AQA A Level Psychology: Research Methods Exam Questions and Answers 100% Correct

AQA A Level Psychology: Research Methods Exam Questions and Answers 100% Correct A general statement on what the researcher intends to investigate - Answer-What is an Aim? A clear, precise, testable statement that states the Relationship between the Variables to be investigated - Answer-What is a Hypothesis? A hypothesis that states the direction of the outcome of the experiment - Answer-What is a Directional Hypothesis? A hypothesis that doesn't state the direction of the outcome of the experiment - Answer- What is a Non-Directional Hypothesis? Making variables measurable - Answer-What is Operationalisation? The variable which the researcher controls - Answer-What is the Independent Variable? The variable that will be affected by the Independent Variable. It is not controlled and is measured by the Researcher. - Answer-What is the Dependent Variable? A variable which varies systematically with the Independent Variable meaning we don't know what caused the change in the Dependent Variable - Answer-What is a Confounding Variable? A nuisance variable which does not vary systematically with the Dependent Variable - Answer-What is an Extraneous Variable? When participants are influenced by cues indicating the purpose of the experiment and change their behaviour - Answer-What are Demand Characteristics? When a participant over-performs in an effort to please the experimenter - Answer-What is the Please-U Effect? When a participant under-performs in an effort to sabotage the study - Answer-What is the Screw-U Effect? Where participants want to portray themselves in a positive light - Answer-What is Social Desirability Bias? When the expectations of outcome by the researchers influence the participants' behaviour or participant selection - Answer-What are Investigator Effects? the order of the conditions having an effect on the participants' behavior e.g: The Practice Effect, The Fatigue Effect - Answer-What are Order Effects? The differing individual characteristics of participants in an experiment. They can be considered extraneous variables because they are variables that can influence the results of an experiment but that the experimenter is not studying. These can challenge the validity of a study by influencing the results. E.g: age, gender, mood, socioeconomic background - Answer-What are Participant Variables? The use of chance when designing materials and deciding the order of conditions. It involves randomising stimuli so the researcher is not in control of the order of stimuli or conditions - Answer-What is Randomisation? Order Effects and Investigator Effects - Answer-What does Randomisation control for? Putting participants subject to the same as possible environment, information and experience - Answer-What is Standardisation? Investigator Effects and Demand Characteristics - Answer-What does Standardisation control for? The use of random selection in an Independent Groups design ensuring that each participant has the same chance of being in one condition than any other. Usually using a random number generator, assigning each participant a number and then using the generator to put them in a group. - Answer-What is Random Allocation? Investigator Effects and Participant Variables - Answer-What does Random Allocation control for? Ensuring that half the participants complete Condition A followed by Condition B, whereas the other half complete B followed by A. It doesn't remove order effects, it only balances them out between conditions. - Answer-What is Counterbalancing? Order Effects - Answer-What does Counterbalancing control for?