Experimental method
Population: the larger or entire group of individuals that the researcher wants to test.
Sample: smaller group from the population that is used in the research
• Must be representative of the populations i.e. have same personal characteristics for conclusions to be successfully drawn
Participants: the individuals in the study.
Research hypothesis (operationalized)
I independent variable
P population
O operations (how it was measured)
D dependant variable
Control group: the group of participants who were exposed to all variables except the IV
• This provides a standard performance that can be compared to experimental group in order to determine if the IV has had an effect of the DV
Experimental group: the group of participants that are exposed to all the variables including the IV
• Purpose is to determine if the IV has caused the DV
Independent variable (IV): has been deliberately manipulated/changed by the experimenter to determine if it has an effect on the DV.
Dependant variable (DV): is the part of a participant’s behaviour that has been measured/observed to test the effect of the IV.
Extraneous variables (EV): are any other variables other than the IV that may cause a change in the DV and affect the results
• When eliminated they are called Controlled variables
• Confounding variables: are uncontrolled variables that have an unwanted effect on the dv (can’t draw a clear conclusion on whether the IV actually caused the DV)
Examples of extraneous variables
• Participant variables: individual’s differences in characteristics may affect the results if not controlled. E.g. gender, age, ethnic group
• Order effect: participant may have prior knowledge of the task/experiment which may influence their performance. E.g. it may have improved the second time (practice effect), or impaired (boredom effect)
• Experimenter effect: rather than the IV, the unintended influence of the experimenter may cause changes in the participant’s behaviour.
• Placebo effect: changes may have been caused by their belief that they have been exposed to a treatment that would cause this effect
- Placebo = fake treatment
• Artificiality: unwanted effect on participant’s behaviour caused by their unnatural environment. E.g. in a laboratory setting.
decision on becoming a black man. His Experiment had affected everyone dramatically. These affects vary from good to bad. With his choice of his experiment it will have an unknown ending. John Howard Griffin had affected the lives of his family, friends, everyone and the future. First of all, his wife and kids was affected most of all. His wife and kids”…had sold their home and all their furniture and left for Mexico…” (Page 162). The experiment had such a negative effect on his wife and kids that they…
Effects of Background Color on Word Recall Abstract The effect of background color on word recall was examined. Participants consisted of 28 Valdosta State University students. Students in the color group recalled more positive and negative words that the no color group. These findings were significant. Effects of Background Color on Word Recall…
WEEK 1 Ethical Principles and Their Application to the Little Albert Experiment Role of Researcher: The researchers in this case did not follow the rules that they were expected to follow when undertaking such research. The researchers did not fully ensure that the research was conducted in such a manner that the wellbeing of the research participant would not be negatively affected by the experiment. The researchers did not follow one of the main rules, which is that under no circumstances…
Light Sources and Their Effects on Yeast Cells Introduction Yeast is a common fungus that we rely on for baking fluffy bread. Since its so sensitive to light, its often stored in dark places so that light does not break apart the cell membranes and destroy them. Different colors of light destroy the cells at different rates. The point of this experiment is to which light source is the best for strengthening bakers yeast without rendering…
there I started thinking what effect caffeine (specifically coffee) has on your heart rate? Is it faster than a body without the routinely consumption of caffeine? If so how faster is it with caffeine? To really find out what happens to the heart rate with the consumption of caffeine I will conduct an experiment. This experiment will hopefully tell how caffeine effects the heart rate. From my observation of caffeine consumers, caffeine would have a drastic effect on the heart rate of a non – caffeine…
it spread over the world like a deadly disease. There are many horrific ways animals can be used for profit and entertainment but today I’m going to talk about animals being put under excruciating pain in lab experiments which are not always needed. Many organisations argue that experiments cause unacceptable pain and suffering to animals. They believe that it is morally wrong to abuse, misuse and kill animals for our own knowledge. These organisations can’t help, can’t make a difference without…
studied and how they were selected. 4. The exact nature of the measurements made or the questions asked. 5. The setting in which the measurements were asked. 6. The extraneous differences in groups being compared. 7. The magnitude of any claimed effects or differences. 1. The source of the research and of the funding. Research costs money, researchers need to be paid, equipment has to be bought, subjects need to be found. We should always be aware of this fact when we examine the claims made…
monosaccharides, glucose and galactose, through a hydrolyzation process (O’Connell and Walsh 2010). The inability to breakdown lactose is mainly found in mature humans and is caused by deficiency of lactase within the small intestine. This phenomena effects nearly three fourths of the human population, where they can experience some fairly uncomfortable symptoms when lactose is ingested (O’Connell and Walsh 2010). One way to help people who suffer from lactose intolerance is to use commercially developed…
Lab 1: Diffusion, Osmosis Objective: In this lab we observed osmosis across a semi permeable membrane. Through this experiment, we were able to see the concept of osmosis in action as the water moved from areas of low solute (sucrose) across a membrane areas of higher solute concentration. Another concept we learned in this lab was how tonicity of a solution can affect osmosis into and out of a cell. Materials and Methods: For the first part of this lab, we got a piece of dialysis tubing…
Does media effect a women’s body image? Ashley Wettlaufer Mrs. MacRae HSP 3C1-01 January 19th 2015 Rational The rationale of this experiment is to study the effect media has on a female’s body image and self-esteem. “Popular media barrages women with images that portray what is considered to be the ‘ideal body’” (Serdar, 2014, para.7). Society tells women what kind of body image they should strive for. The media portrays the ideal body as accentuating features such as eyes, breasts…
