Psychology: Research Methods AS Level

Psychology: Research Methods AS Level

1. Lab Experiment

   • Conducted in a well controlled environment
   • Accurate and objective measurements are possible
   • The experimenter will decide where, when, how and with who

2. Field Experiment

   • Conducted in an "everyday" environment, not a lab
   • The situations are artificial
   • The Independent Variable (IV) can still be manipulated
   • Extraneous variables have a limited control

3. Case stusy

   • In depth study of an individual, group, event or community
   • Case studies provide substantial qualitative data
   • High level of ecological validity

4. Correlation

   • measure the extent of which two variables are related
   • when one variable increases and the other does too it is called a positive correlation
   • When one variable decreases and the other does too, it is called a negative correlation
   • When there is no relationship between the variables, there is no correlation

5. Interviews

   • Unstructured
     • Like casual conversations
     • No fixed questons
     • most qualitative data is collected this way
   • Structured
     • A formal exchange
     • A set of planned, predetermined questions
     • the interviewer maintains social distance from the participant