Flashcards
Research methods
Cards in this deck (107)
- 1What does mundane realism mean?It refers to how an experiment mirrors the real world
- 2What is an important factor to remember about generalisablilty?Just because something has been conducted in a natural invironment doesnt mean it can be generalised.
- 3What is internal validty?Did the investigator test what he wanted to test
- 4What is external validty?Can it be generalised to different places, people, setting or times?
- 5What is the meaning of validity?It refers to how true or legitimate something is as an explanation of behaviour as it investigates the hypothesis.
- 6What are the main ethical issues?1. informed consent
2.deception
3.the right to withdraw
4.physical/psychological harm
5.confidentiality
6.privacy - 7What happens if a psychologist doesn't conduct their study to ethical issues?BPS can ban the psychologist from conducting psychology studies in the future?
- 8How to deal with informed consent?gain presumptive consent which consists of gaining consent from participants when they don't actually know what they are getting themselves in for.
- 9How to deal with deception?Participants can be fully debriefed after the study and offered the opportunity to withhold their data however this may lower a person's self esteem.
- 10How to deal with privacy?Participants can be asked to give their retrospective consent or withhold their data.
- 11What is an ethics committee ?a group of people with in a research institution that must approve a study before it begins.
- 12What is a hypothesis?It is a statement what believe to be true which is precise and testable of the relationship between two variables.
- 13What is an independent variable?A variable that the experimenter changes.
- 14What is a dependant variable?A variable that you measure?
- 15How is IV and DV linked?The IV leads to a change in DV
- 16What is a non-directional hypothesis?Predicts simply that there will be a difference between two conditions or two groups of participants, without stating the direction of the difference
- 17What is a directional hypothesis?states the direction of the predicted difference between two conditions or two groups of participants.
- 18What is a pilot study?A small-scale trial run of a study to test any aspects of the design, with a view to making improvements e.g. in case a participant doesn't understand the instructions, may get bored due to too many questions.
- 19What are the three experimental designs?1.Repeated measures design
2.Independent groups design
3.Matched pair design - 20What is a repeated measures design and what is a limitation of this?Each participant takes part in every condition under test. Participants can guess the purpose of the study and not give true results due to demand characteristics. To prevent this the researcher can use a cover story (single blind)
- 21What is an independent groups design? what is a limitation of this?Participants are allocated to two or more groups representing different experimental conditions, allocation is usually done through random sampling. No control of participants variable e.g. group 1 may have better memory. Randomly allocate participants which theoretically distributes participant variables evenly
- 22What is a matched pair design? What is a limitation for it?Pairs of participants ate matched in terms of key variables e.g. age/IQ. One member of each pair is placed in the experimental group and other member in the control group. This can be very time consuming so you can restrict matching variables to make it easier.
- 23Meaning of counterbalancing?An experimental technique used to overcome order effects. Counter balancing ensures that each condition is tested first or second in equal amounts.
- 24What is the order effect?it is a repeated measures design, an extraneous variable arising from
the order in which conditions are present. - 25What is random allocation?Allocating participants to experimental groups or conditions using random techniques.
- 26What is a single blind?A type of research design in which the participants is not aware of the research aims.
- 27What consists in Extraneous variables?Age, Intelligence, motivation, experience, gender, time of day, temperature and noises.
- 28How to deal with situational variables?use standardised procedures to ensure that all participants are tested under the same conditions.
- 29What are demand characteristics?A cue that makes participants aware of what the researcher expects to find or how participants are expected to behave which can then make others conform.
- 30what is a double blind?Neither participant nor experimenter are aware of the important details therefor have no expectations.
- 31What is experimental realism?The extent to which participants become involved in an experiment and become less influenced by sues about how to behave.
- 32What is the hawthorn effect?The tendency for participants to alter their behaviour merely as a result of knowing that they are being observed.
- 33What is investigator/ experimenter bias?the effect that an experimenter's expectations have on the participants and thus on the result of each study.
- 34What is the investigator effect?anything that the experimenter does has an effect on the participants performance.
- 35What is social desirability bias?a tendency for responders to answer questions in a way that will present them in a better life.
- 36What is quantitative data?numerical data
- 37What is a qualitative data?non-numerical data
- 38How is the mean calculated?adding up all the numbers and dividing by the number of numbers
- 39What is the easiest measure of dispersion?The range which is the difference between the highest and lowest score.
