1. Experimental research
Internal assessment
Experimental research
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2. Considerations in experimental research
What is the aim of the experiment?
What studies and theories are considered in your research?
How do you plan to manipulate and measure variables?
How will you select participants?
Can the effect of confounding variables be minimized? - for example: How will you control for demand characteristics, order effects and participant variables?
Which experimental design will you use?
How will you deal with ethical issues?
How will you reference your sources?
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3. Ethical considerations
Non-human animals must not be used
No deception
No harm done to participants (physical or psychological)
Briefing
Debriefing
Right to withdraw
Confidentiality
Informed consent
Children: parental consent
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4. Consent form Consent Form.
Consent Form.
·          I have been informed about the nature of the experiment
·          I understand that I have the right to withdraw from the experiment at any time, and that any information/data about me will remain confidential
·          My anonymity will be protected as my name will not be identifiable.
·          The experiment will be conducted so that I will not be demeaned in any way.
·          I will be debriefed at the end, and have the opportunity to find out the results.
I give my informed consent to participating in this experiment
NAME and date____________________________________________
Contact number_____________________________________________
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5. Table of contents Table of contents follows the abstract.
All pages must be numbered.
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6. Introduction: Background literature and justification of your own research
General introduction to the psychological subject area under investigation
Summary and analysis of key theories and previous research studies in the area including references, e.g. Stroop (1935)
Theories and studies must be analysed in sufficient detail – especially the replicated study
2 studies
Rationale and justification of your experiment
The aim
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7. Introduction (Coolican, 1994)
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8. Aim of study
Topic under investigation (e.g. Memory) and expected results
What you intended to find out in the study (e.g. to investigate whether using imagery or rehearsal will result in higher recall of words)
Aim introduces operationalised research hypothesis and null hypothesis (HL)
Ex: The aim of the study was to investigate whether imagery or rehearsal resulted in the highest mean recall of words from a word-list.
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9. Method consists of 4 sections
Design
type and justification of design (repeated measures/independent design), controls, ethical considerations, identification of variables (IV and DV)
Participants
Relevant characteristics of sample, target population, sampling techniques (justified)
Apparatus/Materials
list of materials used, reference to copies in appendices
Procedure
Must be written in so much detail that it can be replicated. Reference to appendices for a copy of the material used.
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10. Designs – consider strengths and limitations in each design
Design must be justified (relate to why you choose a specific design and refer to strengths)
Independent design: each participant participates in only one condition (random allocation of participants to conditions e.g. drawing names out of a hat decides who goes in which condition)
Larger sample needed so more time consuming
No order effect but problem with participant variables. This is controlled for by random allocation of participants to the experimental conditions.
Repeated measures design: each participant participates in both conditions
Easier to get a smaller sample
Order effects but counter-balancing possible
No participant variables
Account of controls in the experiment (what you did in order to control for confounding variables)
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11. IV and DV Must be operationalised (what is being measured) and clear
Must reflect aim
Stated at the end of the design section
The IV in this experiment was whether participants used rehearsal or imagery
The DV was amount of words correctly recalled from the wordlist
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12. Selection of participants
20 participants in an IB experiment
Justify your sampling method
In principle good to have a represenative sample but nor really possible in IA. Ask the following questions:
What is the target population? (the population you are interested in) What are relevant characteristics of your sample? your target population? Does your sample represent them?
In IB exp.: Opportunity sample: you take what is available because it is the most convenient and easiest
Easy and not time consuming (strenght)
Not a representative sample (weakness)
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13. Procedure Clear description of what you did and in what order
Written in words (see samples)
Must be so clear that it can be replicated by another researcher
Refer to materials used in the experiment (and make a reference to an example of it in the appendices)
Use past tense, the third person and the passive voice: The participants were asked to
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14. Appendices Supplementary information One copy of the materials(s) used
Copy of standardized instructions and debriefing notes
Copy of informed consent paper (including parental consent if participants are children)
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