research methods psyhology

What is meant by the aim of a study?

The aim of a study takes the form of a general statement covering the topic/theory/concept that will be investigated.

A hypothesis is:

a) the same as the aim of a study

b) a testable statement written of what the researcher expects to find as a result of their study

c) a set of instructions that the researcher reads out to participants before they take part in the procedure

b.

A hypothesis is a testable statement written of what the researcher expects to find as a result of their study.

Which hypothesis predicts 'no difference' in conditions (i.e., the independent variable will not affect the dependent variable)?

The null hypothesis predicts 'no difference' in conditions (i.e., the independent variable will not affect the dependent variable).

The two different types of alternative hypothesis are        (one-tailed) and non-directional (   -tailed).

The two different types of alternative hypothesis are directional (one-tailed) and non-directional (two-tailed).

Both the independent variable and the dependent variable in the alternative hypothesis should be         .

Both the independent variable and the dependent variable in the alternative hypothesis should be operationalised.

This involves specifics on how each variable is to be manipulated and measured.

Which one of the following is an example of an operationalised dependent variable?

a) The number of correctly recalled items from a list of 15 words

b) Memory

c) Response time

a.

The number of correctly recalled items from a list of 15 words is an operationalised dependent variable.

This is because it includes the number of total possible correct answers (15) and identifies how participant performance is to be measured (number of correctly recalled items).

True or False?

A non-directional hypothesis predicts the direction of the difference in conditions.

False.

A non-directional hypothesis does not predict the direction of the difference in conditions, i.e., it simply predicts that a difference will be shown.

Which of the following is an example of a null hypothesis?

a) Drinking caffeine prior to a memory test will result in better performance on scores out of 20 than drinking water before the test

b) Drinking caffeine prior to a memory test will have no effect on scores out of 20 compared to drinking water before the test

c) Drinking caffeine prior to a memory test will result in worse performance on scores out of 20 than drinking water before the test

b.

Drinking caffeine prior to a memory test will have no effect on scores out of 20 compared to drinking water before the test is an example of a null hypothesis.

True or False?

Hypotheses for correlational investigations are written in the same way as experimental hypotheses, apart from one crucial difference.

True.

Hypotheses for correlational investigations are written in the same way as experimental hypotheses, apart from one crucial difference.

Instead of using the term difference, the term relationship/correlation is used .

Which one of the following is a correlational non-directional hypothesis?

a) There will be a difference between the number of cups of caffeine drunk and the number of hours slept per night across one week

b) There will be a relationship between the number of cups of caffeine drunk and the number of hours slept per night across one week

c) There will be a positive/negative relationship between the number of cups of caffeine drunk and the number of hours slept per night across one week

b.

There will be a relationship between the number of cups of caffeine drunk and the number of hours slept per night across one week is a non-directional correlational hypothesis.

What is a variable?

A variable is any factor that could change or be changed.

Which one of the following is an example of an independent variable?

a) The number of items recalled from a list of 20

b) How aggressively children behave towards a toy doll

c) Whether participants have been exposed to an aggressive model or have not been exposed to an aggressive model

c.

Whether participants have been exposed to an aggressive model or have not been exposed to an aggressive model is an independent variable

True or False?

In a lab experiment, the independent variable is naturally occurring, e.g., gender, age, or ethnicity.

False.

In a lab experiment, the independent variable is not naturally occurring, e.g., gender, age, or ethnicity; it is manipulated by the researcher.

True or False?

It is not possible to have a dependent variable consisting of qualitative data.

True.

It is not possible to have a dependent variable consisting of qualitative data.

This is because the way the dependent variable is measured can only take some form of numerical data, which can then be displayed in a graph and analysed statistically.

To operationalise the independent variable,the researcher needs to set up and define each      so that it is clear that a      between them is investigated

To operationalise the independent variablethe researcher needs to set up and define each condition so that it is clear that a difference between them is investigated.

What is meant by extraneous variables?

Extraneous variables are any factors that intrude upon and adversely affect the dependent variable.

Which two of the following are potential extraneous variables?

a) Time of day

b) Mood of the participants

c) The independent variable

d) The dependent variable

a. and b.

Time of day and mood of the participants are potential extraneous variables.

Some participants may be 'morning people,' which means that they are likely to be more alert first thing compared to others.

Differing emotional states mean that mood is likely to affect performance on the task

How might a researcher attempt to control the potential extraneous variable of time of day?

a) Run the experiment at midday, which should hopefully be a neutral time for everyone taking part

b) Run the experiment in the morning and then again in the afternoon

c) Run the experiment using night shift workers only

a.

