Transcript Miss Lovelock’s Research Methods work

Miss Lovelock’s Research
Methods work
Lesson 1
Task
• On your own paper, make notes on the
following key terms and their definitions
• Please bring these notes to next week’s lesson
• As you will see by looking at the glossary in
the front of your booklet, you need to learn
many new words for this part of the course
Laboratory experiment
• An experiment which takes place in a
controlled setting. The experimenter
manipulates the independent variable.
• Participants know they are taking part in an
experiment.
Field experiment
• An experiment which takes place in a natural
environment. The experimenter manipulates
the independent variable.
• Participants often don’t know they are taking
part in an experiment.
Natural experiment
• An experiment which takes place in a natural
environment. The experimenter does not
manipulate the independent variable (V), the
change in the IV occurs naturally.
Independent variable (IV)
• A variable which the experimenter
manipulates
Dependent variable (DV)
• A variable that the experimenter measures –
the outcome of the experiment
Extraneous variable
• Any variable, other than the IV, which could
affect the DV
Standardised instructions
• Exactly the same instructions are given to
every participant (to try and avoid demand
characteristics)
Demand characteristics
(an example of an extraneous variable)
• A cue in the research that makes participants
aware of the research aim
• This can cause participants to change their
behaviour
Quantitative data
• Data in the form of numbers - measures a
behaviour in quantities or numbers
Qualitative data
• Data that is in words, meanings, pictures or
descriptions
• It cannot be counted
Optional task
• Identify the following in the experiment below:
– type of experiment
– IV
– DV
– 2 possible EVs
– type of data gathered
A group of school pupils (the participants) were told how their friends
performed on a maths task. Half the pupils were told that their friends
had done well and half were told their friends had done poorly. The
children were then given a maths test in class. Those who were told
their friends had done well scored better on the test than those who
expected to do poorly.
Contact details
• If you have any questions, please email me at
[email protected] before next week’s
lesson