7.2.4 Pilot Studies, Binds and Control Groups

A pilot study is a small-scale trial run of the actual investigation.

• It may include a handful of participants to test the procedure and check the investigation runs smoothly.
• They can try out questions to remove or reword ambiguous or confusing ones. This provides a way of checking coding systems in observational studies. A pilot study allows the researcher to identify any potential issues and modify the design or procedure saving time and money in the long run.

1. Single-blind procedure – participants are not told the aim of the research at the beginning of the study and other details may be concealed. This method attempts to control for confounding effects of demand characteristics.
2. Double-blind procedure – participant and researcher are not aware of the aim. Often a third party investigates without knowing its true purpose.

3. Control groups – used for comparison to the tested group. If the experimental group's behaviour is greater than the control group, the researcher can conclude the cause of this was the IV.