Extraneous variable: Time of day
How this could have affected the results: If some adults were approached in the morning and others in the afternoon, their ability to accurately recall and identify faces may have been affected by fatigue. Those approached later in the day when tired may have been less accurate in their identification than those approached earlier, thus confounding the results.
Experimental design is inferential procedure or scientific method in Statistics wherein cause and effect relationship is studied by planning an experiment. In Experimental Design methodology, proper experiments are planned in order to achieve desired objective. Copy the link given below and paste it in new browser window to get more information on Experimental Design:- www.transtutors.com/homework-help/statistics/experimental-design.aspx
Experimental design is inferential procedure or scientific method in Statistics wherein cause and effect relationship is studied by planning an experiment. In Experimental Design methodology, proper experiments are planned in order to achieve desired objective. Copy the link given below and paste it in new browser window to get more information on Experimental Design:- www.transtutors.com/homework-help/statistics/experimental-design.aspx
Introduction to Design of Experiments by Teck Nam Ang (University of Malaya)Teck Nam Ang
This set of slides explains in a simple manner the purpose of experiment, various strategies of experiment, how to plan and design experiment, and the handling of experimental data.
Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research
This is a presentation I gave to the Research Coordinators in the Federal Ministry of Health, Sudan (04.03.2015).
It included the following topics:
• Overview on the Knowledge Management Cycle and how research fits in it
• Brief historical background on research ethics
• What makes research ethical?
• Definition and examples of scientific misconduct
• How to make your research ethical and avoid scientific misconduct?
Research is the systematic and objective analysis and recording of controlled observations that may lead to the development of generalizations, principles, or theories, resulting in prediction and possible control of events .
Introduction to Design of Experiments by Teck Nam Ang (University of Malaya)Teck Nam Ang
This set of slides explains in a simple manner the purpose of experiment, various strategies of experiment, how to plan and design experiment, and the handling of experimental data.
Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research Fundamental research
This is a presentation I gave to the Research Coordinators in the Federal Ministry of Health, Sudan (04.03.2015).
It included the following topics:
• Overview on the Knowledge Management Cycle and how research fits in it
• Brief historical background on research ethics
• What makes research ethical?
• Definition and examples of scientific misconduct
• How to make your research ethical and avoid scientific misconduct?
Research is the systematic and objective analysis and recording of controlled observations that may lead to the development of generalizations, principles, or theories, resulting in prediction and possible control of events .
Experimental method of Educational Research.Neha Deo
experimental method is the most challenging method of the Educational research. In the experimental method different functional & factorial designs can be used. One has to think over the internal & external validity of the experiment also.In this presentation all these things are discussed in details.
Introduc on to Science
12
The Scientific Method
Observations
Variables
Controls
Data Analysis
Calculations
Data Collection
Percent Error
Scientific Reasoning
Writing a Lab Report
Socrates (469 B.C. - 399 B.C.), Plato (427 B.C. - 347 B.C.), and Aristotle (384
B.C. - 322 B.C.) are among the most famous of the Greek philosophers
(Figure 1). Plato was a student of Socrates, and Aristotle was a student of Pla-
to. These three philosophers are considered to be the greatest thinkers of
their time.
Aristotle’s views on science profoundly shaped medieval academics, and his
influence extended into the Renaissance (14th - 16th century). His opinions
were the authority on science well into the 1300s. Unfortunately, the philoso-
pher’s method was logical thinking and did not involve making direct observa-
tions on the natural world. As a result, many of Aristotle’s opinions were incor-
rect. Although he was extremely intelligent, he used a method for determining
the nature of science that was insufficient for the task. For example, in Aris-
totle’s opinion, men were bigger than women. Therefore, he made the de-
duction that men would have more teeth than women. It is assumed that he
never actually looked into the mouths of both men and women and counted
their teeth. If he had, he would have found that males and females have ex-
actly the same number of teeth (Figure 2).
In the 16th and 17th centuries, innovative thinkers began developing a new
way to investigate the world around them. They were developing a method
that relied upon making observations of phenomena and trying to explain
why that phenomena occurred. From these techniques, the scientific method
was born. The scientific method is a process of investigation that involves
Figure 1: Neoclassical statue
of ancient Greek philosopher,
Plato, in front of the Academy
of Athens in Greece.
Figure 2: Humans—male and
female—have 20 baby teeth
and 32 permanent teeth.
13
experimentation and observation to acquire new knowledge, solve problems, and answer questions. Scien-
tists eventually perfected the methods and reduced it to a series of steps (Figure 3).
Today, the scientific method is used as a systematic approach to solving problems. Science begins with ob-
servations. Once enough observations or results from preliminary library or experimental research have been
collected, a hypothesis can be constructed. Experiments then either verify or disprove the hypothesis. If
enough evidence can support a hypothesis, the hypothesis can become a theory, or proven fact. Theories
can be further refined by other hypotheses and experimentation. An example of this is how we further refine
our knowledge of germ theory by learning about specific pathogens. A scientific law is a summary of observa-
tions in which there are no current exceptions using the most recent technology. It can be a general state-
ment, like the Law of Gravity (what goes up m.
