AICE Psychology Research Methods Vocabulary

Applied Research

Research with clear, practical applications.

Basic Research

Research that explores questions that you may be curious about, but not intended to be immediately used.

Experiment

An investigation that allows researchers to look for a cause/effect relationship.

Laboratory Experiment

It is conducted in a strict, controlled environment for the participants for the behavior being investigated.

Field Experiments

It is conducted in the normal environment for the participants for the behavior being investigated.

Pilot Study

A small-scale test of the procedure of a study BEFORE the main study is conducted. It aims to ensure that the procedure and materials are valid and reliable, so that they can be adapted if not.

Standardization

Keep the procedure for each participant in the study (e.g. experiment or interview) exactly the same to ensure that any differences between participants or conditions are due to the variables under investigation rather than differences in the way they are treated.

Aim

The purpose of the study.

Hypothesis

A testable statement predicting a difference between levels of the IV in an experiment (or a relationship between variables in a correlation).

Experimental Design

The way in which the participants are allocated levels of the I.V.

Independent Variable

The factor under investigation in an experiment that is manipulated to create two or more conditions (levels) and is expected to be responsible for the changes in the D.V.

Independent Design

An experimental design in which a different group of participants is used for each level of the independent variable.

Experimental Condition

One or more of the situations in an experiment that represent different levels of the I.V. and are compared (or compared to the control condition).

Dependent Variable

The factor in the experiment that is measured and is expected to change under the influence of the I.V.

Confounding Variable

Any 'outside' variable is anything that could cause change in DV, that is not IV. A variable which either acts randomly affecting the DV in all levels of the IV or systematically so it can obscure the effect of the IV making the results difficult to interpret.

Extraneous Variable

Individual differences between participants (such as age, personality, intelligence) that could affect their behavior in a study that would hide or exaggerate differences between levels of the I.V.

Participant Variables

A variable that either acts randomly, affecting the D.V, in a level of the I.V. or systematically i.e, on one level of the I.V. (called a confounding variable) so can obscure the effect of the I.V. making the results difficult to interpret, the effects of which have not or cannot be limited or eliminated.

Uncontrolled Variables

Differences due to a physical setting or social situation.

Situational Variables

A level of the I.V. in an experiment from which the I.V. itself is absent. It is compared to one or more of the experimental conditions.

Control Condition

The group of participants in an experiment who do not receive the IV and are used for comparison with the experimental group.

Placebo

A treatment that has no therapeutic effect, used as a control in testing new drugs.

Operational Definition

(operationalization) A clear definition of a variable in terms of how it is measured or manipulated.

Repeated Measures Design

A design where the same participants are used in all levels of the IV.

Matched Pairs Design

A design where participants are paired based on similar characteristics and each member of the pair is assigned to different conditions.

Alternative hypothesis

A hypothesis that states there is a significant effect or relationship.

Alternative hypothesis

A statement predicting that one variable will be related to another.

Non directional Hypothesis

A statement predicting only that one variable will be related to another, without specifying the direction.

Directional Hypothesis

A statement predicting the direction of a relationship between variables.

Null Hypothesis

A testable statement saying that any difference or correlation in results is due to chance.

Population

The group, sharing one or more characteristics, from which the sample is drawn.

Sample

The group of people selected to represent the population in a study.

Sampling Technique

The method used to obtain the participants for a study from the population.

Opportunity Sample

Participants are chosen because they are available.

Volunteer Sample

Participants are invited to participate through an advertisement via email or notice.

Random Sample

Sampling all members of the population and selecting a fixed amount in an unbiased way.

Random Assignment

Participants have an equal chance of being in any condition of the study.

Naturalistic Observation

Watch subjects in their natural environment without interference from researchers.

Covert Observation

The role of the observer is NOT obvious to the participants.

Overt Observation

The role of the observer is obvious to the participants.

Controlled Observation

A study conducted by watching participants' behavior in a manipulated environment.

Unstructured Observation

The researcher continues to observe various behaviors without a specific focus.

Structured Observation

A study in which the observer records only a limited range of behaviors.

Behavioral Categories

A way to categorize behaviors for observation.

Participant Observer

The observer is involved in the activities of the participants.

Non-participant observer

The observer is not involved in the activities of the participants.

Inter-observer reliability

The consistency between researchers watching the same event, i.e. whether they will produce the same records.

Self-Reporting

The participant gives the researcher information about themselves directly.

Questionnaire

Questions presented in written form.

Closed questions

Questions with a fixed set of possible responses.

Open questions

Questions with descriptive answers in participants' own words.

