key words

aqa a-level psychology research methods key words & definitions NOT COMPLETE

ecological validity

how well research can be applied to the real world

standardised procedure

process that ensures each participant does exactly the same thing in each condition

standardised instructions

a set of step by step instructions to inform participants and researchers what to do

informed consent

an ethical principle that research participants be told enough to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate

debriefing

a post-research interview designed to inform participant of the true nature of the study

operationalised

clearly defined and measurable

non-directional hypothesis

hypothesis that states there is a difference between conditions but doesn't specify

directional hypothesis

a hypothesis that makes a specific prediction about the direction of the relationship between two variables

research question

the question about your topic you seek to answer

hypothesis

a testable statement that suggests what the results of the research will be

what must a good hypothesis include?

• a statement

• all conditions of the IV

• an operationalised DV

extraneous variable

any variables other than the independent variable that seem likely to influence the dependent variable

dependent variable

what you measure

independent variable

what you change

aim

sets out why a researcher is doing the research and what they are interested in finding out

briefing

a meeting for giving information or instructions

investigation

a procedure carried out to gather data about an object or event

laboratory experiment

these are carried out in a special environment where variables can be controlled. participants are aware that they are taking part in a study

field experiment

these are carried out in a more natural environment. the iv is still deliberately manipulated by the researcher. participants are usually unaware that they are participating in an experiment

natural experiment

these are carried out when it is not possible, for ethical or practical reasons, to deliberately manipulate the iv, the iv is naturally occuring

internal validity

the degree to which an observed effect / result was due to the experimental manipulation rather than other factors such as evs

external validity

the degree to which a research finding can be generalised to other settings, to other groups of people or over time

mundane realism

refers to how a study mirrors the real world. the research environment is realistic to the extent to which experiences encountered in the research environment will occur in the real world

demand characteristics

a cue that makes participants unconsciously aware of the aims of a study or helps participants work out what the researcher expects to find

confounding variable

a variable under study that is not the IV but which varies systematically with the IV. can confuse the DV

pilot study

a small-scale trial run of a research design before conducting the real thing

population

the group of individuals researchers are interested in

bias

distorted in some way

sample bias

the fact that, even though all sampling methods aim to produce a representative sample, they are inevitably biased

volunteer bias

people who volunteer in research are likely to be different from other members of the population

order effects

an extraneous variable arising from the order in which conditions are presented

• people can improve at task with practice

• boredom and fatigue

• could work out aim - DC

counterbalancing

an experimental technique used to overcome order effects when using a repeated measures design

experimental design

a set of procedures used to control the influence of factors such as participant variables in an experiment

random allocation

allocating participants to experimental groups or conditions using random techniques

quasi experiment

an experiment where the IV is actually not something that varies at all but is an already existing condition

(orne) demand characteristics

the totality of cues that convey the experimental hypothesis to the participant become determinants of the participant’s behaviour

investigator effects

when the experimenter unconsciously influences the participants

single-blind procedures

the pp doesn’t know the research aim or which condition they are in

double-blind procedures

neither the researcher nor the pps know the aim of the research or which condition they are in