Research Methods- Year 1

Question 1

What are demand characteristics?

Answer 1

Any cue from researcher or situation that may reveal aims of study.

Question 2

What are investigator effects?

Answer 2

Effect of investigator’s behaviour on the outcome of the research.

Question 3

What is randomisation?

Answer 3

Use of chance when designing investigations to control for effect of bias.

Question 4

What is standardisation?

Answer 4

Using the same formal procedures for all participants in a research study.

Question 5

What are control groups?

Answer 5

Act as a “baseline” study.

Question 6

What is a single blind?

Answer 6

Participant doesn’t know the aims of the study so demand characteristics are reduced.

Question 7

What is a doubleblind?

Answer 7

Both participant and researcher don’t know the aims to reduce demand characteristics and investigator effects.

Question 8

What is a lab experiment?

Answer 8

Controlled environment where where extraneous and cofounding variables can be regulated.
Participants go to the researcher.
IV is manipulated and effect of DV is recorded.

Question 9

What is field experiment?

Answer 9

Natural setting.
Researcher goes to participants.
IV is manipulated and effect on DV is recorded.

Question 10

What is a natural experiment?

Answer 10

Experimenter does not manipulate the IV.
DV may be naturally occurring or may be measured by the experimenter.

Question 11

What is a Quasi-experiment?

Answer 11

IV is based on a pre-existing difference between people, no one has manipulated this variable.
DV may be naturally occurring or may be measured by experimenter.

Question 12

What is opportunity sample?

Answer 12

People who are most available like those who are nearest.

Question 13

What is volunteer sample?

Answer 13

Participants select themselves.

Question 14

What is random sample?

Answer 14

Every person in target population has an equal chance of being selected.

Question 15

What is systematic sample?

Answer 15

Participants are selected using a set “pattern”.

Question 16

What is stratified sample?

Answer 16

Participants are selected according to frequency in the target population.

Question 17

What is a naturalistic observation?

Answer 17

Takes place where the target behaviour would naturally occur.

Question 18

What is a controlled observation?

Answer 18

Aspects of observation are controlled, attempting to give the participants the dame experience.

Question 19

What is a covert observation?

Answer 19

Participants are unaware they are being studied.

Question 20

What is an overt observation?

Answer 20

Participants are aware they are being studied.

Question 21

What is a participant observation?

Answer 21

The researcher becomes a part of the group they are studying.

Question 22

What is a non-participant observation?

Answer 22

Researcher remains separate from the group they are studying.

Question 23

What is time sampling?

Answer 23

Observations are made at regular intervals, e.g. once every 15 seconds.

Question 24

What is event sampling?

Answer 24

Target behaviour or event is recorded every time it occurs.

Question 25

What is a questionnaire?

Answer 25

Made up of a pre-set list of questions which a participant responds to.

Question 26

What is a structured interview?

Answer 26

List of pre-determined questions to ask in a fixed order.

Question 27

What is an unstructured interview?

Answer 27

No set questions. There is a general topic to be discussed but the interview is free-flowing and interviewee is encouraged to elaborate.

Question 28

What is quantitative data?

Answer 28

Numerical date, e.g. reaction time or number of mistakes.

Question 29

What is qualitative data?

Answer 29

Non-numerical data collected.

Question 30

What is primary data?

Answer 30

"First hand" data collected by the experimenter. They are responsible for collecting the data.

Question 31

What is secondary data?

Answer 31

"Second hand" data. Researchers use information previously collected by a third party. This data was originally collected for a different purpose than answering this research question.

Question 32

What is meta-analysis?

Answer 32

Process that collects and combines results of a previously published studies that asked similar research questions. Calculation of effect size.

Question 33

What are normal distributions?

Answer 33

Symmetrical, bell shaped curve. Most people are in the middle area of a curve.

Question 34

What are skewed distributions?

Answer 34

Distributions that lean to one side because most people are either at lower or upper end of the distribution.

Question 35

What is a pilot study?

Answer 35

Small-scale trial run of actual investigation. May involve handful of participants rather than total number.

Question 36

What are cofounding variables?

Answer 36

A third variable that does influence the IV and DV.

Question 37

What is an Independent Groups design?

Answer 37

Participants are allocated to different groups where each group represents one experimental condition.

Question 38

What are repeated measures?

Answer 38

All participants take part in all conditions of experiment.

Question 39

What are matched pairs?

Answer 39

Pairs of participants are first matched on some variables that may affect DV. One member of pair is assigned to condition A and the other to condition B.

Question 40

What is a Covert observation?

Answer 40

Participants' behaviour is watched and recorded without their knowledge or consent.

Question 41

What is an Overt observation?

Answer 41

Participants' behaviour is watched with their knowledge and consent.

Question 42

What is a mean average?

Answer 42

Adding up all values and dividing by the number of values there are.

Question 43

What is a median average?

Answer 43

Values are arranged from lowest to highest.

Question 44

What is the mode average?

Answer 44

Most frequent value.

Question 45

What is a measure of dispersion?

Answer 45

Any measure of the spread or variation in a set of scores.

Question 46

What is the range?

Answer 46

Subtracting lowest score from highest score and adding 1.