Do Now- Independently, in your books:

Extension: create an example of each type of sampling (random, systematic, stratified,

opportunity, volunteer)
Answers:
Knowledge Check:

- Write the title (“knowledge check”) on your piece of lined paper

- Write your name and today’s date (24th Sept)
- You will have 5 minutes to answer all 3 questions

When finished, review sampling techniques from yesterday- how would you
define each and what are the pros and cons?
Knowledge Check

1. What is an extraneous variable? (1 mark)

2. What does operationalisation mean? (1 mark)
3. Explain why and how counterbalancing is done. (2 marks)

When finished, review sampling techniques from yesterday- how would

you define each and what are the pros and cons?
Lesson Objectives:

Be able to explain new content:

- Pilot studies
- Single-blind procedure
- Double-blind procedure

Be able to apply the above, in addition to previous content:

- Experimental method (hypotheses, variables, operationalisation)

- Research issues (extraneous variables, demand characteristics, investigator effects)
- Experimental design (independent groups, repeated measures, matched pairs,
- Types of experiments (lab, field, natural, quasi experiments)
- Sampling techniques (random, systematic, stratified, opportunity, volunteer)
Lesson Objectives:

Be able to explain new content:

- Pilot studies
- Single-blind procedure
- Double-blind procedure

Be able to apply the above, in addition to previous content:

- Experimental method (hypotheses, variables, operationalisation)

- Research issues (extraneous variables, demand characteristics, investigator effects)
- Experimental design (independent groups, repeated measures, matched pairs,
- Types of experiments (lab, field, natural, quasi experiments)
- Sampling techniques (random, systematic, stratified, opportunity, volunteer)
Pilot studies

- Small scale trial run of the actual experiment to make sure the
investigation runs smoothly
- Involves only a handful of participants
- Not just in experimental studies but also used to test interviews and
questionnaires, or in observational studies (to check all observers know
what they’re looking for)
- Then they can fix these issues they find before the actual investigation
which saves time and money
Pilot studies
With a partner, discuss:

- How a pilot study could be conducted for our SpeedUpp energy drink study
where we are investigating if drinking SpeedUpp increases the amount of
words people say?

- What might we learn from our pilot study? What kinds of issues might the pilot
study reveal about the investigation that we could then change before we do
the ‘real’ experiment?
Answers:

A pilot study of the energy drink investigation may be conducted with a small number
of participants (say, four) who experience both conditions of the experiment and their
data is recorded in each case. Participants should be typical of the population you are
studying.

It is important to recognise that this is not designed to test the hypothesis but purely
to examine whether the information and materials given to participants is appropriate.

It may be that the pilot highlights some design issues: the instructions to participants
are unclear, it is very difficult to record how many words participants say, the
experimental environment is in some way not appropriate and needs changing. In
doing this, the researcher can make the necessary adjustments saving time and
money in the long run.
Lesson Objectives:

Be able to explain new content:

- Pilot studies
- Single-blind procedure
- Double-blind procedure

Be able to apply the above, in addition to previous content:

- Experimental method (hypotheses, variables, operationalisation)

- Research issues (extraneous variables, demand characteristics, investigator effects)
- Experimental design (independent groups, repeated measures, matched pairs,
- Types of experiments (lab, field, natural, quasi experiments)
- Sampling techniques (random, systematic, stratified, opportunity, volunteer)
 Single-blind procedure
- Sometimes participants are not told the aim (purpose) of the research, or other
details like which condition they are in (or even if there is another condition)
- Information that might create expectations is kept secret from the participants until
the end
- This controls for the confounding variable of demand characteristics
 Double-blind procedure

- Neither the participants nor the investigator* know the aims of the experiment
- Often conducted by a third party who doesn’t know the main purpose either
- Important feature of drug trials where the third party doesn’t know which drugs
are real and which are placebo
- Expectations cannot influence participant’s behaviour
 Partner Activity:

Write your answers down in

your books, then we will
self-correct.
Answers
1. If participants are made aware of the aims of the experiment at the outset, they
may change their behaviour (particularly if they know which condition they are in).
They may try too hard to make the experiment run smoothly by, say, 'over-
talking' in the caffeine condition (the 'please U effect') or by being deliberately
uncommunicative in an attempt to sabotage the findings (the 'screw U effect')
2. If this procedure was used, participants would need to be given comprehensive
details of the aims of the research during the debriefing. It would also be
necessary to ask for permission to still use their data in light of the fact they had
been deceived (albeit mildly).
Answers

3. The drinks during the first phase of the experiment could be administered by a third
party who does not know which drink is which and is unaware of the aim of the
experiment.

4. Without the knowledge of what the experiment is about, there is no way they could
(consciously or unconsciously) communicate this to the participants.

5. The control group is the 'water condition'. Without it the researcher would be less
sure whether the level of 'chattiness' is a result of the energy drink or whether it was
more to do with the natural dispositions of the participants. The control group provides
a comparison which allows the researcher to see whether the change in chattiness – if
there is a change – is significant.
True or False? (4 Qs)
1. In a single blind procedure, the researcher does not know the true aim of the
experiment
a. False- the participants don’t know the aims
2. Double-blind procedure is often used for drug trials
a. True
3. Placebo is when the participant receives a smaller dose of the drug than the
experimental condition
a. False- they get a ‘fake’ drug which is usually some kind of sugar pill
4. Pilot studies are a way of pre-testing the hypothesis to get a sense of what will
happen in the real experiment
a. False! This is a common misconception. The purpose of piloting is to make sure the
experiment runs smoothly and has nothing to do with investigating the hypothesis.
Lesson Objectives:

Be able to explain new content:

- Pilot studies
- Single-blind procedure
- Double-blind procedure

Be able to apply the above, in addition to previous content:

- Experimental method (hypotheses, variables, operationalisation)

- Research issues (extraneous variables, demand characteristics, investigator effects)
- Experimental design (independent groups, repeated measures, matched pairs,
- Types of experiments (lab, field, natural, quasi experiments)
- Sampling techniques (random, systematic, stratified, opportunity, volunteer)
Independent Activity

On page 181 of the textbook, there are questions to review/ apply everything
we’ve learned thus far about research methods. Complete the first set of
questions, then we will check our answers as a class.

When finished, you can start on the second set of questions, but you may have
to self-correct those ones using the answer key in the online version of the
textbook.

Note: we have not yet covered ethics, so you can skip question 8 in the first
set, and questions 7 and 8 in the second set.