A-Level Psychology (AQA): Research Methods - The Experimental Method

Summary

This educational video script introduces the fundamentals of research methods in psychology, emphasizing that experiments are just one type of research method. It outlines the importance of defining aims, hypotheses, independent variables (IVs), and dependent variables (DVs), and the necessity of operationalizing these variables for testability. Using a study on TV's impact on homework quality as an example, the script explains how to formulate a hypothesis, distinguishing between directional and non-directional hypotheses. It advises practicing these concepts to prepare for exams and encourages questions for further clarification.

Takeaways

• 🔬 Research in psychology involves various methods, not just experiments.
• 📝 An experiment begins with defining an aim or research question to guide the investigation.
• 🧐 The independent variable (IV) is manipulated by the experimenter, while the dependent variable (DV) is measured to observe the effects of the IV.
• 📊 Operationalization is the process of making research variables concrete and testable, ensuring they can be replicated by others.
• 📑 The example used in the script explores whether working in front of a TV affects the quality of homework compared to working at a distraction-free desk.
• ✍️ Hypothesis writing is crucial, stating the expected relationship between the IV and DV, and can be either directional or non-directional.
• ➡️ A directional hypothesis predicts a specific outcome, while a non-directional hypothesis anticipates a difference without specifying the direction.
• 🔍 The choice between a directional and non-directional hypothesis depends on the level of certainty about the expected results.
• 📈 Operationalized variables in a hypothesis should be clear and specific, allowing for the accurate measurement and comparison of conditions.
• 📚 Practice with hypothesis writing and understanding research methods is recommended for success in exams and real-world research applications.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the research methods lesson discussed in the transcript?

The main focus is on understanding the basics of conducting experiments in psychological research, including aims, hypothesis writing, IVs (independent variables), DVs (dependent variables), and operationalization.

What is an 'aim' in the context of research?

An 'aim' in research is the intention or research question that outlines what the researcher intends to investigate.

What is the difference between an independent variable (IV) and a dependent variable (DV) in an experiment?

The independent variable (IV) is the condition or factor that the experimenter manipulates or changes, while the dependent variable (DV) is the outcome that is measured to determine the effect of the IV.

Why is it important to operationalize variables in research?

Operationalizing variables ensures that they are in a form that can be easily tested, allowing anyone who reads the plan or hypothesis to understand exactly what was done and potentially repeat the study using the same variables.

Can you provide an example of how the independent variable (IV) is operationalized in the transcript?

In the transcript, the IV is operationalized by specifying two conditions: one where participants complete a homework task in front of the TV, and another where they complete it at their desk with no distractions.

What is a hypothesis in research, and how does it relate to the IV and DV?

A hypothesis is a statement about what the researcher believes to be true, stating the expected relationship between the independent variable (IV) and the dependent variable (DV).

What are the two types of hypotheses mentioned in the transcript, and how do they differ?

The two types of hypotheses are directional and non-directional. A directional hypothesis predicts the specific outcome of the IV on the DV, while a non-directional hypothesis only predicts that there will be a difference without specifying the direction.

How does one decide whether to write a directional or non-directional hypothesis?

One decides to write a directional hypothesis if there is a clear expectation or prior knowledge about the outcome. If there is uncertainty or no specific expectation, a non-directional hypothesis is appropriate.

What is the significance of the example research piece about working while watching TV mentioned in the transcript?

The example research piece serves to illustrate the process of formulating aims, operationalizing variables, and writing hypotheses in a practical scenario, making it easier to understand the concepts being taught.

Why is it suggested to practice writing hypotheses and understanding research methods regularly?

Practicing regularly helps to reinforce understanding and ensures that one is prepared to apply these concepts when they appear in exams or when conducting actual research.

Outlines

00:00

🔬 Introduction to Research Methods in Psychology

This paragraph introduces the concept of research in psychology, emphasizing that research encompasses more than just experiments. It outlines that experiments are a specific type of research method with a set of rules. The lesson focuses on the basics of experiments, including aims, hypothesis writing, IVs (independent variables), DVs (dependent variables), and operationalization. An example research study is presented to illustrate these concepts: investigating whether working in front of a TV impacts the quality of homework produced by students. The aim of the research is defined as the intention or research question, and the paragraph explains the importance of clearly stating the aim using the phrase 'to investigate.'

