Experimental Method in Psychology

Experimental Method

establishes cause and effect relationships between variables.

Pros: find if the IV causes a change in the DV
Cons: confounding variables, experimenter bias, etc

Independent Variable (IV)

variable manipulated by the experimenter, cause (what you are studying)

Dependent Variable (DV)

variable measured by the experimenter, DEPENDS on the independent variable

Operational Definition

exact description of how to derive a value for a variable you are measuring

Experimental Group

group subjected to change in the independent variable

Placebo Effect

if you believe it will affect you, it will. if you dont, it wont.

Control Group

group that is not subjected to a change in the independent variable

Random Assignment of Participants

when you randomly assign participants to either your control or experimental group

Single Blind

only the participant is unaware of the group they are in (control or experimental)

Double Blind

both the participant and researcher are unaware of the group they are in

Confounding Variables

variables that a researcher fails to control for or eliminate

Experimenter Bias

errors in a study due to the predisposed notions or beliefs of the experimenter