Psychology research methods

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INTERNAL VALIDITY: The extent to which a study is measuring what it says it is. Are the changes we are measuring (DV) a result of our manipulation of the IV or some other variables?

EXTRANEOUS VARIABLES: Variables that are not controlled by the experiment (ie. not IV) that may affect what we are measuring. These need to be controlled to make the research valid.

POPULATION VALIDITY: Whether the results of an experiment are representative of the target population.

DV: The variable that is being measured in an experiment to see if the IV has had an effect.

IV: The variable that is being manipulated in an experiment.

VALIDITY: Whether the study is measuring what it says it is.

EXPERIMENT: A controlled manipulation of variables to assess whether a change occurs.

CONFOUNDING VARIABLES: Variables other than the IV which have affected the results of a study (an extraneous variable that has not been adequately controlled).

EXTERNAL VALIDITY: The extent to which the results of a study can be applied to outside circumstances, times or populations (whether results can be generalised).

PARTICIPANT VARIABLES: Individual differences. Differences between the people that are being studied and how they influence the results of the study (eg. IQ, Background, Age).

MUNDANE REALISM: The extent to which a study, or the tasks within it, mirror the real word (is it artificial or not?).

OPERATIONALISE: Making the variables in an experiment measurable, clarifying the exact manipulations and units of measure.

ECOLOGICAL VALIDITY: The extent to which the results of a study can be generalised to outside circumstances or environments (real-life situations).

HYPOTHESIS: A testable prediction of what will occur in a study. ONE-TAILED: It shows a direction and predicts what the change will be. TWO-TAILED: It does not show a direction and predicts that there will be a change but not what the change will be.

AIM: What a study intends to test.

SITUATIONAL VARIABLES: Variables that come from the environment in which the study is undertaken (eg. temperature and noise levels).

EXPERIEMENTER VARIABLES: Factors linked to the researcher that may affect the outcome of the study (eg. gender, status).

TEMPORAL VALDITY: Whether the time period that the results were collected in has influenced the results.

NATURAL EXPERIMENT: An experiment where the IV is naturally occurring (usually an observation).

TYPE 1 ERROR: An error of optimism. Where the null is rejected because the measure selected was too lenient.

TYPE 2 ERROR: An error of pessimism. Where the null is accepted because the measure selected was too stringent.

QUALITATIVE DATA: Data that provides in depth understanding. In word form, cannot be quantified.

PEER REVIEW: Where an impartial researcher assesses another researcher's work to check if it is valid and reliable and does not have any ethical issues. Done before the study is published.

REPLICABILITY: Whether the study can be repeated with different people or in different circumstances to produce the same result.

RELIABILITY: Consistency in results within a study, even when data is collected at different times or in different circumstances.

CONTENT ANALYSIS: Counting the number of times something occurs, eg. in a document or TV advert.

RANDOM SAMPLE: Participants are selected from the target population at random (eg. out of a hat). Every member of the target population has an equal chance of being selected.

EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE: Evidence gathered from experimental studies where phenomena is directly observed or tested.

LABORATORY EXPERIMENT: An experiment carried out in controlled conditions.

EXTERNAL RELIABILITY: The extent to which a measure varies from other measures of the same thing over time.

FEILD EXPERIMENT: A controlled experiment that is conducted outside of a laboratory.

CORRELATIONAL ANALYSIS: An assessment of the direction and strength of a relationship between two variables.

QUANTITATIVE DATA: Numerical data that can be quantified.

INTERNAL RELIABILITY: The extent to which something is consistent within itself.

OPPORTUNITY SAMPLE: Selecting people from the target population who are most easily available at the time of the study.

FALSIFICATION: An attempt to prove something wrong.

VOLUNTEER SAMPLE: A sample of people who have chosen to take part in the study, usually gathered through some form of advertising (eg. newspapers).