Control of variables
- Created by: piperfitzgerald
- Created on: 03-04-19 14:41
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- Control of Variables
- Extraneous variables
- Key to the experiment is that the IV is changed to see how this affects the DV
- Other unwanted variables are called extraneous variables and should be minimized
- Some are easy to control such as the age of participants, lighting in the lab - 'nuisance variables
- Randomisation
- Minimise the effects of of extraneous/confounding variables
- Reducing the investigators influence - trying to control investigator effects
- Conditions should be randomly determined
- If all participants took part in all conditions the other of these conditions need to be randomized for each participant
- Confounding variables
- Do change with the IV
- Such as personality
- Investigator effects
- Participant reactivity leads to investigator effects
- Unwanted influence of the investigator on the research outcome
- Can include expectancy effects and unconscious cues
- May refer to any actions of the researcher that are related to the studies design
- Demand characteristics
- Participant reactivity is a significant extraneous variable
- Difficult to control
- Participants are trying to work out what is going on in a new situation
- They may 'second guess' experimenter's intentions as well as the aims of the study
- May look for cues to tell them how to behave in the experimental situation
- May perform to please the experimenter or under-perform to sabotage the results of the experiment
- Participant reactivity is a significant extraneous variable
- Standardisation
- All participants should be subject to the same environment, information and experience
- Standardised instructions are read to each participants so that non-standardised changes do not act as extraneous variables
- Extraneous variables
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