Terminology (M.M)

Question 1

Mundane realism

Answer 1

How much it reflects a real life situation

Question 2

Confidentiality

Answer 2

concerns the communication of personal info from one person to another

Question 3

Privacy

Answer 3

a person’s right to control the flow of information about themselves.

Question 4

interval validity

Answer 4

the degree to which an observed effect was due to the experimental manipulation rather than other factors

Question 5

demand characteristics

Answer 5

a cue that makes participants unconsciously aware of the aims an so they can work out what the researcher is looking for

Question 6

extraneous variables

Answer 6

do not vary systematically with the IV and therefore do not act as an alternative IV but may have an effect on the DV

Question 7

deception

Answer 7

a participant is not told the true aims of the study and thus cannot give truly informed consent

Question 8

ambiguity

Answer 8

doubtfulness or uncertainty

Question 9

pilot study

Answer 9

a small-scale trial run of a study to test any aspects of the design, with a view to making improvements

Question 10

ecological validity

Answer 10

a form of external validity concerning the ability to generalise a research effect beyond the particular setting to which it is demonstrated, to other settings

Question 11

experiment

Answer 11

a research method where causal conclusions can be drawn

Question 12

social desirability bias

Answer 12

a distortion in the way people answer questions

Question 13

covert

Answer 13

observing people without their knowledge

Question 14

overt

Answer 14

participants are aware that their behaviour is being studied

Question 15

objective

Answer 15

when a person is not influenced by their personal feelings and opinions when looking at facts

Question 16

observer bias

Answer 16

observers’ expectations affect what they see/hear which reduces the validity

Question 17

participant observation

Answer 17

observations made by someone who is also participating in the activity being observed

Question 18

non participant observation

Answer 18

the observer is separate from the people being observed

Question 19

sampling

Answer 19

the method used to select participants, (such as random, opportunity and volunteer sampling) or to sample behaviours in an observation

Question 20

repeated measures

Answer 20

each participant takes part in every condition in test

Question 21

controlled observations

Answer 21

a form of investigation in which behaviour is observed but under conditions where certain variables have been controlled by the researcher

Question 22

validity

Answer 22

refers to whether an observed effect is a genuine one

Question 23

volunteer bias

Answer 23

a form of sampling bias because volunteer participants have special characteristics such as being more highly motivated than random participants

Question 24

informed consent

Answer 24

participants must be given comprehensive info concerning the nature/purpose of the research and their role in it

Question 25

right to withdraw

Answer 25

participants can stop participating in a study if they feel uncomfortable. they have the right to refuse permission of their produced data being used

Question 26

protection from harm

Answer 26

during a research study, the participant should not experience physical or psychological harm

Question 27

unstructured interview

Answer 27

the interview starts with some general aims and possible questions, and lets the interviewee's response guide the subsequent questions

Question 28

confounding variable

Answer 28

a variable under study that is not the IV but varies systematically with the IV. changes in the DV may be due to the confounding variable rather than the IV and so the outcome is meaningless.

Question 29

historical validity

Answer 29

the degree to which a research finding can be generalised over time.

Question 30

case study

Answer 30

a research study that involves a detailed study of an individual, institution or event

Question 31

DV

Answer 31

a measurable outcome of the action of the IV in an experiment

Question 32

IV

Answer 32

an event that has been directly manipulated by the experimenter to test its effects on another variable.

Question 33

primary data

Answer 33

information observed or collected through first hand experience