or assessing the same thing

Question 3

correlation coefficient

Answer 3

the correlation needs to be +0.8 to be reliable

Question 4

significance

Answer 4

the level at which the null hypothesis is accepted or rejected due to the low probability of the results being due to chance

Question 5

probability equation

Answer 5

number of particular equations / number of probable outcomes

Question 6

n value

Answer 6

number of participants

Question 7

the sign test

Answer 7

a non parametric statistical test of difference that allows a researcher to determine the significance of their investigation

Question 8

p value

Answer 8

level of significance

Question 9

ordinal data

Answer 9

data is ranked

Question 10

nominal data

Answer 10

data is in categories

Question 11

confounding variables

Answer 11

changes systematically with the iv

Question 12

population

Answer 12

a group of people who are the focus of the researchers interest, from which a smaller sample is drawn

Question 13

investigator effects

Answer 13

when a researcher acts (consciously or unconsciously) in a way to support their prediction. they communicate their feelings, possibly altering a participants results

Question 14

counter balancing

Answer 14

both groups do the same thing in different orders

Question 15

standardised procedures

Answer 15

clear set of instructions

Question 16

behavioural categories

Answer 16

an observational technique wherein participants possible behaviours are separated into new specific components

Question 17

reliability

Answer 17

if the findings are the same or similar when the test is repeated they are reliable

Question 18

natural experiments

Answer 18

researcher has no control over the IV. e.g gender or age

Question 19

quantitative data

Answer 19

data expressed numerically

Question 20

qualitative data

Answer 20

data expressed in words

Question 21

overt observation

Answer 21

participants know their behaviour is being observed and have given their consent beforehand

Question 22

covert observation

Answer 22

participants are unaware they are the focus of a study and their behaviour is observed in secret

Question 23

pilot studies

Answer 23

small scale trial run of the actual investigation

Question 24

informed consent

Answer 24

participants should agree to take part and should also know the aim of the research

Question 25

the hawthorne effect

Answer 25

participants will act differently because they know they’re being observed

Question 26

demand characteristics

Answer 26

participants will act a certain way in which they think will please the experimenter

Question 27

sample

Answer 27

a group of people drawn from a population to take part in an investigation and are presumed to represent that population

Question 28

situational variable

Answer 28

feature of a research situation that may influence participants behaviour and thus act as EVs or CVs

Question 29

participant variable

Answer 29

characteristics of individual participants

Question 30

extraneous variables

Answer 30

differences of the individual or the situation that may affect the dv

Question 31

matched pairs design

Answer 31

participants are paired according to similar characteristics and put in each group

Question 32

independent groups design

Answer 32

each participant only takes part in one condition of the experiment

Question 33

repeated measures designs

Answer 33

each participant takes part in all conditions of the experiment

Question 34

independent variables

Answer 34

the variable you manipulate or vary in an experiment to explore its effect

Question 35

operationalisation of variables

Answer 35

clearly defining the variables in terms of how they can be measured

Question 36

2 types of experimental hypotheses

Answer 36

directional non directional

Question 37

directional hypothesis

Answer 37

states the direction of result

Question 38

non directional hypotheses

Answer 38

states there will be a difference, but not the direction

Question 39

2 types of hypotheses

Answer 39

experimental null

Question 40

null hypothesis

Answer 40

any results from the DV are from chance, not from the IV

Question 41

experimental hypothesis

Answer 41

predicts changes in the DV due to the IV

Question 42

dependent variable

Answer 42

the variable that changes as a result of the IV manipulation

Question 43

lab experiments

Answer 43

conducted in a highly controlled environment

Question 44

field experiments

Answer 44

the researcher goes to the participants usual environment

Question 45

quasi experiment

Answer 45

have an IV based on an existing difference

Question 46

research papers

Answer 46

investigation reports written to a conventional format

Question 47

correlation

Answer 47

correlation shows the strengths and direction of an association between 2 or more variables

Question 48

interval data

Answer 48

very precise data collected when using scientific methods