AQA A-level Psychology research methods Set 1

what is a variable

anything that can change and vary e.g. weight, temperature

what is the first feature of a true experiment

the researcher manipulates an independent variable in order to see if there’s a change in the dependant variable

what the second feature of a true experiment

all other EV’s are held constant or eliminated

are control variables and extraneous variables the same

no- extraneous are external factors that need to be controlled for fair experiments, control are factors kept constant

what is the third feature of a true experiment

pts are allocated to the experimental conditions randomly to prevent similar pts being in one group

what are the strengths of the experimental method

able to establish cause and effect between IV and DV

produces quantitative data that can be analysed

what is the drawbacks of the experimental method

experimental methods often use prs who aren’t a representative sample of the population

what are reliability measures

consistent and give the same measurements for the same values on different occasions

if an experiment is reliable what should other researchers find

the same findings and it should be tested on the SAME pts

what is validity and what are the 2 types

the extent to which something is true / real

what is internal validity

a measure of the extent to which findings are due to the mechanisms suggested e.g. can there be other explanations

what is external validity

extent to which the results of the study can be generalised to other situations & individuals outside the study

what is another way to refer to internal validity

experimental validity

what are the 2 types of external validity

population and ecological

what is population validity

extent to which findings can be generalised to people outside of the study

what is ecological validity

the extent to which you can apply findings to settings/situations/environments

what are demand characteristics

Cues revealing study aims, altering participant behaviour

what are the advantages of lab experiments

high control over variables, carried out in a controlled way so it can be replicable / repeatable

what are the disadvantages of lab experiments

its artificial-high level of control over variables, demand characteristics may occur

what COULD influence a pts results

evaluation apprehension - pts may want to be seen as favourable so change their behaviour