05:02

📊 Understanding Independent and Dependent Variables

The paragraph delves into the specifics of independent and dependent variables in research. The dependent variable is what is measured to determine the outcome of the study, such as a homework score or a memory test. The independent variable is what the researcher manipulates or changes, often with at least two conditions for comparison. The paragraph uses the example of completing homework in front of a TV versus at a desk with no distractions. Operationalization of variables is introduced as the process of making variables specific enough to be tested and reproducible by others. The paragraph provides a clear example of how to operationalize the conditions of the independent variable for the study.

10:05

✍️ Hypothesis Writing in Research

This paragraph discusses the importance of hypothesis writing in research. A hypothesis is a statement about what the researcher expects to find and it outlines the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The paragraph differentiates between directional and non-directional hypotheses. A directional hypothesis predicts a specific outcome, while a non-directional hypothesis anticipates a difference without specifying the nature of the difference. The paragraph advises on choosing the type of hypothesis based on the level of certainty about the outcome. It also provides an example of a non-directional hypothesis for a study investigating the effect of confidence levels on children's obedience, highlighting the use of color-coding to distinguish different parts of the hypothesis.

Keywords

💡Research Methods

Research methods refer to the systematic approaches and techniques used to conduct scientific research. In the context of the video, research methods are crucial for psychologists to investigate various phenomena and draw conclusions. The video emphasizes that research is not limited to experiments, but experiments are a specific type of research method with a set of rules.

💡Experiments

Experiments are a type of research method where variables are manipulated to observe their effects on other variables. The video clarifies that while experiments are a significant part of research in psychology, they are not the only method. The script uses experiments as a starting point to discuss the different components involved in conducting research.

💡Aims

The aim of a research study is its intended purpose or the research question it seeks to answer. In the video, the aim is defined as the intention of the research, which guides the investigation. An example from the script is to investigate whether TV or noise impacts the quality of homework produced by students.

💡Independent Variable (IV)

The independent variable is the variable that researchers manipulate or change in an experiment to observe its effect on another variable. The video explains that every experiment has at least two conditions to compare and determine the impact. An example given is participants completing a homework task in front of the TV versus at their desk with no distractions.

💡Dependent Variable (DV)

The dependent variable is the outcome or the variable that is measured in an experiment to see how it is affected by the independent variable. The video mentions that the DV tells us how well someone worked, such as the homework score or the result of a memory test.

💡Operationalization

Operationalization is the process of defining variables in a way that makes them measurable and testable. The video emphasizes the importance of making variables specific enough so that anyone can understand and potentially replicate the study. An example from the script is defining the conditions of completing an essay while watching a movie or in a quiet room.

💡Hypothesis

A hypothesis is a statement predicting the outcome of an experiment. The video distinguishes between directional and non-directional hypotheses, explaining that a hypothesis should state the expected relationship between the independent and dependent variables. An example provided is that participants watching 'Frozen' while writing an essay will achieve a lower mark than those in a quiet room.

💡Directional Hypothesis

A directional hypothesis specifies the expected direction of the relationship between variables, indicating what will happen due to the manipulation of the independent variable. The video uses the example of predicting a lower homework score for those watching TV, thus indicating a negative impact of the distraction.

💡Non-Directional Hypothesis

A non-directional hypothesis suggests that there will be a difference between conditions but does not specify the direction of the effect. The video explains that this type of hypothesis is used when there is no clear expectation or prediction about the outcome, as seen in the example of investigating the difference in obedience levels based on confidence scores.

💡Operationalized Variables

Operationalized variables are those that have been defined in a way that they can be directly measured or observed in an experiment. The video stresses the importance of clearly defining variables so that the study can be replicated. Examples include specifying the conditions under which participants complete tasks and the criteria for measuring the dependent variable.

💡Replicability

Replicability refers to the ability of other researchers to repeat a study using the same methods and obtain similar results. The video highlights that operationalizing variables is essential for ensuring that a study is replicable, which is a key aspect of scientific research.

Highlights

Research methods are crucial for psychologists and encompass more than just experiments.

Experiments follow a specific set of rules and are one type of research method.

The lesson covers the basics of experiments including aims, hypothesis, IVs, DVs, and operationalization.

Aims of research are intentions or research questions that guide the investigation.

The example research investigates if TV or noise impacts the quality of homework produced by students.

