Psychology VCE Units 3 & 4

Research methods in psychology

Learning Activity 5
PAGE

19

Review questions

1 a What is the difference between a sample and a population?

b Why is it important that a sample and the population from which it is drawn share
common characteristics?

2 a What are random sampling and stratied sampling?

b In what ways are a random sample and a stratied sample alike? Different?

c The rating of a TV show is determined by the size of the audience who watch it. The rating
is based on data from an electronic recording device attached to a TV set in a viewers
home. The device automatically records which TV show is being watched and for how long.
Viewers also indicate who in the household is watching. Suppose you are responsible
for determining the TV ratings of the viewing audience in Melbourne (or a regional town)
for a one-week period. Briey describe the sampling procedure you could use to select
the participants who will receive a recording device. Explain how your procedure would
ensure a representative sample of the viewing population.

Copyright John Grivas, Ross Down and Linda Carter 2004. Published by Macmillan Education Australia.
Unauthorised copying prohibited.

Psychology VCE Units 3 & 4

Research methods in psychology

3 What is the main difference between participant selection and participant allocation?

4 a What is random allocation and why is it used in an experiment?

b How are random allocation and random sampling different?

5 a What is an experimental group? A control group?

b Why is a control group used in an experiment?

Learning Activity 7
PAGE

23

Review questions

1 Dene the term placebo effect with reference to an example not used in the text.

2 Dene the term experimenter effect with reference to examples of how the effect can occur
in different stages of an experiment.

Copyright John Grivas, Ross Down and Linda Carter 2004. Published by Macmillan Education Australia.
Unauthorised copying prohibited.

Psychology VCE Units 3 & 4

Research methods in psychology

3 Explain how participant and experimenter expectations can act as unwanted inuences on
the results of an experiment.

4 Identify and describe two different procedures that can be used by researchers to minimise
the inuence of participant and/or experimenter expectations.

5 Consider the experiment in which Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) demonstrated self-fullling
prophecy.
a Briey explain how a single-blind procedure could have been used to control this effect.

b How would a double-blind procedure be used in this experiment? Would it be necessary?

Why?

Copyright John Grivas, Ross Down and Linda Carter 2004. Published by Macmillan Education Australia.
Unauthorised copying prohibited.

Psychology VCE Units 3 & 4

Research methods in psychology

Learning Activity 8
PAGE

26

Review questions

1 What two characteristics best distinguish an experiment from other research methods?

2 Write a denition of each of the following terms as they apply to an experiment:

C variable

C independent variable

C dependent variable

C extraneous variable.

3 What do experimenters expect to happen to dependent variables when they manipulate

independent variables?

4 Identify the IV and DV in each of the following:

a Receiving a reward for doing homework will increase the amount of time one spends
studying.
b People who are in love perceive each other more positively than other people perceive them.
c Night vision is improved by eating carrots.
d A baby who is continually picked up as soon as it cries will cry less in the future when alone.
e People who earn higher salaries have greater job satisfaction.
Independent variable

Dependent variable

a
b
c
d
e

Copyright John Grivas, Ross Down and Linda Carter 2004. Published by Macmillan Education Australia.
Unauthorised copying prohibited.

Psychology VCE Units 3 & 4

Research methods in psychology

5 A researcher is planning an experiment to investigate the rate (that is, how much time it takes)
and amount (that is, how much information) of forgetting that occurs when new information
(for example, a list of non-sense words such as qab and jir) is learned.
a Identify the IV(s) and DV(s) in the experiment.
b Identify four extraneous variables that could affect the DV (together with the IV) and
therefore need to be controlled.
c Suggest how each of the four extraneous variables referred to in b above could be
controlled.

Learning Activity 13
PAGE

35

Review questions

1 Why do researchers use a hypothesis when conducting a study?

2 Dene the term operational hypothesis. Ensure that you refer to two essential characteristics
of an operational hypothesis.

3 Write each of the following concepts in operational terms:

forgetting

aggression

Copyright John Grivas, Ross Down and Linda Carter 2004. Published by Macmillan Education Australia.
Unauthorised copying prohibited.

Psychology VCE Units 3 & 4

Research methods in psychology

crowding

anxiety

relaxation

stress.

4 Write an operational hypothesis for each of the following:

a Anxiety causes forgetting.

b Crowding increases aggression.

c Relaxation minimises stress.

5 What problem might a researcher have when drawing a conclusion(s) from the results
obtained for a study if terms in their hypothesis have not been operationally dened?

Copyright John Grivas, Ross Down and Linda Carter 2004. Published by Macmillan Education Australia.
Unauthorised copying prohibited.

Psychology VCE Units 3 & 4

Research methods in psychology

Learning Activity 15
PAGE

45

Review questions

1 A researcher conducts an experiment and obtains statistically signicant results. What does
the term statistically signicant mean?

2 Explain the meaning of the term p value, with reference to an example.

3 Write the meaning of the following p values as they apply to the ndings of an experiment.
Make sure that you refer to the probable roles of chance and the independent variable.
p 0.001

p 0.01

p 0.10

4 a Which of the p values stated in question 3 can be interpreted as being most signicant?
Explain your answer.

b Which of the p values stated in question 3 can be interpreted as being least signicant?
Explain your answer.

5 Suppose you conducted a study and obtained results with a p value that is not 0.05.
What would you conclude about the results?

Copyright John Grivas, Ross Down and Linda Carter 2004. Published by Macmillan Education Australia.
Unauthorised copying prohibited.

Psychology VCE Units 3 & 4

Research methods in psychology

Learning Activity 16
PAGE

47

Review questions

1 What kind of judgment is made about the hypothesis for a study after the results have been
obtained and analysed?

2 a What is the meaning of the term conclusion?

b What are the important considerations in drawing conclusions from results obtained
in a study?

3 a What is the meaning of the term generalisation?

b What are the important considerations in making generalisations from the ndings
of a study?

4 Distinguish between the terms conclusion and generalisation as they apply in research
studies.

Copyright John Grivas, Ross Down and Linda Carter 2004. Published by Macmillan Education Australia.
Unauthorised copying prohibited.