CAIE AS LEVEL PSYCHOLOGY

Flashcards containing psychological terms and definitions.

Experiment

An investigation looking for a causal relationship in which an independent variable (IV) is manipulated and is expected to be responsible for changes in the dependent variable (DV).

Laboratory Experiment

A research method in which there is an IV, DV, and strict controls, conducted in a setting which is not the usual environment for the participant.

Field Experiment

Conducted in a setting which is the normal environment for the participant; the researcher has control over a few variables.

Natural Experiment

An investigation looking for a causal relationship in which the IV cannot be directly manipulated by the experimenter, studying the effect of an existing difference or change.

Experimental Condition

One or more of the situations in an experiment which represent the different levels of the IV and are compared, either with one another or with the control condition.

Control Condition

A situation in which the IV is absent, used for comparison to the experimental condition(s).

Self-Reports

Research methods involving questionnaires and interviews to gain information from participants.

Questionnaires

A research method that involves asking questions, mainly written, to gain information from the participants.

Interviews

A research method using verbal questions asked directly to the participants.

Structured Interview

An interview with questions in a fixed order which may be scripted.

Semi-structured Interview

An interview with a fixed list of questions, however, the interviewer could add more questions if required to clarify or get details on any previous answers.

Unstructured Interview

An interview in which most questions depend on the respondent's answers.

Case Study

A detailed investigation of a single instance, usually a person, family or institute, that produces in-depth data specific to that instance.

Observation

A research method that involves watching human or animal behaviour.

Overt Observer

Participants know who the researcher is and that they are being observed.

Covert Observer

Participants are unaware that they are being observed.

Participant Observer

One who watches from the perspective of being part of the social setting of the participants.

Non-participant Observer

Does not become involved in the situation being studied.

Structured Observation

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

Unstructured Observation

One in which the observer records a range of behaviours.

Naturalistic Observation

A study conducted by watching the participants' behaviour in their normal environment without interference from the researcher.

Controlled Observation

One which is conducted by watching the participants' behaviour in a situation in which the social or physical environment has been manipulated by the researcher.

Correlations

A research method which looks for a causal relationship between two measured variables.

Positive Correlation

A relationship in which the increase in one variable accompanies an increase in the other.

Negative Correlation

A relationship in which the increase in one variable accompanies a decrease in the other.

No Correlation

No definite trend occurs and the two mentioned variables do not appear to be related to each other.

Aim

Tells you the purpose of the investigation. It is generally expressed in terms of what the study intends to show. It is written before the experiment is carried out and does not predict the outcomes.

Hypothesis

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

Alternative Hypothesis

The testable statement which predicts the difference or relationship between the variables in a particular investigation.

Directional (one-tailed) Hypothesis

A statement predicting the direction of a relationship between variables.

Non-directional (two-tailed) Hypothesis

A statement predicting only that one variable will be related to the other, not the direction of the relationship.

Null Hypothesis

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

Independent Variable (IV)

The factor under investigation in an experiment which is manipulated to create two or more conditions and is expected to be responsible for changes in the DV.

Dependent Variable (DV)

The factor in an experiment which is measured and is expected to change under the influence of the IV.

Operationalization

The definition of variables so that they can be accurately manipulated, measured or quantified and replicated.

Independent Measures Design

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

Repeated Measures Design

An experimental design in which participants perform at every IV level.

Matched Pairs Design

An experimental design in which participants are arranged in pairs. Each pair is similar in important ways to the study, and one member performs at a different level of the IV.

Extraneous Variable

A variable which either acts randomly, affecting the DV in all levels of the IV, or systematically, affecting only one level of the IV (called a confounding variable), so can obscure the effect of the IV, making the results difficult to interpret.

Situational Variable

A confounding variable caused by an aspect of the environment.

Participant Variables

A confounding variable caused by the individual differences of participants.

Qualitative Data

Descriptive, in-depth data indicating the quality of a psychological characteristic.

Quantitative Data

Numerical data about the quantity of a psychological measure.

Population

A group sharing one or more characteristics from which a sample is drawn.

Sample

A 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 Sampling

When the participants are chosen because they are available at the time and place where the research is taking place.

Volunteer (self-selected) Sampling

When participants are invited to participate in studies via advertisements or emails.

Random Sampling

When all population members are allocated numbers, and a fixed amount of these are chosen unbiasedly, for example, by picking out numbers from a hat.

Validity

The extent to which the researcher is testing what they claim to be testing.

Internal Validity

How well an experiment controls confounding variables.

Ecological Validity

The extent to which the findings in one situation would generalise to other situations.

Mundane Realism

The extent to which a task represents the real-world situation.

Face Validity

A measure of validity indicating whether a measure appears to test what it claims to.

Concurrent validity

When a test correlates well with a measure that has previously been validated.

Generalizability

How widely the findings of a study apply to other settings and populations.

Demand characteristics

Features of an experiment that give away the aims. This could cause participants to change their behaviour and hence reduce the validity of the study.

Objectivity

An unbiased viewpoint that is not affected by an individual's feelings, beliefs or experiences, so should be consistent between different researchers.

Subjectivity

A personal viewpoint which may be biased by one's feelings, beliefs or experiences and may differ between researchers.

Reliability

The consistency of a measure, whether it produces the same results every time it is used.