Psychological Investigations

Questions where participants' responses are unrestricted (they can reply how they like)

Questions that have a set number of pre-determined response categories for participants to choose.

A way of enabling a participants response to a question to be expressed numerically.

A rating scale where participants indicate the strength by which they agree or disagree with statements by choosing a number e.g. 1-5 (1=strongly agree and 5= strongly disagree)

This  research method is relatively quick and inexpensive and allows access to the way people are thinking and feeling.

A disadvantage with this research method is that people may be dishonest.

The variable that the experimenter controls/ manipulates and predicts will effect another variable as a consequence.

The variable the experimenter measures (and forms the results/ findings of the study). The variable in an experiment that the IV is predicted to effect in some way.

Any variable in addition to the IV that could influence the DV (results) but is not intended to be studied and should be eliminated if possible, or controlled so it effects all subjects in the same way.

A situation where different subjects take part in each/ all conditions of an experiment.

A situation where the same subjects take part in each/ all conditions of an experiment.

Where the subjects in an experiment have been pre-tested to be as similar as possible in important respects that could otherwise affect the results.

No carry-over, or order effects. Participants performance in one condition is not influenced by their participation in another.

Individual differences (such as IQ levels) could affect the results obtained. Also, more participants are needed.

Individual differences between participants (such as in IQ levels) are controlled for. Also fewer participants are needed.

Carry over, and order effects- participants performance in the second condition may be positively (or negatively) affected by having already participated in the first condition.

Attempts to control subject (or participant) variables that may otherwise influence their findings.

Pre-testing participants can be a lengthy, expensive and subjective process.

Predicts there WILL be an effect of some kind (a difference or correlation between things)

Predicts there will NOT be an effect of some kind (a difference or correlation between things)

A hypothesis that makes a prediction about the direction that the results will go in (e.g. claiming young people will recall more words than elderly people)

A hypothesis that simply states that there will be a difference (or effect), but not the direction of the difference/effect (e.g. there will be a difference in the number of words recalled by young and old people)

An advantage of this method is the high level of control in setting up and monitoring the variables.

A disadvantage of this research method is that it can sometimes become artificial and unrepresentative of everyday life situations.

Watching and recording some aspect of a person/s behaviour (usually in it's natural environment) where people know nothing about it and with no direct intervention/manipulation.

An observation involving the use of an explicitly defined coding framework for recording data (using a video camera, or training observers to be consistent beforehand)

An observation in which a member of the research team becomes part of the group that is being observed.

A situation where each person in an observation team interprets and records the behaviour the way they are monitoring in the same way as each other.

Observing behaviour for/at certain peroids. For example, between 8-10am and 4-6pm in a traffic study.

Observing and recording a specific event every time it occurs. For example, each time a playground fight occurs etc.

An advantage of this research method is that people are (usually) unaware they are being weatched, so act naturally.

One disadvantage of this research method is that it can be difficult to interpret what is going on, things can go un-noticed and it may be an invasion of personal privacy.

Where both of the measured variables increase together (although not necessarily at exactly the same rate)

As one variable increases, the other decreases (although, not necessarily at exactly the same rate)

A graph that displays the relationship between two measured variables.

Enables the relationship between two variables to be established (that can then prompt more controlled research)

Doesn't inform us about cause-and-effect (and can sometimes be misleading in this respect)

Whether research is trustworthy, consistent and dependable (can it be replicated) *In observational research- the extent to which the behavioural categories are interpreted consistently.

Whether the research investigates/studies what it intended to do (or claims to have done)

Recruiting subjects to take part in research by asking people who are freely and readily available.

A sampling method where EVERYONE in the target population that the research is aimed at has an equal and independent chance of being selected as a apraticipant.

A sampling method where subjects volunteer themselves to be participants (e.g. in response to a newspaper ad' or poster etc.)

Decisions about how exactly variables will be studied. E.g. what criteria will be used to assess 'concentration' (what will be regarded as 'good concentration' and 'bad concentration')

Research based on generating mainly numberical (number-based) data/findings.

Research based on generating mainly verbal descriptions/interpretations of behaviour.

Issues of what is right/wrong, appropriate/inappropriate when conducting research. Five key things should be considered: consent; deciet; harm; withdrawal; and debriefing.

These are different types of measures of central tendency (averages). The mean is the total of all scores divided by the number of entries, the median is the middle value, and the mode is the most frequent.