Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Psychology - Research Methods - Coggle Diagram
Psychology - Research Methods
Experiments
Aim, hypothesis, sampling method, experimental design, IV, DV and procedure are all included
Experimental Design
Repeated Measures
The
same participants are used in each condition
Participants experience all conditions
Strengths:
Fewer people are needed are need as they take part in all conditions
Avoids participant variables
Weaknesses:
Order effects may occur
Independent Groups
Different participants
are used in each condition.
Participants only experience one condition
Strengths:
Avoids order effects as people only participate in one condition
Weaknesses:
Participant variables
More people needed (more expensive and time consuming
Matched Pairs
Diferent, but similar paticipants are used in each condition
An effort is made to
match the participants
in each condition based on their age, sex, ability/talents on the task etc.
Strengths:
Avoids order effects
Reduces participant variables (as the participants are pairs with similar participants in each condition)
Weaknesses:
Very time-consuming to find matched pairs
Impossible to fully match people - so there are still some participant variables
Key Terms
Participant Variables - Differences between participants that may affect results
Extraneous Variables - All variables not the IV, which could affect the results the results of the experiments
Order Effects
Fatigue Effect - Being tired after multiple tasks
Boredom Effect - Being bored after multiple tasks
Practice Effect - Having practice at a task and being better at it the next time
Control Group - The group which doesn't experience the experimental conditions
Counterbalancing - ABBA, Group 1 then group b and visa versa, negates order effects
Counterbalencing
An attempt to control order effects in a repeated measures design.
Half the participants take part in condition A then B, and the other half take part in B then A.
Participant 1: A then B, Participant 2: B then A, Participant 3: A then B etc.
Sometimes called the ABBA technique
As with random allocation in relation to participant variables, counterbalancing does not remove or prevent order effects, but attempts to balance out these effects of order between the conditions
Random Allocation
To address the problem of participant variables in an independent groups design, participants should be randomly allocated to the different experimental conditions.
Attempts to evenly distribute participant characteristics across the conditions of the experiment using random techniques.
E.g. Pieces of paper with A or B written on them are placed in a hat and the researcher selects them one at a time to assign participants to a group.