Discussing Case Studies and Experiments

Many people lose marks when they are asked to discuss experiments.

This has been briefly touched on in the Methodology pages, the information is all over the place, and here it is summarized into one page. This page explains all you need to know about ethical and practical issues with experiments, and how to talk to them.

You need to learn a few key features related to case studies/experiments

Key Terminology
It is crucial that you use Key Terminology in your answers, this is how you score higher marks.

Unrepresentative: Limited so that it might not apply to everyone

Reliability: Refers to whether findings from a study would be found again if the study was repeated

Consent: Permission to take part in a study

Right to withdraw: A participant's right to leave a study at any time and their ability to do so

Deception: Being lied to

Debrief: Being told the truth about a study when it is over

Competence: A psychologist's ability to conduct a study

Protection of participants: Looking after the rights and welfare of participants to ensure no physical or psychological damage

Independent Variable: The factor which is changed by the researcher in an experiment to make two or more conditions

Dependent Variable: The factor which is measured in an experiment

Natural experiment: An experiment where the independent variable is naturally occuring and not set up by the researchers