(https://i.imgur.com/sswQ3DF.png)
Hey everyone,
This is the new version of the psych research methods 2018 thread.
Simply put, here's what'll happen:
- I'll post up a set of questions
- You'll respond with suggested solutions
- You'll give eachother feedback
- I'll give you feedback (and maybe some of the other ex-psych students will chime in too)
In response to feedback from the 2018 cohort, I'll only be running this at the start of the year.
Research methods is one of the main areas that a) teachers might not cover as well b) is always on the exam c) can be assessed in every SAC you have d) the state performs poorly on
My hope is that through practicing and refining your answers here, you'll get an edge that helps you throughout the year.
Remember to provide feedback to your peers too, even if you aren't sure; having a 2nd perspective is useful.
The first question set has been provided :)
1. Would it be expected for the diameter of the pupils to be greater or smaller after a book has been slammed on the table? (2)
Spoiler
It would be expected for the diameter of the pupils to be greater (dilate) in response to the book being slammed on the table. This is because the sympathetic nervous system would activate the fight-flight-freeze response, which would cause the pupils to dilate to let in more light into the eye. This allows the individual to increase the quality of their eyesight and therefore increase their chance of survival, which is the goal of the fight-flight-freeze response.
2. Name an ethical principle that has been breached in this experiment and describe why. (3)
Spoiler
Voluntary participation. Ms Victoria Jones does not ask her class to choose whether or not they would like to participate in the experiment, and just requires them to participate. The students are not given the choice to participate, which is why voluntary participation is breached.
3. How could the experiment be impacted if the next class is in a different classroom? (3)
Spoiler
The environment of the next classroom could impact the results obtained. This is because another classroom could have noise distractions and different amount of lighting (which largely affects pupil size). This results in an unstandardised procedure which can cause discrepancies between the data collected in the two classrooms.
4. What ethical principle would be breached if the teacher retained copies of the video recording for use by next year’s class? (1)
5. What might a control look like in this experiment and why would it be beneficial? (4)
Spoiler
A possible control group for this experiment is a group of students monitored by a video recording who are not scared by a scare stimulus. If their pupil size is measured, it can be used as a standard to compare the results of the other two experimental groups to. In this way, the effect of the independent variable is more likely to be isolated and its effects can clearly be seen.
6. Explain two improvements that could be made to this experiment, aside from using a control (4)
Spoiler
Ms Victoria Jones could have minimised participant variables. A participant variable that could have acted as a confounding variable for this experiment is past experience with scary situations. Students who have been exposed to situations similar to the ones being used in the experiment may not react in the same way to those who do not have much past experience with being scared. This is because they may know when to anticipate the scare stimulus or because they know what to expect from this type of scare stimulus and have already prepared their body for the book to be slammed or the yelling to occur. To minimise this individual participant difference, a matched paricipants design could be used. The students could be matched according to the number of horror movies watched, or a pre-test could be conducted to determine how much their sympathetic nervous system is aroused.
Another improvement that could be made is using a random sample. As Ms Jones used her class which was readily available to her, convencience sampling was used. This means that the sample is unlikely to be representative of the population. Ms Jones could use a random sample by assigning each member of the population a number, and using a random number generator to choose members of the population to be in her sample. A random sample is likely to be representative of the population.
7. Write an appropriate label for the vertical axis of a graph included in the report for this experiment (2)
Spoiler
Pupil diameter, measured in millimetres.
Bit late, but might as well
1. Would it be expected for the diameter of the pupils to be greater or smaller after a book has been slammed on the table? (2)
Spoiler
Yes, this is due to the expected activation of the sympathetic nervous system, which results in the dilation of the pupils to allow more light in for better vision
2. Name an ethical principle that has been breached in this experiment and describe why. (3)
Spoiler
Voluntary participation. This is due to the fact that Ms Jones 'required' her students to participate in the study, and the students did not choose to partake in the study
3. How could the experiment be impacted if the next class is in a different classroom? (3)
Spoiler
If the next class is in a different classroom this may act as an extraneous variable that would have an effect on the results of the experiment. This may be due to the fact that students may feel unfamiliar in certain environments, and may produce a greater fear response if they are in a classroom they are not comfortable with.
4. What ethical principle would be breached if the teacher retained copies of the video recording for use by next year’s class? (1)
5. What might a control look like in this experiment and why would it be beneficial? (4)
Spoiler
A control for this experiment may be recording a student that does not produce a fear response to a 'scary' stimulus. This control could serve as a baseline to compare the experimental group to. It also further helps determine the effects of the IV on DV of the experiment, while also helping to determine if there were any Ev's or CV's present during the experiment.
6. Explain two improvements that could be made to this experiment, aside from using a control (4)
7. Write an appropriate label for the vertical axis of a graph included in the report for this experiment (2)