1. MONDAY 15th October 2012
Research Methods
L/O: to develop our understanding how psychological research is
carried out (AO3)
The findings can be said to
Good research should be: apply to others outside the
sample.
The experiment can be reliably
• Valid repeated.
• Generalisable If the experiment was done
again, the results would be the
• Reliable same or similar.
• Replicable
The experiment is measuring
what it claims to measure.
2. L/O: to develop our understanding how psychological research is
carried out (AO3)
Good research should be:
The experiment is measuring
• Valid what it claims to measure.
The findings can be said to
• Generalisable apply to others outside the
sample.
If the experiment was done
• Reliable again, the results would be the
same or similar.
• Replicable The experiment can be reliably
repeated.
3. L/O: to develop our understanding how psychological research is
carried out (AO3)
Laboratory experiment:
- Deliberately manipulates and controls the
variables
- Looks for causal relationships
e.g. 2 groups do the same task with one difference
any differences between the 2 groups
assumed to be due to that one difference.
4. L/O: to develop our understanding how psychological research is
carried out (AO3)
Laboratory experiment:
• It is the IV that varies.
• And the DV that changes.
Example: both groups drop a tennis ball
One group – wet ball (IV)
Other group – dry ball (IV)
Speed of drop (DV)
5. L/O: to develop our understanding how psychological research is
carried out (AO3)
REMEMBER:
Aim: to investigate the effects of music on memory.
Extraneous variables
Hypothesis: Music to be controlled affects (non-
need (rhythmic noise)
directional) memory (recall on a word list test).
for!
Less control = less
Conditions valid.
Experimental condition: the IV appears e.g. music
(wet ball)
Control condition: e.g. silence (dry ball).
6. L/O: to develop our understanding how psychological research is
carried out (AO3)
Standardised procedures
• Instructions: same for all participants.
• Why? Reduction of researcher bias.
7. L/O: to develop our understanding how psychological research is
carried out (AO3)
Experiments
Complete the table for Field and Natural Experiments using
text book pages 31-32.
Laboratory Field Natural
Features - Controlled -IV deliberately - No manipulation of
- IV deliberately manipulated variables
manipulated - In natural - In natural
- Looking for causal environment environment
relationship - Participants are - Participants are
- Standardised unaware of unaware of
procedures. experiment (lack of experiment (lack of
*Research design informed consent). informed consent).
applies to this method
only*
Strengths - replicable - Ecological validity. - High ecological
- Validity (unless real - Little to no validity.
life, behavioural) demand - Little to no
characteristics. demand
8. L/O: to develop our understanding how psychological research is
carried out (AO3)
Quasi- experiment
- Researcher cannot manipulate the IV
- E.g. effects of gender on intelligence.
IV: gender CANNOT CHANGE!
DV: intelligence
Laboratory?
Field?
Natural?
9. L/O: to develop our understanding how psychological research is
carried out (AO3)
Quick test! Total 10 marks in 10 minutes.
Explain what is meant by… (1 mark)
Explain one strength and one limitation of… (2+2 marks)
RIM
1) Repeated Measures Design You did this one in
2) Independent Groups Design the exam paper
3) Matched Pairs Design
10. L/O: to develop our understanding how psychological research is
carried out (AO3)
Repeated Measures Design
Counterbalancing
- A way to overcome order effects.
- E.g. half of the participants do no noise followed
by noise the next day (control condition
followed by experimental condition).
- Other half do the reverse (experimental then
control).
Result: order effects appear in both conditions
therefore balanced.
11. Dave, a middle-aged male researcher, approached an adult in a busy street. He asked
the adult for directions to the train station. He repeated this with 29 other adults.
Each of the 30 adults was then approached by a second researcher, called Sam, who
showed each of them 10 photographs of different middle-aged men, including a photo
of Dave. Sam asked the 30 adults to choose the photo of the person who had asked
them for directions to the train station.
Sam estimated the age of each of the adults and recorded whether each one had
correctly chosen the photo of Dave.
Suggest one reason why the researcher decided to use a field
experiment rather than a laboratory experiment (2 marks)
Identify one possible extraneous variable in this experiment. Explain
how this extraneous variable could have affected the results of this
experiment.
Extraneous variable……………………………………………………………………………….(1 mark)
How this could have affected the
results……………………………………………………………………………………………………(3 marks)
12. Suggest one reason why the researcher decided to use a field
experiment rather than a laboratory experiment (2 marks)
Participants are less likely to show demand characteristics
as in part 1 (Dave asking for directions) they are unaware
that they are taking part in an experiment.
Or
In real life situations people tend to respond genuinely so
the research findings are more likely to be generalisable
than if it was a laboratory experiment.
*when you have studied EWT you will likely mention that
this is important in an EWT experiment to be valid*
13. Identify one possible extraneous variable in this experiment.
Explain how this extraneous variable could have affected the
results of this experiment.
Extraneous variable………………………………………………………………1 mark)
How this could have affected the
results………………………………………………………..(3 marks)
e.g. how the researcher asked for directions, time of day, gender / eye
sight of participants.
(Anything other than IV for 1 mark)