Unit 1 Research Methods: Scenarios

A psychologist wants to test the impact of background music on studying efficiency. One group studies with classical music playing, while another studies in silence. Their test scores are compared.

What is the independent variable (and its levels)?
What is the dependent variable?

IV: background music (classical, silence)
DV: test scores

Researchers want to test if caffeine improves reaction time. One group is given coffee, while the other group is given water. Reaction times are then measured.

What is the experimental condition?
What is the control condition?

experimental condition: group that receives coffee
control condition: group that receives water

Participants are told they are taking part in a memory test, but the real purpose is to study how people react to pressure. However, participants might figure out the true aim of the study, affecting their behavior.

What is the term for participants changing their behavior due to their guess about the experiment's purpose?
What ethical issue could arise from hiding the true aim of the study?

demand characteristics
deception

Researchers are testing using an independent measures design whether people perform better in the morning or the afternoon. Participants are randomly assigned to complete a test either in the morning or in the afternoon.

Researchers now are using a repeated measures design and to control for order effects, participants are split into two groups, with one group doing the morning test first, and the other group doing the afternoon test first.

What technique is used to assign participants to different time slots?
What method is used to prevent order effects?

random allocation
counterbalancing

A study tracks the development of children's reading skills from age 5 to 18. Over the course of the study, several participants drop out.

What kind of study is this?
What is the term for the loss of participants over time?

longitudinal study
sample attrition

In a survey on job satisfaction, participants are asked, "How do you feel about your current job?" This might lead some participants to exaggerate their happiness because they don't want to seem ungrateful for their job.

What type of question is this?
What term explains what might affect participants' answers?

open question
social desirability bias

A researcher finds that people who exercise more tend to report higher levels of happiness. However, they cannot say for sure that exercise causes happiness.

What kind of relationship exists between exercise and happiness?
Can a causal relationship be determined from this study?

positive correlation
no (because correlation ≠ causation)

A psychologist designs a questionnaire about anxiety. To avoid participants guessing the purpose, they include extra questions like "What is your favorite color?" alongside the real anxiety-related questions.

Is the question, "What is your favorite color?" a closed or open question?
What is the term for these extra questions?

closed question
filler question

Participants are asked to solve math problems in a laboratory environment with a researcher watching closely. Afterward, the psychologist questions whether the study reflects real-world situations.

What term refers to how well the study results can be generalized to real-life situations?
What is the term that ensures all participants are given the same directions by the researcher?

ecological validity
standardized instructions

A researcher gathers data on how many hours per week students spend studying. They then calculate the average time spent studying and display the data using a simple visual graph that categorizes students' study times.

What type of visual representation might they use?
What is the term for the "average" they calculate?

bar chart
mean

Participants sign a form agreeing to take part in a study on stress responses. However, during the study, some participants find the tasks too stressful and want to leave the experiment.

What ethical guideline allows participants to leave the study at any time?
What other ethical guideline ensures participants are not overly stressed?

right to withdraw
protection from harm

A researcher is studying whether there is a relationship between hours of TV watched and GPA among high school students. They find that as hours of TV increase, GPA decreases.

What type of correlation is this?
What are the co-variables?

negative correlation
co-variables: hours of TV watched and GPA

In a study on memory, participants first complete a recall test, followed by a recognition test. Some participants perform better on the second task because they've become familiar with the format.

What is the term for improved performance due to repetition?
What technique could the researcher use to determine the order in which participants complete the tasks?

practice effect
randomisation

A psychologist spends several months observing and interviewing a patient with a rare form of amnesia. The patient knows they are being observed during all sessions.

What research method is being used?
What is the role of the observer in this situation?

case study
overt observer

A psychologist follows a group of people who were born in the same year (1980) to track how their health changes over time.

What type of research design is being used?
What term describes the group being followed?

longitudinal design
cohort

A researcher secretly joins a group of people practicing meditation to observe their behavior without letting them know they are being studied.

What are the two kinds of observers the researcher acts as in the observation?

covert observer and participant observer

A study is investigating the effects of exercise on college students. The researcher selects 100 from the college to participate using a bowl filled with their names.

What is the population in this study?
What is the sample?
What is the method used to select participants?

all college students
the 100 students selected from the college
random sampling

Researchers collect data on the number of hours participants spend studying each week and calculate both the average and the range of hours spent.

What type of data is being collected?
What measure of spread describes the variation in hours?

quantitative data
range

Before conducting a study involving mildly stressful tasks, a researcher asks a similar group of people whether they would find the tasks acceptable and use their feedback to gain consent. Afterward, all personal information is kept anonymous.

What type of consent is being used?
How is confidentiality ensured?
What ethical principle is being respected by keeping participants' identities private?

presumptive consent
confidentiality
privacy