VCE Psychology - Relevant KSS

aim

purpose for the experiment

research question

the question that researchers are trying to answer

independent variable

variable being manipulated by researchers

dependent variable

variable being measured by researchers

controlled variables

variables that remain the same across all conditions

hypothesis components

- population

-iv

-dv

-affect of iv on dv

controlled experiments

measure causal relationships between one or more independent variables and a dependent variable, whilst controlling all other variables

case study

an in-depth investigation that contains a real or hypothetical situation considering real world complexities.

classification

the arrangement of phenomena, objects, or events into manageable sets

identification

the process of recognising phenomena as belonging to particular sets and possibly being part of a new or unique set

correlational study

non-experimental study in which researchers observe/measure the relationship between two or more variables without any active control or manipulation

correlation

refers to the strength of the relationship between the variables/the likeliness of them occurring together

positive, negative or zero

fieldwork

any research involving observation and interaction with people and environments in real-world settings

literature review

process of collating and analysing secondary data related to other people's scientific findings and/or viewpoints to answer a question/provide background information

modelling

the construction and/or manipulation of either a physical or conceptual model, representing systems/objects of interest (model of the brain etc)

product/process/system development

design and evaluation of an artefact, process, or system to meet a human need.

simulation

using a model to study the behaviour of a real or theoretical system

sampling techniques

the ways in which we can select a sample from a population

random sampling

every person in a population has an equal chance of being selected

e.g. random name generator

stratified sampling

selecting a group of people from the population that ensure proportional representation of strata/subgroups

effect of size

the bigger the sample, the more likely it is to be representative of the population

sources of error and uncertainty

extraneous and confounding variables

extraneous variables

any variable that is not the IV but may cause an unwanted effect on the DV

confounding variables

any variable that has directly and systematically affected the DV, apart from the IV

experimenter effects

when the expectations of the researcher affect the results of an experiment

placebo effects

occur when participants' expectations lead them to experience some change even though they receive ineffectual treatment

demand characteristics

cues in an experiment that tell the participant what behaviour is expected

order effects types

practice effect - perform better in later conditions

fatigue effect - perform worse in later conditions

counterbalancing

including all orders or randomly determining them to ensure order effects are not produced in a within subjects design

single blind procedure

participants are unaware of the group they have been allocated to

double blind procedure

both participants and the experimenter do not know which group participants are allocated to

this is the role of someone who is not working directly with participants

primary data

data collected first-hand by researcher

secondary data

data sourced from others' prior research

quantitative data

data that is expressed numerically

qualitative data

data that is expressed non-numerically

subjective data

informed by personal opinion or interpretation (self-reports)

objective data

measured independently of personal opinion/bias

ethical concepts

the broad moral guiding principles considered when conducting psychology/psychological research

beneficence

maximising benefits and minimising harms/risks

integrity

searching for knowledge and understanding, honest reporting of all sources of information and results

justice

moral obligation to ensure that there is fairness across groups

non-maleficence

avoiding causing harm/proportional to benefits

respect

consideration of the extent to which living things have an intrinsic value, and respect for personal beliefs and other cultures

ethical guidelines

the more strictly followed procedures and principles used to ensure that participant's rights are safe and respected

informed consent

ensures participants understand the nature and purpose of the experiment, including risks, before agreeing to participate in the study

voluntary participation

ensures there is no coercion or pressure put on the participant to partake in an experiment

cannot exist without informed consent

withdrawal rights

the right of participants to be able to discontinue their involvement in an experiment at any time DURING OR AFTER the experiment without penalty

deception and when it is permitted

the act of intentionally misleading participants about the true nature of a study or procedure

it is permitted when knowledge of the truth of the experiment would affect its validity, is outlined in consent forms, and is corrected during debriefing

debriefing

a procedure that ensures the participants leave understanding the experimental aim results and conclusions

confidentiality

the protection of a participants personal information in terms of personal details and anonymity, removing any identifying elements

table conventions

title at the top of the table

labelled table 1/2

IV rows

DV columns

bar chart conventions

title at the bottom of bar chart

labelled figure 1/2

DV on y axis

IV on x axis

shows relationships between variables

line graph conventions

shows data patterns and changes over time

title at the top for line graph

Dv on y axis

IV on x axis

labelled figure 1/2

percentage change

old number - number

divided by old number

mean, median, mode

mean average

median middle value when ordered

mode most frequently occurring value

standard deviation

the spread of data around the mean

the higher this value = the greater the data values differ from the mean

accuracy

how close a measurement is to the true value of the quantity being measured

precision

how closely a set of measurements agree with each other

repeatability

same results when carried out under identical conditions within a short period of time

reproducibility

same results when the study is repeated under different conditions

validity

the extent to which psychological investigations truly support their findings and conclusions

internal validity

extent to which we can draw cause-and-effect inferences from a study

external validity

extent to which we can generalize findings to real-world settings

systematic errors

Errors in measurement that are constant within a data set

random errors

occur because of random and inherently unpredictable events in the measurement process

certainty vs uncertainty in data

when there is an exact knowledge relating to what is being measured

outliers

a value that differs significantly from other values in a data set

conclusion

the statement that summarises the findings of a study