research issues

Question 1

what are extraneous variables? (EV)

Answer 1

any variable other than the IV that may affect the DV if it is not controlled

Question 2

why are extraneous variables a research issue?

Answer 2

• it means the DV is not the only factor affecting the IV
• this may confound the findings of the study or make it harder to detect a result

Question 3

how can the effect of extraneous variables be mitigated?

Answer 3

• they are identified at the start of the study where possible by the researcher, who then takes steps to minimise their influence
• many are straightforward to control eg. age

Question 4

what are confounding variables?

Answer 4

• a type of EV which varies systematically with the IV
• therefore, we can’t tell if any change in the DV is due to the IV or the confounding variable

Question 5

what are demand characteristics?

Answer 5

• any cue from the researcher or from the research situation that may be interpreted by participants as revealing the purpose of an investigation
• this may lead to a participant changing their behaviour within the research situation

Question 6

why are demand characteristics a research issue?

Answer 6

• participant reactivity is a significant EV in experimental research
• please-U effect: when participants act in a way that they think is expected and over-perform to please the experimenter
• screw-U effect: when participants deliberately under-perform to sabotage the results of the study
• either way, participant behaviour is no longer natural and becomes an EV which may affect the DV

Question 7

what are investigator effects?

Answer 7

• any effect of the investigator’s behaviour (conscious or unconscious) on the research outcome (DV)
• it is the unwanted influence of the investigator on the research outcome

Question 8

what do investigator effects include?

Answer 8

• hugh coolican (2006) pointed out that this can include expectancy effects and unconscious cues
• it might also refer to any actions of the researcher that were related to the study’s design, such as the selection of the participants, the materials, the instructions etc
• leading questions, which are discussed in relation to eyewitness testimonies, are a good example of the power of investigator effects

Question 9

what is randomisation?

Answer 9

• the use of chance methods to control for the effect of bias when designing materials and deciding the order of experimental conditions
• in a memory experiment, the order of words on a list should be randomly generated
• in an experiment where participants are involved in a number of different conditions, the order of these conditions should be randomly determined

Question 10

what is standardisation?

Answer 10

• using exactly the same formalised procedures and instructions for all participants in a research study
• as far as possible, all participants should be subject to the same environment, information and experience, including standardised instruction

Question 11

how is standardisation implemented and what is the importance of this?

Answer 11

• as far as possible, all participants should be subject to the same environment, information and experience, including standardised instructions that are read to each participant
• such standardisation means that non-standardised changes in procedure do not act as extraneous variables