- 40What is another method of measures of dispersion?Standard deviation which shows the amount of variation in a data set. Itassess the spread of data around the mean.
- 41What are the strengths and limitations of the range?The range provides direct information and it is ease to calculate but it is effected by extreme values
- 42What are the strengths and limitations of standard deviations?it isa more precise measure of dispersion because all value are taken into account but some may hide the characteristics of the data set.
- 43What is the measures of central tendency?it informs us about central values for a set of data
- 44What is standard deviation?This is the measure of the spread of the data around the mean.
- 45What is nominal data?The data can be separated into separate categories.
- 46What is ordinal data?Data that is ordered in some way e.g. a list
- 47What is interval data?Data that is measured using units of equal intervals
- 48What is ratio data?data that is a true zero point
- 49What is a lab experiment?an experiment conducted in a special environment where variables can be carefully controlled.
- 50What is a field experiment?An experiment conducted in a more natural environment.
- 51Evaluation of lab and field experiments1. participants know they are being studied which can effect their behaviour
2.can control disturbances
3.field are more natural and are more representative of everyday life. - 52What is a natural experiment? what is an evaluation of it?it is a method in which the experimenter connot manipulate the independent variable directly. Participants are not randomly allocated to conditions in a natural experiment which may reduce validity. It can't demonstrate casual relationships because IV not directly manipulated.
- 53What is the meaning of difference studies?studies in which two groups of participants are compared in terms of DV
- 54What are quasi-experimeriments?studies that are almost eperiments but lack one or more features of a true experiment.
- 55What are controlled observations?participants' environment5 that is controlled , not the techniques used to obtain observational data.
- 56When are systematic techniques used?naturalistic and controlled observations
- 57What happens in a naturalistic observation?behaviour is studied in a natural situation where everything has been left as it is normally.
- 58What happens in a controlled observation?Some variables are controlled by the researcher reducing the 'naturalness' of behaviour being studied and they are more likely to know they are being studied.
- 59Why is making observations difficult?1. it is difficult to work out what to record and what not to record.
2.It is difficult to record everything that is happening even if you do select what to record and what not to record. - 60What consisits of observing structurally?1. Behavioural categories- how to record the behaviour you are interested in.
2.sampling procedures-who you are observing and when. - 61What consists of unstructered observations?The researcher records all relevent behaviour but has no system. The behaviour to be studied is largely unpredictable.
- 62Why are behavioural categories one of the hardest aspects?our perseption of behaviours is often seamless and we need to break up the stream od actions into different behavioural categories. They should:1. Be objective
2. cover all possible component behaviours and avoid a waste basket
3.be mutually exclusive (dont mark two categories at one time) - 63What should be sampled in sampling precedures?Event sampling- counting the number of times a certain behavior occures in a target individual.
Time sampling- recording behaviours in a given time frame. - 64What is the meaning of covert?preventing a participants from knowing they are being observed.
- 65What is a behaviour checklist?A list of behaviours to be recorded during an observational study
- 66What is a coding system?a systematic method for recording observations in which individual behaviours are given a code for ease of recording.
- 67What is extrenal validity?This can be generalised to other countries therefore has high ecological validity?
- 68How can improve validty?researcher can conduct observations in varied settings with varied participants-making it more generalisable.
- 69What is reliabilty?refers to whether something is concictent.
- 70Whta is inter-observer reliabilty?The extent to which there is agreement between two or more observers invovled in observations of behaviour.
- 71Strength and limitation of observational research?what people do and what people say they do is completely different so observing them may be more relable than a questionaire. There can be little or no control of extraneous variables which may mean that something unknown to the observer may account for the behaviour observed.
- 72Whta is observer bias?observers might see what they expect to see which reduces the validtity of the observations.
- 73What is an oppportunity sample and what are the strengths and limitations of it?Ask people who walk by you in the street. it is an easier method but is very bias as it is only taken from a very small part of your target population?
- 74What is volunteer sampling and what are the strengths and limitations of it?Advertise in a newspaper or on a notice board. it gives you access to a variety or participants which would make a sample more representative and less biased but the sample is biased as participants are likely to be more motivated.
- 75What is a target population?it is a group of invidivuals a researcher is interested in.
