Research Methods Psychology AQA GCSE (2022/2023) Already Passed

Research Methods Psychology AQA GCSE (2022/2023) Already Passed Hypothesis A precise testable statement predicting the outcome of an experiment including the relationship between the IV and the DV. Independent Variable Variable you later which produces the experiment conditions. Dependant Variable The variable you measure to see the effect of the IV. Lab Experiment Experiment with controlled conditions, lots of equipment. Field Experiment Experiment carried out in real life settings. Natural Experiment/Qiasi Experiment where you don't manipulate the IV, it naturally occurs. Anomalous Result Odd one out in data, result that does not match the rest of your results. Quantitative Data Any number data that can be interpreted objectively eg. numbers, dates, birthdays. Qualitative Data Words, opinions or subjective data that cannot be interpreted objectively. Mean Average where you add all the numbers up together and divide by the number of numbers eg. 3+3+2+3+4 divided by 5 = 3 Mode The most popular number eg. 1,2,2,3,4 mode is 2 Median The middle number when the numbers are in order from smallest to largest. In a situation where there are two numbers, you add them together and divide them by 2 eg. 1,2,2,3 2+2=4 divided by 2=2 Range The largest number minus the smallest number, or the difference between the largest and smallest numbers eg. 1,2,2,3,4 range is 3. Percentage (%) Amount out of a target amount, amount divided by total amount x100 eg. 10/60x100=16.6% Stratified Sampling Sampling method where you identify subgroups in the target population and work out what proportion of the target population your group represents. You then mirror your participant sample to match the correct percentage for each subgroup. Systematic Sampling Sampling method where every nth member of the target population is selected eg. 7n would mean every 7th person is selected. Opportunity Sampling Sampling method where researchers choose only available and willing participants. Random Sampling Sampling method where every member of the target population has an equal chance of being selected as a participant. The names are often drawn out by computer systems. Repeated Measures Experimental design where one group of participants takes part in both experiment conditions. Independent Groups Experimental design where two groups of participants take part in one condition each, so two different conditions. Matched Pairs Experimental design where participants are tested on a certain characteristic and matched up into pairs such as Aa, Bb etc. One person takes part in one condition and the other person takes part in the second condition. advantages: 1: it is more sensitive to dependent variables than the independent measures design(although obviously not as sensitive as the repeated measures design) 2: it can be used to carry out experiments in situations where a repeated measure design cannot be used e.g for the rasons given above. disadvantages: 1: more subjects are required than for a repeated measures design. 2: it is not as sensitive as a repeated measures design Protect Confidentiality Guideline where names, faces, addresses etc. must be kept private. Right to Debriefing Guideline where the participant must be told about the study at the end of their participation in it. Avoiding Deception Guideline forbidding researchers to lie to the participant without briefing or debriefing them. Avoiding Distress Guideline where participants must not experience stress, be injured or take part in anything dangerous in the experiment. Gaining Consent Guideline where the participant must give informed consent either before or after the experiment. Right to Withdraw Guideline where participants must be able to leave at any time and withdraw their data. Demand Characteristics Where the participant gives the researcher what they think they want. Counter-balancing An experimental design where variables are presented in many possible ways to reduce order effects. Standardisation Where you give all participants the same instructions. Extraneous Variables A variable that is not the IV but could affect the DV if it is not controlled. Participant Variables The individual characteristics of a participant that may affect how they respond. Confounding variables Confounding variables are factors other than the independent variable that may cause a result. In your caffeine study, for example, it is possible that the students who received caffeine also had more sleep than the control group. Or, the experimental group may have spent more time overall preparing for the exam. Experimental method this appraoch aims to control all the factors or variables involved in the hypothesis as carefully as possible. this might be done either in a laboratory [ a lab experiment ] or in the outside world. a field or naturalist experiment Survey method this involves constructing a questionaire to find out about peoples views or attitudes. they may be given a questionaire to answer in the privacy of their own home or it may involve a face-to-face interview. this method can involve large numbers of the general public. Observational method with this approach, the researcher tests their hypothsis by viewing people in their natural evrionments and carefully recording their observations Correlational method this is a statistical technique where the researcher observes and measures the relationship two naturally occurring variables. Controlled variable e.g if one single driver is driving all red and all black cars then one unwanted variable (driving skill) may have been successfully eliminated. hypothesis: people who drive red cars have more accidents than people who drive black car.s experimental design independent measures, repeated measutes and matched pairs independent measures this design involves taking all the people who are to be the subjects in the experiment and dividing them into two (or more) seperate groups. both groups are treated in exactly the same way except that one group (the experimental group) is exposed to the independent varibale of the hypothesis whereas the other group [ the control group] s not disadvantages: 1: that because it required a large number of subjects it is more expensive in terms of time and money to administer. 2: differences between the subjects in each group may mask the differences on the dependent varibale betwent eh group repeated measures with this design each subject participates in both the experimental and ocntrol conditions. this design is preferable to independent measures before each subject acts as his or her own control. this gives the following advantages 1: fewer subjects are needed (because each participates twice) 2: there is no danger to subject of variables because the subjects are the same in each condition 3: this design is much more sensitive to differences in the dependent variable because there isnt the problem that there will be masked by subject differences between conditions disadvantages: 1: it is possible that taking part in one condition may affect the performance in the other conditions. 2: the fact that subjects are taking part in each condtion at different times may affect their performance. for example, environmental conditions or their mood may be different the second time so so affect their performance on the dependent variable. this problem is known as time variables. 3: this design cannot be used in expierments where it is important that the subject does not know the purpose of the experiment. as this may affect their performance because taking part in the condition may reveal the purpose of the experiment. advantages of lab experiments 1: the investigator is able to ensure that the experimental and control groups are treated in an identical fashion, with the exception of the independent variable he wishes to introduce. 2: the investigator can randomly assign subjects to the experimental and control groups and statistically guarantee that people with special or unusual attributes are no more likely to appear in one group or the other. 3:the investigator can ensure greater generality for his finding by selecting the subjects so that they represent the general population 4: in a repeated measures design, the investigator is able to control for order or sequence effects such as practice or fatigue by systematically arranging the order of the experimental conditions.. 5: the investigator can quantify more precisely the importance of a particular independent variable e.g by systematically varying the length and time to which subjects are exposes to it. 6: measurements can be made precise eg through the use of instruments such as electroencephalograms used to measure brain waves and objective e.g through the use of audio or video taping equipment, electric print-outs ect disadvantages of lab experiments 1 lab experiemtns are out of the question whenever ethical considerations preclude harming or depreiving the subjects or whenever long term follow up measurements are required 2: lab experiments have been critized as lacking ecological validity. (they are artifical , sterile and too far removed from real life ) 3:when subjects take part in an expierment they have a vested interest in the outcome and so might behave in a way they feel the expiermenter expects them to behave. this is called subject relativity or demand characteristics. single blind demand characteristics can be prevented by preventing the subjects knowing that the expecte dbehavoiour is. if they dont know whether they have been allocated to the expiermental or the control group. double blind if both usbjects and expiermenter are prevented from knowing which group a subject has been allocated to expiermenter expectancy can be prevented the naturalistic experiment