Independent variables (IVs) are what the experimenter manipulates or changes.

Dependent variables (DVs) are measured to determine the effect of the IV.

Operationalization ensures variables are in a testable form for replication.

Operationalized IVs and DVs must be specific enough for others to repeat the study.

Hypothesis writing involves stating the expected relationship between IV and DV.

Directional hypotheses predict the exact outcome, while non-directional hypotheses only predict a difference.

The choice between directional and non-directional hypotheses depends on prior knowledge or clues about the outcome.

Practicing hypothesis writing is essential for exam preparation.

The video provides a practical example of hypothesis writing for a study on confidence and obedience in children.

Color-coding in hypotheses helps to clearly distinguish between different components.

The content of the video is frequently tested in exams, emphasizing the need for practice.

The video concludes with an invitation for questions and further discussion in the comment section.

Transcripts

hello everyone and welcome to research

methods lesson 1 a huge part of being a

psychologist is conducting research and

the research methods chapter covers the

different techniques that are used to

conduct that research one of the big

things that people often confuse is the

fact that research doesn't necessarily

mean experiments experiments are

actually just one type of research

method that follow a specific set of

rules and it's here with experiments

that we are going to start so in this

lesson we're going to cover some of the

basics of experiments some of which

you'll already know from science classes

and some of which will be new to you

so we're going to talk about aims

hypothesis writing IVs and DVS and

operationalization and to help us do

that we're going to use an example piece

of research so the piece of research

that we're going to look at is do people

work as well when psy in front of the TV

as when they are sad their desk with no

discreet with no distractions

okay it's a simple piece of research

nothing special about it but it will

help us to outline some of the things

that we need to talk about so we'll

start with aims all research has an aim

whether it's an experiment or not

it always has an aim an aim is an

intention or a research question so in

an aim we are laying out what we intend

to investigate so an aim for our

experiment would be to investigate

whether TV or noise impacts the quality

of homework produced by students that is

something that we are going to intend to

look into in our piece of research and

as you can see I've put it in bold there

for you when you're writing an aim it's

always useful to use that phrase to

investigate and then whatever it is that

you're going to investigate okay so it

clearly states your intention

okay so that's the first thing now the

second thing is that all experiments

have an independent variable and a

dependent variable the dependent

variable is the thing that we're going

to measure okay so it's the thing that's

gonna tell us in this case how well

somebody works okay so for us it could

be the homework score it could also be a

memory test of some kind okay but it's

the thing that the experimenter measures

and it's the thing that tells us how

well somebody worked in our case okay

whereas your independent variable is the

thing that the experimenter changes or

the thing that the experimenter

manipulates okay so it's also known as

the experimental conditions and every

experiment usually has at least two

conditions because you need to compare

those two conditions with each other so

that you know what's had an impact and

what hasn't had an impact so in our

study

the conditions might be something like

participants complete a homework task in

front of the TV

that's condition one and then condition

two could be participants complete a

homework task at their desk with no

distractions so that's the first step

having an independent variable and

having a dependent variable however it

doesn't stop there because of the minute

our independent variable especially is

still a little bit basic so what we need

to do is we need to operationalize our

variables and operationalization

essentially means making sure that your

variables are in a form that can be

easily tested okay so essentially

anybody who comes to your study and

reads your plan or reads your hypothesis

or just reads your IV in your DV they

have to know straight away exactly what

you did they need to know exactly what

your IV is and exactly what your DV is

so that technically they could repeat

your study and use the exact same

variables

okay so for that we have to make our IV

a little bit more specific so what we

should actually be doing is doing

something like this we're gonna say

condition one complete a sixteen mark

essay on explanations for conformity

whilst watching frozen complete a

sixteen market essay on explanations for

conformity whilst satyr a desk in a

quiet room those can be our two levels

of IV because anybody who reads those

written down will immediately be able to

recreate our IV from that information

and that is what makes your IV testable

your DV is a little bit simpler because

we've already kind of established what

our DV is gonna be um the DV is gonna be

scores received for that piece of

homework and that's easily testable

isn't it okay so you must make sure that

you do that with your variables when

you're asked to create or when you're

asked to determine an independent and a

dependent variable right moving on then

the next thing we have to look at is

hypothesis writing now a hypothesis is a

statement about what you believe to be

true okay so it's a statement about what

