Psychology research methods

Psychology research methods

1. Correlation

   • A method used to asses the degree to which two co-variables are related. The term is used to refer to a study that uses a correlational analysis  
   • Evaluation
     • Strengths
       • Relationships between continuous variables
         • Can look at the relationships between continuous variables rather than the differences
       • Can rule out a casual relationship
         • If the correlation is not strong then you can rule out a casual relationship. You can't demonstrate a casual relationship but if there's no correlation between co-variables then there can't be a casual relationship
       • Causal link
         • If the correlation is strong then further investigation is justified because there may be a causal link
     • weaknesses
       • Cannot show cause and effect relationship
         • Cannot show a cause and effect relationship. People often misinterpret correlations and assume that a cause and effect have been found whereas this is not possible
       • Intervening variables
         • There may be intervening variables that can explain why the co-variables being studied are links. For example, research studies have shown a positive correlation between amount of TV watched and aggressiveness. However, it is wrong to conclude that watching TV is directly related to aggressiveness because it could be that a low boredom threshold was the cause of both of them.
       • Lacks
         • The method used to measure either co-variable may lack reliability or validity
   • Hypothesis
     • One-tailed
       • "There is a positive relationship between ...."
     • Two-tailed
       • "There is a relationship between..."
     • Null
       • "There is no relationship between..."

2. Experiments

   • types
   • Design
   • Evaluation
   • Hypothesis
   • Participants

3. Self report

4. Observations

   • Samples
     • Event
       • Draw up a list of behavioural categories. Then count every time each of the behaviours occurs in a specific time period
     • Time
       • Recording behaviours at regular intervals (every minutes for 30 minutes) or taking a sample at different times of the day
   • types
     • Controlled
       • Some variables are changed by the research e.g in a lab
       • +Controlled environment allows focus on particular aspects of behaviour
       • -Environment may feel unnatural and then participants' behaviour may not be 'normal'. This means that the observations may lack validity
     • Naturalistic
       • Everything is left as usual. Environment unstructured but may use structured techniques
       • -Participants may know they are being observered which alters their behaviour
       • -Little control of all other variables
       • +A realistic picture of natural spontaneous behaviour , therefore high ecological valdity
     • Structured
       • - Observers may 'see' or 'hear' what they expect to see. (Researcher/ observer bias)
       • +Improves inter-rater reliability because observations can be more consistent
     • Unstructured
       • +useful when behaviour to be studied is largely unpredictable
       • +Used in initial investigations such as a pilot study
       • - Behaviours recorded are often those that are most eye-catching but may not be the most important or relevant behaviours
     • Non-Participant
       • +Increased objectivity because of a psychological and also possible a physical distance
       • -Observer may misinterpret the communications within the group because they are an outsider. This could reduce the validity of the observation
     • Paticipant
       • +Likely to provide special insights into behaviour, from the "inside".
       • +Able to monitor and record behaviour in closer detail
       • -Objectivity reduced
       • -More difficult to record and monitor behaviour unobtrusively if the observer is part of the group being observed
     • Covert
       • +Participants behave more naturally because they are not aware of being observed
       • - Raises ethical issues about observing people without their knowledge ( Deception and invasion of privacy)
     • Overt
       • +Avoids lack of informed consent because participants can decide whether to participate
       • -If participants know they are being observed they are likely to alter their behaviour. This is called a observer effect
   • Evaluation

5. Ethics

   • Confidentiality
   • Deception
   • Informed consent
   • Privacy
   • Right to withdraw
   • Protection from harm

6. Statistics

   • Descriptive
     • Mean
     • Mode
     • Range
     • Median
   • Inferential
     • Norminal
     • Ordinal
     • Interval
     • Ratio