Research Issues, Controls & Pilot Studies (College Board AP® Psychology): Flashcards
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Define random assignment.
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Cards in this collection (21)
Define random assignment.
Random assignment is the process of placing participants into experimental or control groups by chance.
Define experimental group.
The experimental group is the group of participants that receives the treatment or exposure to the IV.
Define control group.
The control group does not receive the treatment and acts as a baseline for comparison with the experimental group.
Define placebo.
A placebo is an inactive substance or fake treatment given to the control group in place of the real treatment.
Why do researchers use the placebo method?
The placebo method isolates the true effect of the IV by ruling out improvement caused by participants' belief that they are being treated.
Define experimenter bias.
Experimenter bias occurs when a researcher's expectations unintentionally influence participants' behavior or the interpretation of results.
True or False?
In a double-blind procedure, only the participants are unaware of which condition they are in.
False.
In a double-blind procedure, neither the participants nor the researcher interacting with them knows which condition each participant is in, which controls for both participant and researcher expectations.
Define single-blind procedure.
A single-blind procedure is one in which the participants do not know which condition they are in, reducing the influence of demand characteristics.
Define demand characteristics.
Demand characteristics occur when participants pick up cues about the purpose of a study and alter their behavior accordingly, threatening internal validity.
Define social desirability bias.
Social desirability bias is when participants respond in ways they believe are socially acceptable rather than behaving or answering truthfully.
The placebo effect occurs when participants improve simply because they __________ to improve.
The placebo effect occurs when participants improve simply because they expect to improve.
Define pilot study.
A pilot study is a small-scale trial run of a planned investigation, carried out before the main study to identify problems early.
Why is a pilot study sometimes called a 'dress rehearsal'?
It is called a 'dress rehearsal' because it tests the procedure in miniature, allowing the researcher to fix flaws before committing to the full study.
True or False?
If major changes are made to a procedure after a pilot study, another pilot study should be conducted before the main study.
True.
If the procedure has been revised, a further pilot study is needed to test the revised version before the full study begins.
How can a pilot study improve a study's operational definitions?
A pilot study checks whether the IV and DV are defined and measured clearly enough to produce meaningful, replicable data; vague definitions can then be rewritten.
How does a pilot study help with sampling problems?
It reveals whether the chosen sample is likely to be representative enough to generalize the results, allowing the researcher to refine the sample before the full study.
What ethical issues can a pilot study identify?
A pilot study can expose any unexpected distress, risk, or discomfort caused by the procedure, so that these can be addressed before IRB approval.
How can a pilot study detect confounding variables?
It shows whether the procedure inadvertently introduces variables that could distort the DV, so these can be controlled in the main study.
True or False?
A pilot study can check whether a study's measures are sensitive enough to test the hypothesis.
True.
A pilot study tests whether the measures are sensitive enough to detect the predicted effect, so insensitive measures can be improved before the full study.
How does a pilot study help check a study's reliability and validity?
It tests whether the measure gives consistent results (reliability) and whether it actually tests what it is intended to test (validity).
After a pilot study highlights problems, the researcher makes ____________________ to the procedure before running the full study.
After a pilot study highlights problems, the researcher makes adjustments to the procedure before running the full study.
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