Research Methods Keywords Flashcards
(25 cards)
Longitudinal Research
research that takes place over a long period of time
Independent Variable
Some event that is directly manipulated by an experimenter in order to test its effect on another variable
Confederate
An individual in a study who is not a real participant and has been instructed how to behave by the investigator
Extraneous Variable
Nuisance variables that may affect the dependent variable and make it more difficult to detect a significant effect
Field Experiment
a controlled experiment conducted outside a laboratory i.e. in real world situations
Ecological Validity
the degree to which research findings can be generalised to other settings
Qualitative
measured in words
Experimenter Bias
when an experimenter interprets the results in a way that supports what they are trying to find, even if it doesn’t
Alternative Hypothesis
a hypothesis that states there is a statistically significant relationship between two variables
Operationalising Variables
Ensuring that variables are in a form that can be easily tested eg. educational attainment as ‘GCSE grade in maths’
Confounding Variable
A variable that varies systematically with the IV and changes the dependent variable
Single blind study / double blind study
single-blind: the participants don’t know the aim of the study
double-blind: both the experimenter and participants don’t know the aim of the study
Quasi Experiment
an experiment in which the independent variable is not manipulated by the experimenter; it is a condition that already exists e.g. gender
Nomothetic
about establishing laws and generalisations
Quantitative
measured in numbers
2-tailed hypothesis
predicts an open outcome; the findings may go in either direction
Social desirability bias
when participants aim to present themselves in a better light by acting differently
Dependent Variable
the variable that is measured and affected by the IV
1-tailed hypothesis
Predicts the direction in which the findings will go
Laboratory experiment
an experiment carried out in a controlled setting, involving the manipulation and measurement of variables
Null hypothesis
a hypothesis that says there is no statistical significance between two variables, but there is a relationship
Internal / external validity
Internal: the degree to which the results were due to experimental manipulation and not extraneous/confounding variables
External: the degree to which research findings can be generalised
Idiographic
Studying what makes each of us unique; focuses on the individual
Demand characteristics
a cue that makes participants unconsciously aware of the aims of a study or helps them to work out what the researcher aims to find