Running the experiment at midday is one way to avoid the potential extraneous variable of time of day.

Running the experiment in the morning and then again in the afternoon would only work if the design was repeated measures.

Running the experiment using night shift workers only would lead to results that could not be generalised to anyone who does not work night shifts.

If extraneous variables are not controlled then they can become      variables.

If extraneous variables are not controlled then they can become confounding variables.

True or False?

The interference of confounding variables is likely to be apparent while the research is being carried out.

False.

The interference of confounding variablesmay not be apparent until after the research process has been completed.

If this is the case, then the researcher should acknowledge the possibility of confounding variables in the discussion section of the psychological report.

What is meant by demand characteristics?

Demand characteristics are any instance of interaction/interference between the research process and the participant.

Which one of the following is an example of a demand characteristic?

a) Participants feeling that they are in a neutral space

b) Participants behaving in different ways towards the researcher:

c) Participants understanding that they will be required to undertake a particular task

b.

A demand characteristic is participants behaving in different ways towards the researcher.

For example, trying to please, annoy or being nervous.

True or False?

One way to control for demand characteristics is to use a single-blind procedure.

True.

One way to control for demand characteristics is to use a single-blind procedure.

This means that the participants do not know which condition they have been assigned to.

Therefore they are not able to respond according to what they think is being tested in that condition.

Investigator effects occur when the researcher's presence/behaviour interfereswith the research process and becomes a source of .

Investigator effects occur when the researcher's presence/behaviour interfereswith the research process and becomes a source of bias .

Which two of the following are potential sources of investigator effects?

a) The way in which the experimental space is set up

b) The mood of the participants

c) The researcher's tone of voice

d) What the researcher is wearing

c. and d.

The researcher's tone of voice and what they are wearing can impact how participants react to them are examples of potential investigator effects.

One way to control for investigator effectsis to use a     -blind procedure.

This means that the participants and the researcher do not know which condition each participant has been assigned to

One way to control for investigator effects is to use a double-blind procedure.

This means that the participants and the researcher do not know which condition each participant has been assigned to

What is meant by randomisation?

Randomisation refers to the deliberate avoidance of bias on the part of the researcher to keep the research as objective as possible.

How might a researcher randomly allocateparticipants to condition?

Participants could be randomly allocated to condition selecting names one by one out of a hat or by using random name-generator software.

What is meant by standardisation?

Standardisation is the term used to describe the identical procedure set up in an experiment (or the questions used in a self-report) across all conditions/participants.

Which one of the following aspects of a study cannot be standardised?

a) The participants who make up the sample

b) The instructions given to participants

c) The procedure carried out per condition

d) The debriefing given after the experiment

a.

The participants who make up the sample cannot be standardised.

This is because people cannot be replicated as instructions or procedures can.

What is meant by pilot study?

A pilot study is a small-scale trial that is run to test some or all aspects of the proposed investigation.

Which study of social influence was originally intended to be a pilot study?

Milgram's (1963) study into obedience was originally intended to be a pilot study but in light of the findings it became the published study it is known today.

True or False?

Pilot studies are conducted during the research to identify any issues that arise and that are causing problems with the process.

False.

Pilot studies are conducted before the research to identify any issues that could arise and that could cause problems further down the line.

Which one of the following is not an aim of a pilot study?

a) To identify flaws in the design of the procedure

b) To check that ethical guidelines are adhered to

c) To 'weed out' any unsuitable participants

d) To test for reliability and validity

c.

To 'weed out' any unsuitable participants is not the aim of a pilot study.

Pilot studies enable the researcher to identify      in the proposed study and then   them or find suitable alternatives.

Pilot studies enable the researcher to identify problems in the proposed study and then fix them or find suitable alternatives

True or False?

There are never financial reasons for conducting a pilot study.

False.

There are financial reasons for conducting a pilot study.

The findings of a pilot study can be used as evidence to obtain funding for the research.

If the researcher makes any alterations after conducting the pilot study they must then:

a) run another pilot study to test the new and improved procedure/measure

b) carry on and run the experiment

c) stop trying to investigate the specific topic

d) consult their Ethics Committee

a.

If the researcher makes any alterations after conducting the pilot study they must then run another pilot study to test the new and improved procedure/measure.

If a pilot study finds that the sample is difficult to generalise from then a more        group of participants could be used instead.

If a pilot study finds that the sample is difficult to generalise from then a more representative group of participants could be used instead.