you expect you're going to find when you

conduct your studies and a hypothesis

states the relationship between your

independent variable and your dependent

variable it's essentially where you're

going to write down what is going to

happen to your dependent variable as a

result of the independent variable and

there are two different types okay we'll

come on to what the types are in a sec

and but this is what a hypothesis could

look like for our study participants who

complete a 16 mark psychology essay on

outline and evaluate explanations for

conformity whilst watching frozen will

achieve a lower mark than participants

who are sat in a quiet room with no

distractions nice simple hypothesis we

have a few little things in there that I

just want to draw your attention to

so we have our operationalized

variables in a testable form we have

also pointed out the relationship

between the IV and the DV and I've said

that if you're watching frozen then

you're going to achieve a lower mark and

then I've also said that there is a

comparison and I've pointed out that

some of my participants are going to be

watching frozen whereas other

participants are going to be sat in a

quiet room with no distractions okay so

all of those elements are very important

in a hypothesis variables that are

operationalized relationship between at

the ivy and the DV and also the

comparison between the different

conditions so as I said before there are

two different types of hypothesis okay

so you've got a directional hypothesis

and you've got a non directional

hypothesis okay and the main difference

between the two is this bit right here a

directional hypothesis States what is

going to happen so in the directional

hypothesis that is on the screen now you

can see that I am saying that people who

are watching frozen and writing an essay

at the same time are going to achieve a

lower mark than participants who are sat

in a quiet room with no distractions so

I'm saying that having a distraction is

going to have a negative impact on the

results of your homework

whereas a non-directional hypothesis I

am just saying that something is going

to happen but I'm not saying exactly

what that thing is because I'm not sure

what it is but I just know that

something will happen and there's a very

nice stock phrase that you can use if

you ever get asked to write a non

directional hypothesis and that is that

phrase that's in red in front of you

there and that is there will be a

difference and then you write your

hypothesis so for me is there will be a

difference in the amount of marks

achieved and then I carry on

okay so non-directional says there will

be a difference but doesn't say what the

difference is going to be whereas a

directional hypothesis says exactly what

they expect to happen and what the

difference is going to be

and it's actually really important that

you know the difference between the two

because it's very popular in an exam to

ask students a to write a directional or

a non directional hypothesis but also to

ask them to determine which of the two

types of hypothesis would be appropriate

and to work out which type of hypothesis

you should be writing you need to ask

yourself do you know what's going to

happen

have you been given any kind of tip or

any clue or any advice on what might

happen in this study are we aware of any

other type of research have you been

told anything in the question in the

exam paper if the answer is yes then use

a directional hypothesis but if the

answer's no then use a non directional

hypothesis and it's really simple

because people don't like being wrong so

if there's a chance that you're gonna be

wrong then use non directional because

then you won't be wrong because all

you're gonna say is that something is

going to happen and something will

happen but if you think you know what

the outcomes going to be

then use a directional hypothesis okay

and that's the general rule okay so just

to finish off another example for you

just so you can see it in action so

imagine that you were going to

investigate whether confidence levels in

children affect their levels of

obedience that's your aim so your IV

could be scores on a confidence

questionnaire your first condition is

going to be all the kids that score

above 50 on their confidence

questionnaire and your second condition

is gonna be all the kids at school below

50 in their confidence questionnaire and

then we're going to measure the impact

of that confidence by counting the

amount of instructions from a teacher

followed in a 60 minute lesson and my

hypothesis is there will be a difference

in the amount of instructions from a

teacher followed during a 60 minute

lesson

between children who's got over 50 on a

confidence questionnaire and children

who score under 50 as you can see I went

for a non-directional hypothesis because

I haven't provided you with any extra

information about what the outcome might

be and you can see as well I've

color-coded the different sections of

that hypothesis so you've got your stock

phrase there will be a difference I've

got my DV in blue I've got my IV in red

and I've got my comparison between the

two conditions

in green from experience I would say

that the stuff covered in this video is

incredibly popular in exams however

there are also things that tend to get

forgotten over the two-year a level

course so I would suggest that you

practice this stuff as often as possible

so that you know what to do when it does

come up so that is the end of the video

so I hope it's all made sense and I hope

you feel more confident with this topic

than you did coming in if you do have

any questions just pop them in the

comment section below and I'll do my

best to get back to you ASAP thank you