Vce Unit 3 Topic: Sleep Key Science Skills

1
Q: What is a controlled experiment?

An experiment measuring a cause-and-effect relationship between two variables in a controlled environment.

AV: allows researchers infer relationships and draw conclusions about specific variables

DV: open to researcher error or experimenter effects as they involve human manipulation of variables

2
Q: What is empirical evidence?

Information obtained through direct and systematic observation or experimentation.

3
Q: What defines scientific ideas?

Scientific ideas are objective, utilize and produce empirical evidence, and use scientific methods.

4
Q: What characterizes non-scientific ideas?

Non-scientific ideas are non-objective, unempirical, and do not use scientific methods.

5
Q: What is the scientific method?

A procedure used to obtain knowledge involving hypothesis formulation, testing, and re-testing through experimentation and measurement.

6
Q: What is a theory?

A set of principles used to explain something or make predictions about cause and effect.

7
Q: What is a model in scientific research?

A representation of a concept, process, or behavior.

8
Q: What are controlled variables?

Variables other than the independent variable (IV) that a researcher holds constant to ensure changes in the dependent variable (DV) are solely due to changes in the IV.

9
Q: What is a controlled experiment's experimental group?

The group exposed to the manipulated independent variable (IV) in an experiment.

10
Q: What is a control group in a controlled experiment?

The group that receives no experimental treatment or intervention, serving as a baseline for comparison.

11
Q: What is a within-subjects design?

An experimental design where every participant completes every experimental condition.

12
Q: What are the advantages and disadvantages of within-subjects design?

AV: Minimizes impact of individual differences; fewer participants needed.
DV: Can produce order effects; participant dropouts impact results more.

13
Q: What is a between-subjects design?

An experimental design where individuals are divided into different groups and each completes only one experimental condition.

14
Q: What are the advantages and disadvantages of between-subjects design?

AV: Less time-consuming; no order effects.
DV: Requires larger sample; differences between groups can affect results.

15
Q: What is a mixed design?

An experimental design combining within-subjects and between-subjects elements to compare differences within and across groups over time.

16
Q: What are the advantages and disadvantages of mixed design?

AV: Allows comparison across conditions and groups; accommodates multiple conditions.
DV: Costly; demanding for researchers.

17
Q: What is convenience sampling?

A sampling technique selecting readily available members of the population rather than using random or systematic approaches.

18
Q: What are the advantages and disadvantages of convenience sampling?

AV: Time and cost-effective.
DV: Likely to produce an unrepresentative sample; harder to generalize results.

19
Q: What is random sampling?

A technique where every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected.

20
Q: What are the advantages and disadvantages of random sampling?

AV: Can be more representative; reduces experimenter bias.
DV: Time-consuming to ensure equal chance of selection.

21
Q: What is stratified sampling?

A technique ensuring that different strata of the population are proportionally represented in the sample.

22
Q: What are the advantages and disadvantages of stratified sampling?

AV: Most likely to produce a representative sample.
DV: Time-consuming and expensive.

23
Q: What are participant-related variables?

Individual differences that can affect results if they are not the independent variable.

24
Q: What are order effects?

The impact of the sequence in which participants complete experimental conditions, such as fatigue or practice effects.

25
Q: What are experimenter effects?

When the expectations of the researcher affect the results of the experiment.

26
Q: What are demand characteristics?

Cues in an experiment that signal to participants the purpose of the study and influence their behavior.

27
Q: What are placebo effects?

When participants respond to an inactive substance or treatment due to their expectations or beliefs.

28
Q: What are single-blind procedures?

Procedures where participants are unaware of which experimental group or condition they are in to reduce expectations and demand characteristics.

29
Q: What are double-blind procedures?

Procedures where both participants and experimenters are unaware of the experimental conditions to prevent bias from both sides.

30
Q: What is primary data?

Data collected first-hand by the researcher.

31
Q: What is secondary data?

Data collected from other researchers, not first-hand by the current researcher.

32
Q: What is quantitative data?

Data involving numerical values.

33
Q: What is qualitative data?

Data expressed non-numerically.

34
Q: What is objective data?

Factual data observed and free from personal bias.

35
Q: What is subjective data?

Data informed by personal opinion, perception, or interpretation.

