Experimental method By Mr Daniel Hansson

What is an experiment? A method to investigate cause and effect, i.e. what causes certain behaviours

Features of an experiment Aim Independent and dependent variable Sample Procedure Findings and conclusion

Aim Aim: The purpose of the experiment. The psychological phenomenon that is investigated

Independent and dependent variables Independent variable: Variable which experimenter manipulates and which is assumed to have a direct affect on the dependent variable. The independent variable can consist of several conditions, groups or levels. Dependent variable: Variable that measures the effect of the independent variable

Question: Independent and Dependent variables For the pepsi/coke experiment, what was the independent and dependent variable?

Sample Sample: The group of subjects in the study selected from a larger target population. The sample should be representative of the target population. Target population: A group of people with similar characteristics.

Questions, sample and target population Describe the characteristics of the sample in the pepsi/coke experiment (e.g. how many participants, average age, how many girls/boys) What was the target population of the pepsi/coke experiment?

Procedure, findings and conclusion Procedure: How the experiment was conducted (treatment of participants, instructions etcetera) Findings: The results of the study Conclusions: The conclusions that can be drawn from the study

Questions, procedure and findings/conclusion Outline the procedure of the pepsi/coke experiment What were the findings? What conclusion can you draw from the experiment? Online or in a textbook, find an experiment that supports the theory you choose the previous class