Research methods - Year 1

What variables are used in experiments?

independent variable - factor that changes between conditions which is aspect that has been manipulated by researcher or naturally changes
dependent variable - factor you measure must have a unit + caused by change of IV
all other variables that could affect DV should be controlled so researcher able to confidently conclude that effect on DV was caused only by IV
to test effect of IV need different conditions - experimental condition + control condition where you can have various experimental conditions 

What is operationalisation of variables?

act of researcher clearly defining variables in terms of how they are being measured therefore being as specific as possible
variables should be defined and measurable eg DV - words remembered - heart rate - rating on scale - test on score
IV - caffeine consumed - time allowed for rehearsal

What is one way of control of variables/research issues?

extraneous variables - factors other than IV that might affect the DV
identified at start of experiment and steps taken to minimise their influence - some EVs can be controlled easily such as age of participants or lighting in lab but some are harder to control eg personalities + individual motivation levels
confounding variables - EV which have affected your results - makes difficult for researcher to be sure IV has affected the DV
eg - time of day in a memory test as later in day may be tired

What are the four type of experiments?

laboratory experiments
field experiments
natural experiments
quasi-experiments

What are laboratory experiments and the strengths and limitations?

carried out in a controlled environment + IV is manipulated by researcher
strengths - high levels of control over EVs means researcher can ensure any effect on DV is likely due to manipulation of IV so can be more certain about demonstrating cause and effect (high internal validity) 
replication is easier due to high level of control - ensures new EVs are not introduced + vital to see results are valid and not just a one-off
limitations - 

What are field experiments and the strengths and limitations?

What are natural experiments and the strengths and limitations?

What are quasi-experiments and the strengths and limitations?

What is quantitative data and evaluation?

data that is expressed numerically usually data collection technique usually gather numerical data in form of individual scores such as words recalled - open to being analysed statistically 
pros - relatively simple to analyse as can calculate averages therefore comparisons between groups can be easily drawn + numerical data tends to be more objective + less open to bias 
cons - much narrower in meaning + detail so may fail to represent ‘real life’

What is qualitative data and evaluation?

expressed in words may take form fo written descriptions of thoughts and feelings 
pros - offers a reseatcher more richness of detail so much broader in scope + gives participant opportunity to fully report their thoguhts,feelings + opinions on given subject so tends to have greater external validity as provides researcher with more meaningful insight into participants worldview
cons - difficult to analyse as tends not to lend itself to being summarised statistically so patterns + comparisions within data will be hard to identify - as a consequence conclusions often rely on subjective interpretations of researcher + may be subject to bias particularly if researcher has preconceptions of what expecting to find