Standardisation

What is standardisation?

Keeping everything the same for all participants so that the investigation is fair.

What are standardised instructions?

When the researcher gives all participants the same directions and information in the same way, so every participant knows exactly what to do, what’s expected of them and experiences the experiment in the same manner. This is used to control extraneous variables especially researcher effects like tone of voice etc.

Why are standardised instructions important?

• As each participant must receive the same instructions so they understand what to do in the study

• It ensures that each participant is treated the same and should help control experimenter effects

How do you write standardised instructions?

• Candidates need to use the details in the description of the study to write an appropriate set of instructions for potential participants

• The instructions should be clear and concise. They must: explain the procedures of this study relevant to participants and include a check of understanding of instructions

• Include language appropriate for a formal document and be as straight forward and courteous as possible

• This isn’t a consent form so explicit references to ethical considerations aren’t necessary for full marks

• It’s perfectly acceptable to include comments like ‘you’re free to withdraw at any time’