- 76What is stratified sampling?selection if done randomly e.g. every tenth person, They are selected in arder to obtain a reprentative sample.
- 77what is quota sampling?another method such as oppportunity sampling.
- 78How to write a good questionaires?1.filler questions-irrelevnt questions
2.sequence of the questions-best start with easy ones
3.sampling technique-how to select respondents
4.pilot study- test the questions - 79What are closed questions?questions have a range of answers to choose from
- 80What are open questions?questions that invite the respondents to provide their own questions
- 81What is a structured interview?Interview in which the questionare decided in advance
- 82What is an unstructured interview?The interview starts out with some general aims and possibly some questions.
- 83What are the strengths and weaknesses of a questionaire?can be easily repeated so that data can be collectd from large numbers of people.
answers may not be truthful - 84What are the strengths and limitations to structed interview?can be easily repeated because the questions are standardised
the interviewers expectations may influence the answers the interviewee gives. - 85What are the strengths and limitations to unstructered interviews?More detailed information which can generally be obtained from each brespondent than in a structered interview.
more effected by interviewer bias than structered interview - 86What is a correlational hypothesis?states the expected relationship between co-variables.
- 87What are the strengths of using correlation analysis?can be used when it would be unethical or impractical to manipulate variables
if correlation is significant then further investigation is justified - 88What are the limitations of using correlational analysis?People often misinterpret correlations and assume that a cause and effect have been found.
There may be other, unknown variables (intervening variables) that can explain why the co-variables being studied are linked. - 89What is the intervening variable?a variable that comes between two other variables which is used to explain the relationship between those two variables.
- 90What is a scattergram?a graphical representation of the relationship between two sets of scores.
- 91what is a correlation/correlational analysis?determining the extent of a relationship between two variables:
zero correlation-not linked
positive correlation-both increase together
negative correlation-one increases the other decreases - 92What is a case study?A research method that involves a detailed study of a single individual, institutional or event. Case studies provide a rich record of human experience but are hard to generalise.
- 93What are the strengths of a case study?the method offers rich in-depth data, so all information that may be overlooked using other methods is likely to be identified.
- 94What are the limitations of a case study?it is difficult to generalise from individual cases as each one has unique characteristics.
It is often necessary to use recollection of past events as part of the case history and such evidence may be unreliable - 95What is content analysis?a kind of observational study in which behaviour is observed indirectly in written or verbal materials such as newspapers.
- 96What is an evaluation of content analysis?high ecological validity as they are based on direct observations of what people actually do.
observer bias reduces the objectivity and validity of findings because different observers may interpret the meaning of behavioural categories differently. - 97What are the strengths and limitations of quantitative data?can produce neat conclusions because numerical data reduces the variety of possibilities
over simplifies reality and human experience
. - 98What are the strengths and limitations of qualitative data?represents the true complexities of human behaviour
it is more difficult to detect patterns and draw conclusions because of the large amount of data usually collected. - 99what is the multi-method approach?a combination of all sorts of different techniques and methods to investigate the target behaviour.
- 100What is a meta analysis and what are the strengths and limitations?a researcher looks at the findings from a number of different studies in order to reach a general conclusion about a particular hypothesis.
more reliable conclusions can be drawn
the research designs in the studies may vary - 101what is a cross sectional study and what are the strengths and limitations?a kind of natural experiment in which the IV is different cultural practices and the DV is a behaviour such as attachment. This enables researchers to investigate the effects of nature and nurture.
shows behaviours are universal
that group may not be representative of that culture - 102What is a longitudinal study?a study that happens over a long period of time
- 103What is a cross sectional study?comparing young age with old age
- 104What are problems with longitudinal and cross-sectional studies?longitudinal:
attrition- loss of participants over time
they are likely to become aware of the research aims
Cross-sectional:
two groups can be very different to each other
Both:
cohort effects- on group of participants may have unique characteristics because of time-specific experiences during the development of its members - 105what is role play and what are the strengths and limitations?a controlled observation in which participants are asked asked to imagine how they would behave in certain situations
gives the researcher a way to observe what may be unethical or impractical
do people actually act like that? - 106What is an experimental condition?independent variable
- 107what is a control condition?without IV that acts as a base line
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- A level Psychology (Research methods) Flashcards on Research methods, created by chloe oconnor on 29/04/2015.
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- chloe oconnor
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