what is an aim
a general statement of what the researcher intends to invesitigate
what is a research hypothesis
a clear, precise , testable statement that states the relationship between the variables (IV & DV) to be investigated
what is a null hypothesis
a hypothesis stating an effect/relationship will not be found
what is a directional hypothesis (one tailed)
a hypothesis that states the direction of difference (more/less/faster etc)
what is a non directional hypothesis
does not state the direction but that there will be a difference
dependent variable is what
the variable that is measured and predicted to be dependent upon the IV
the independent variable is what
the variable that is manipulated by the researcher to investigate whether it brings change to another variable
what is operationalisation
clearly defining variables in terms of how they can be measured to make a hypothesis clear and testable
what is an extraneous variable
any unwanted factors in a study that, if not accounted for, could negatively effect (confound) the data subsequently collected, leading to lower reliability.
whats a researcher variable
factors such as behaviour, appearance or gender could affect a participants response
how to control participant variables
minimising differences between participants
whats a situational variable?
the setting where the experiment takes place (light, dark, temp )
whats falsifiability
the principal that a theory cant be considered scientific unless it admits the possibility of being found untrue
whats objectivity
minimising all sources of personal bias to prevent distortion or influence on the research process
whats theory construction
the process of deriving new hypotheses from an existing theory
what is a paradigm
an agreed set of assumptions and methods within a scientific discipline
what is empiricism
the scientific process of gathering evidence through direct observation and experience
what is replicability
the extent to which scientific procedures and findings can be repeated by other researchers
what is a paradigm shift
a significant change in the dominant unifying theory within a scientific discipline, brought about by new findings and understanding.