36
Q: What are systematic errors?

Errors that differ from the true value by a consistent amount, affecting accuracy.

37
Q: What are random errors?

Errors occurring by chance that affect precision; can be minimized by repeating the experiment.

38
Q: What is internal validity?

The extent to which an investigation measures or investigates what it claims to, including control of confounding and extraneous variables.

39
Q: What is external validity?

The extent to which the results of an investigation can be generalized to similar individuals or settings.

40
Q: What is uncertainty in data?

Lack of exact knowledge about something being measured due to potential sources of variation.

41
Q: What are descriptive statistics?

Statistics that summarize, organize, and describe data.

42
Q: What are percentages used for in data processing?

To organize results and notice patterns or trends.

43
Q: What is the mean?

The average value of a data set, calculated by summing all values and dividing by the number of values.

44
Q: What is the median?

The middle value in a data set ordered from lowest to highest.

45
Q: What is the mode?

The most frequently occurring value in a data set.

46
Q: What is the range in data variability?

The difference between the highest and lowest values in a data set.

47
Q: What is the standard deviation?

A measure of variability that describes the spread of data around the mean.

48
Q: What is counterbalancing?

A method to minimize order effects in within-subjects design by varying the order of experimental conditions.

49
Q: What are standardised instructions?

Instructions and procedures that are the same for all participants to ensure consistency.

50
Q: What is the conclusion in research?

A summary that supports or rejects the hypothesis, assesses whether the aim of the study was met, and suggests future recommendations.

51
Q: How can you increase a sample's representativeness of the population?

To increase representativeness: use a larger sample size, and select a stratified sampling technique.

52
Q: What is the purpose of using stratified sampling?

Stratified sampling ensures that different strata (subgroups) of the population are proportionally represented in the sample, enhancing representativeness.

53
Q: What is the role of sample size in representativeness?

A larger sample size helps to better represent the population and reduce sampling bias, making the results more generalizable.

54
Q: What are percentages in descriptive statistics?

Percentages organize results to help researchers notice patterns and trends more easily. Percentage change indicates how much values have increased or decreased, allowing comparison across conditions.

55
Q: What is the mean in measures of central tendency?

The mean is the numerical average of a data set, calculated by summing all values and dividing by the number of values. It indicates the typical response or score, useful when data is evenly distributed.

56
Q: What are outliers in a data set?

Outliers are values that differ significantly from other values in the data set, which can skew the mean and make it less accurate.

57
Q: What is the median in measures of central tendency?

The median is the middle value in a data set ordered from lowest to highest. It is useful for identifying a typical response when data is skewed or contains outliers.

58
Q: What is the mode in measures of central tendency?

The mode is the most frequently occurring value in a data set. It indicates the most common value and is useful for identifying trends in frequently occurring data.

59
Q: What is the range in measures of variability?

The range is the difference between the highest and lowest values in a data set. It provides a summary of the overall distribution of scores.

60
Q: What is the standard deviation in measures of variability?

The standard deviation measures the spread of data around the mean. It shows how much data values deviate from the mean and allows comparison between different data sets based on dispersion.

61
Q: What is the advantage of using standard deviation over range?

Standard deviation provides a more detailed measure of variability by considering the spread of all data points around the mean, while range only looks at the difference between the highest and lowest values.

62
Q: What is a case study?

An in-depth investigation of an individual, group, or phenomenon that provides highly detailed information, especially useful for rare or hard-to-study phenomena.

AV: detailed information about particular phenomena

DV: can be time consuming

63
Q: When is a case study needed?

When information is required about a specific, rare, or difficult-to-replicate phenomenon, often involving a small group or individual.

64
Q: What is a correlational study?

A non-experimental study where researchers observe the relationship between variables without manipulating them.

AV: no manipulation of variables needed

DV: their results cannot draw conclusions about cause and effect

65
Q: What are the uses of correlational studies?

To identify factors that may be important to understanding certain phenomena, though they do not establish causation.

66
Q: What is fieldwork?

Research involving observation and interaction with people and environments in real-world settings, beyond the laboratory.

67
Q: What is a literature review?

The process of collating and analyzing secondary data from other people's scientific findings or viewpoints.

68
Q: What is modeling in research?

The construction of physical or conceptual models that represent systems or p