Filler questions

Items put into a questionnaire, interview or test to disguise the aim of the study by hiding the important questions among irrelevant ones so that participants are less likely to work out the aims and then alter their behavior.

Inter-rater reliability

The extent to which two researchers interpreting qualitative responses in a questionnaire (or interview) will produce the same records from the same raw data.

Social Desirability bias

Trying to present oneself in the best light by determining what a task requires.

Interviews

A research method using verbal questions asked directly, using techniques such as face to face or telephone.

Structured Interview

An interview format using a fixed list of open and closed questions. The interviewer can add more questions if necessary.

Unstructured Interview

An interview format in which most of the questions (after the first one) depend on the respondent's answers. A list of topics may be given to the interviewer.

Semi-Structured

An interview format using a fixed list of open and closed questions. The interviewer can add more questions if necessary.

Subjectivity

The effect of an individual's personal viewpoint on, for example, how they interpret data. Interpretation can differ between individual researchers as a viewpoint may be biased by one's feelings, beliefs or experiences, so is not independent of the situation.

Objectivity

The impact of an unbiased external viewpoint on, for example, how data is interpreted. Interpretation is not affected by an individual's feelings, beliefs or experiences, so should be consistent between different researchers.

Case Study

A research method in which a single instance, e.g. one person, family, or institution, is studied in detail.

Triangulation

Is when different techniques, e.g. observations, interviews and tests, are used to study the same phenomenon. If they produce similar results, this suggests the findings are valid.

Longitudinal Study

A research method that follows a group of participants over time, weeks to decades, looking at changes in variables to explore development or changes due to experiences, such as interventions, drugs or therapies.

Longitudinal design

An experimental design where the same participants are tested on two or more occasions over a long period of time, e.g. before and after a sixth month intervention.

Cross Sectional Study

Compares people at different ages or stages by comparing different groups of participants at one point in time.

Cohort

A group of individuals sharing a common characteristic or experience within a defined period.

Situational Variables

Factors that can affect the outcome of an experiment or study, which are not related to the individual participants.

Group of participants

A group of participants selected at the same age or stage.

Confounding variable

A confounding variable caused by an aspect of the environment, for example, the amount of light or noise.

Demand Characteristics

Features of the experimental situation which give away the aims. They can cause participants to try to change their behavior.

Order Effect

Consequence of participating in a study more than once when you think you knew something all along after the outcome has occurred.

Hindsight Bias

People overestimate their ability to have predicted a certain outcome even if it couldn't possibly have been predicted.

Counterbalancing

A way to overcome order effects in repeated measures design. Each possible order of levels of the IV is performed by different sub-group of participants.

ABBA design

As half the participants do condition A then B, and half do B then A.

Practice Effect

A situation where participants' performance improves because they experience the experimental task more than once, for example due to the familiarity or learning the task.

Fatigue Effect

A situation where participants' performance declines because they experience the experimental task more than once, e.g. due to physical tiredness or boredom.

Overconfidence

Overestimating one's abilities to predict a correct outcome or answer.

Barnum Effect

A person's natural tendency to think that a generic or vague personality description applies specifically to themselves.

Hawthorne Effect

When those being observed change their behavior purely as a response to their awareness of being observed.

Experimenter Bias

Researcher consciously or unconsciously behaves so as to make research outcome fit with his/her expectations.

Generalizability

How widely findings apply, e.g. to other settings and populations.

Reliability

The extent to which a test yields consistent results.

Test-Rest Reliability

Does a score on a test or task correlate with a later performance on the same test.

Split Half Reliability

Does one half of a test have the same grade as the other half (both halves equally difficult).

Validity

A judgment or estimate of how well a test measures what it purports to measure in a particular context.

Face Validity

Degree to which the measure looks like it's supposed to.

Content Validity

Test on the correct content.

Criterion Validity

Do the results from an assessment correlate with results from other measures designed to assess similar things.

Predictive Validity

Does the test accurately forecast the level of some future performance.

Construct Validity

Does the test accurately test what you have DEFINED (operational definition) as the characteristics you wish to assess.

Ecological Validity

The extent to which the findings of research in one situation would generalize to other situations.

Replicability

Studies can be checked by other researchers so that other comparisons can be made and validity established.

Ethical Guidelines

Pieces of advice that guide psychologists to consider the welfare of participants and wider society.

Internal Review Board

Evaluates research that involves human or animal participants; The main goal of implementing an IRB is to protect the rights and welfare of human and animal participants.

Debriefing

Giving participants a full explanation of the aims and potential consequences of the study at the end of a study so that they can leave in as positive a condition as they arrived.