Topic 2 - Science inquiry Skills

Experimental design (what is it)

one used to test whether variable influences or causes a cahnge in another by the researcher manipulating one variable

Experimental design (where can it be conducted)

can be conducted in a controlled setting in a labatory or in a field setting. conditions arent as strict;y controlled in field setting

independant variable

The factor that is manipulated; variable whose effect is being studied

Dependant variable

is what is being observed or measured by the researcher

Experimental groups

are the ones exposed to the experimental conidtions where the independant variable is present

Controlled groups

are the ones exposed to the control conditions where the independant variable is absent

random assignment

assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups

Participant variables

individual differences that participants bring to the study such as ex, iq, motivation and emotional state

Situational variables

are associated with the experiment itself and my influence unwanted results such as time of day and weather

Placebo effect

refers to whenever a participants response is influenced by their expectation of what to do or how to think

qualitative data

invovle the collection of non - numerical data such as words, pictures and descriptions.

quantitative data

invovle the collection of numerical data such as raw numbers

Observational design (what is it)

uses a pre-existing variables ( such as gender, self-esteem, and personality) to examine the correlation between two variables. The researcher does not manipulate any variables.

Qualilative design (what is it/its use)

used to gain in-depth understanding. Advantages include allow more rich in depth data to be collected, can be used when little or nothing is known about a given topic. Disadvantages, the small smaple sie means results cannot be generalised to a larger population. The researcher's presence during data gathering is often unavoidable.

Focus groups

structured conversations with specific people to help find people's attitudes towards a topic, the conversation is centred around one particular topic, always a facilitator who controls the conversation.

Delphi Technique

gives response on a given topic from a small group of experts. It doesn't have to be a structured conversation

a survey with open-ended questions

helps you glean more meaningful insights from your research. Discover best practices to improve business results.

naturalistic observation

observing and recording behaviour in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation

Objective Quantitative

is reaction time (in seconds), number of times a participant cries or laughs during a movie, gender

Subjective quantitative

customer rating of their level of satisfaction, observers rating out of ten of their experiences, critics rating of a movie

Key Ethical Research Principles

informed consent, voluntary participation, confidentiality, right to withdraw, accurate reporting and debriefing

informed consent

an ethical principle that research participants be told enough to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate

Voluntary Participation

Participation is whereby participants agree to take part in an experiment free from pressure or fear of negative consequences.

Confidentiality

no personal information is to be disclosed

Right to withdraw

A participant's right to leave a study at any time and their ability to do so.

Accurate reporting

Researchers must report all data accurately, taking care not to 'cherry pick' information that supports their hypothesis.

Debriefing

the post-experimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions, to its participants