Science Inquiry Psychology Semester 2 exam ATAR Yr11

Independent variable

Independent variable

The condition that an experimenter systematically manipulate or changes in order to gauge its effect on another variable (the dependent variable)

Dependent variable

The variable that is observed or measured in an experiment; that which is affected by the experimental condition and is used to measure the effect of the independent variable.

Controlled variable/s

Any variable that is consistent in research conditions

Extraneous variable

Any variable other than the independent variable that may cause a change in the results of, and therefore may have an unwanted effect on, an experiment.

Confounding variable

A variable other than the independent variable that causes a change in the dependent variable, and whose effects may therefore be confused with those of the independent variable in a study.

Hypothesis

A testable prediction about the relationship between two or more variable.

Directional hypothesis

Predicts the nature of the effect of the IV on the DV. It predicts which direction the change will take place.

Non-directional hypothesis

Predicts that the IV will have an effect on the DV, but the direction of the effect is not specified. It just states that there will be a difference.

Non-experimental research

Non-experimental is research that is not dependent on the manipulaion of the IV. Instead, the research is conducted by oberving and measuring variables in the context in which they occur.

Experimental research

The basic experimental method uses two different groups called the experimental group and the control group.

Observational study

A data-collection technique that involves an individual watching a group of people in a natural environment and recroding observations about their behaviour.

Case study

An in-depth or detailed study of a particular person, activity, behaviour or event.

Correlational Study

A data-collection technique that involves determining a relationship between two or more variable without the researcher manipulating any of them.

Longitudinal Study

Take long periods of time, hence "long". Used to show the changes in a person over a long period of time. These take a long time, they're expensive, and because of the long amount of time, you may lose participants (death) which makes it all a waste

Cross-sectional study

Observe and classify the changes in different types of people and different groups at the same time. This is sometimes at a disadvantage because unidentified variables can get involved

Sample

A group of participants selected from, and representative of, a population of research interest.

Population

The entire group of people belonging to a particular category that is of research interest.

Convenience sampling

A sampling technique used in selecting participants for a study, which involves selection of participants based on easy accessibility and availability.

Snowballing sampling

Sampling method where new participants are recruited by other participants to form a part of the sample.

Random sampling

A sampling technique used in selecting participants for a study, which ensures every member of a population has an equal chance of being selected.

Stratified sampling

A sampling technique used in selecting particpants for a study, which involves breaking the population into strata, or groups, based on characteristics they share, and randomly selecting partiipants from each stratum in the same population that they appear in the population.

Ways of minimising extraneous variables and confounding variable - Random allocation of participants

This requires that every person in the population has an equal chance of being selected. It is very simple, stratified, and convenient. The goal of this is to generalize findings from the sample to the population.

Ways of minimising extraneous variables and confounding variable - Single-blind procedure

An experiment procedure in which the participants do not know whether they have been assianged to the control or the experimental group(s), but the experimenter does know.

Ways of minimising extraneous variables and confounding variable - Standardization of procedures and instructions

All the procedures are the same across the experiment.

Types/Sources of Extraneous Variables - Demand characteristics

Are cues that encourage partcipants to conform to the researchers behavioural expectations.

Types/Sources of Extraneous Variables - Experimenter effects

An entraneous variable that occurs when there is an unitentinal change in a participant’s behaviour, and hence in the reslults, due to the experimenter’s influence.

Protection from harm

It involves the protection from both psychological and physical harm.

Voluntary participation

Voluntary participation ensures that a participant willingly decides to take part in an experiment.

Informed consent

The researcher must obtain written permission from each participant in a study, stating they consent to participating in the study and have been given all the necessary information.

Withdrawal rights

Withdrawal rights refers to the right of participants to cease their participation in a study at any time without negative consequences or pressure to continue.

Deception

Deception in research should not occur unless it is necessary. It is used in some cases where, giving participants information about an experiment beforehand might influence their behaviour during the study, and this affect the accuracy of results.

Confidentiality

A participants right to privacy in terms of access, storage and disposal of information collected (at the time of research).

Debriefing

Debriefing is where participants are informed of the study’s true purpose once the experiment has ended.

The role of ethics in phycological research

The term ethics refers to the moral principles and codes of behaviour that apply to all psychologists, regardless of the field they work in.

Qualitative data

Is information that is not expressed in numbers. It is descriptive data that informs on the qualities of something.

Quantitative data

Is information that is expressed in numbers. It is data that informs use about the quantity of something.

Subjective data

Subjective data is data collected through personal observations, interpretations, emotions and judgments.

Objective data

Objective data is data that is collected by measurement tools. Behaviour is measured under controlled conditions, which allows data to be directly observed or measured.