Control (RM3)

Question 1

What is standardisation in the context of an investigation?

Answer 1

The way in which procedures/materials/instructions are kept the same for all participants

All participants should have the exact same experience within an experiment.

Question 2

What should be the same for all participants in an experiment?

Answer 2

• Environment
• Information
• Experience

All procedures should be standardised to ensure consistency.

Question 3

What is the purpose of standardised instructions in research?

Answer 3

• Explain procedures relevant to participants
• Check understanding of instructions
• Inform about debriefing
• Remind right to withdraw
• Allow questions

Standardised instructions ensure all participants receive the same information.

Question 4

True or false: Standardised instructions must be the same for all participants.

Answer 4

TRUE

Researchers should read them out to ensure uniformity.

Question 5

What should standardised instructions include regarding participant rights?

Answer 5

• Right to withdraw at any point
• Opportunity to retract data

Participants should be informed about their rights during the study.

Question 6

Fill in the blank: Standardised instructions must use language appropriate for a _______.

Answer 6

formal document

Instructions should be straightforward and courteous.

Question 7

What is an example of a task in standardised instructions?

Answer 7

Building the tallest tower possible out of playing cards

Participants have 15 minutes to complete the task.

Question 8

What happens to towers built during the task that are not standing when time is up?

Answer 8

They will not be counted

Only towers still standing at the end of the time are considered.

Question 9

What should participants be informed about regarding their data?

Answer 9

• Data will be kept confidential
• Public will not have access

Data is used solely for the study.

Question 10

What should be asked to participants before beginning the study?

Answer 10

• Do you understand what you are being asked to do?
• Do you have any questions before we begin?

Ensures clarity and understanding of the task.

Question 11

What is the purpose of counterbalancing in experimental design?

Answer 11

• Controls the impact of order effects
• Distributes order effects evenly across conditions
• Ensures each condition occurs as the first and second task equally
• Does not eliminate order effects

Counterbalancing helps manage practice, fatigue, or boredom effects in experiments.

Question 12

What methods can be used for randomisation in experimental design?

Answer 12

• Tossing a coin
• Random number generators

These methods help control bias when designing materials and deciding the order of experimental conditions.

Question 13

In a memory experiment, how should the order of words be determined?

Answer 13

Randomly generated

This ensures that the position of each word is not influenced by the researcher.

Question 14

Describe the process for creating two different word lists from 60 words in a memory experiment.

Answer 14

• Put all 60 words into a container
• Draw out 30 words for list A
• Draw out remaining 30 words for list B

This method ensures random selection of words for each list.

Question 15

How should the order of conditions be determined in an experiment with multiple conditions?

Answer 15

Randomly determined

For example, flipping a coin to assign participants to conditions.

Question 16

What is the benefit of randomisation in experimental research?

Answer 16

Eliminates investigator effects/bias

The researcher has no control over the materials or order of experimental conditions.

Question 17

What is a control group in experimental research?

Answer 17

Participants who receive no treatment

Their behavior acts as a baseline against which the effect of the independent variable (IV) may be measured.

Question 18

Why do we need a comparison group in experimental research?

Answer 18

To determine whether the IV had any effect on the DV

This helps establish the impact of the independent variable.

Question 19

In a study investigating the effect of an energy drink on talkativeness, what would the control group consume?

Answer 19

Water

This acts as a baseline condition against which the experimental group (energy drink) can be measured.

Question 20

What might cause increased ‘chattiness’ in the energy drink condition besides the drink itself?

Answer 20

Attention from the researcher

This is considered an extraneous variable that could affect the results.

Question 21

What is random allocation in experimental design?

Answer 21

Participants are allocated to conditions using a random method to control for participant variables

Random allocation attempts to evenly distribute participant characteristics across the conditions of the experiment.

Question 22

What is the purpose of counterbalancing in a repeated measures design?

Answer 22

To control for the effects of order by having half the participants experience conditions in one order and the other half in the opposite order

Example: Participant 1 completes condition A then B, while Participant 2 completes condition B then A.

Question 23

Define extraneous variables.

Answer 23

Unwanted factors that can affect the relationship between the independent and dependent variables

These variables can spoil or distort the results of an experiment.

Question 24

What is the role of controls in an experiment?

Answer 24

To manage unwanted factors that can affect the results

Controls help ensure that the relationship between independent and dependent variables is accurately measured.

Question 25

In random allocation, how can a researcher allocate participants to two conditions?

Answer 25

* Assign numbers to participants * Draw numbers from a hat * Assign drawn numbers to conditions ## Footnote Example: For 20 participants, the first 10 numbers could go to condition A and the remaining to condition B.

Question 26

True or false: **Counterbalancing** is used to control for participant variables.

Answer 26

FALSE ## Footnote Counterbalancing is specifically used to control for the effects of order in repeated measures designs.