A-Level Psychology (AQA): Research Methods - The Experimental Method
Summary
TLDRThis 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
🔬 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.'
📊 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.
✍️ 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Research Methods
💡Experiments
💡Aims
💡Independent Variable (IV)
💡Dependent Variable (DV)
💡Operationalization
💡Hypothesis
💡Directional Hypothesis
💡Non-Directional Hypothesis
💡Operationalized Variables
💡Replicability
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
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