1.2 Planning and conducting research Flashcards
what is a research aim?
a statement of what the researcher intends to find out in a research study
what is a research question?
the question the researcher is trying to answer
what is a hypothesis?
- a precise and testable statement about the assumed relationship between variables
- if you aren’t doing an experiment its called an alternative hypothesis
what is a null hypothesis?
the IV is not going to affect the DV
if a null hypothesis is rejected it means the theory is supported
what is an alternative hypothesis?
the IV is going to affect the DV
there are 2 types:
- 1 tailed: you can predict the direction of the result
- 2 tailed: you can’t predict the direction of the result
what is a target population?
particular groups within the general population that you are interested in
what is a sample?
smaller groups of people selected from the target population to represent the target population
define random sampling
every person in the target population has an equal chance of being studied
what is a strength of random sampling?
- least chance of bias as everyone in the target population has an equal chance of being selected
- most likely chance of being able to generalise because of this less chance of bias
what is a weakness of random sampling?
- still unlikely to be representative of the target population with small samples
- likely to need a large sample as people chosen might not want to take part so then the final sample will be biased and not truly random
define snowball sampling
psychologists will find a participant and once they have studied them they will ask them if they know anyone else in the same situation
what is a strength of snowball sampling?
- possible to include members of groups where no lists or identifiable clusters even exist and who may not be easy to access
- useful for participants who don’t want to be found
what is a weakness of snowball sampling?
- no way of knowing if the sample is representative of the population
- suffers from culture and gender bias
define self-selected sampling
people volunteer to take part
what is a strength of self selected sampling?
- researchers get informed consent from the beginning because participants have signed up freely
- if the issue is socially sensitive, people can select themselves making it more ethical
what is a weakness of self-selected sampling?
- likely to be biased as a certain type of person is likely to volunteer
- the sample is not typical of the population e.g not all people read the paper and even those who do won’t volunteer
define opportunity sampling
you use anyone who happens to be there at the time
what is a strength of opportunity sampling?
- easiest sampling type for the researchers as they can just use whoever is there
what is a weakness of opportunity sampling?
- the most chance of the sample being biased
- researchers may show selection bias and ask certain types of people to take part
- least likely to be able to generalise
define independent measures design
when participants only do one condition in an experiment
what is a strength of independent measures design?
- no order effects or practice effects
- participants are less likely to show demand characteristics
- the same stimulus material can be used in both conditions which reduces extraneous variables and saves time
what is a weakness of independent measures design?
- individual differences, different people take part in different conditions and so it could be something about the person rather than the IV affecting the DV
- more participants required
define repeated measures design
when every participant takes part in both conditions
what is a strength of repeated measures design?
- no individual differences between conditions
- less participants required
what is a weakness of repeated measures design?
- order effects such as boredom can occur
- practice effects can occur since participants are tested twice
- participants are more likely to show demand characteristics
define matched participants design
participants only do one condition, participants in condition A are matched to those in condition B on relevant variables
what is a strength of matched participants design?
- individual differences are reduced
- no order effects
- less likely to show demand characteristics
- the same stimulus can be used in both conditions
what is a weakness of matched participants design?
- impossible to match participants exactly so there will always be some individual differences
- matching participants may be time-consuming
what is the IV and how is it operationalised?
- the variable we manipulate
- by putting abstract concepts into concrete measurable concepts
- putting variables into a form that they can be tested
how are extraneous variables controlled?
- randomisation : the use of chance in order to control for the effects of bias when designing materials and deciding the order of conditions
- standardisation : using exactly the same formalised procedures and instructions for all the participants
- reduced demand characteristics : hide the aim by using deception or distractor questions
define behavioural categories
pre-determined operationalised categories of behaviour that will be observed
what is a strength of a behavioural category?
easy to record
what is a weakness of a behavioural category?
open to observer bias
define coding frames
a list of behavioural categories with a code and potentially a scale
what is a strength of coding frames?
it makes recording behaviour easy
what is a weakness of coding frames?
- time consuming and difficult to gain a conclusion
define time sampling
when you divide time into equal intervals and record whether a behaviour occurs in a time interval
what is a strength of time sampling?
- reduces the amount of time spent observing
- increases the accuracy of observation as less likely to get bored and miss things
what is a weakness of time sampling?
- behaviour may be missed if time samples are limited
- if time samples are too short you may not record behaviour that is representative
define event sampling
when you record how many behaviours occur over the whole period of time
what is a strength of event sampling?
- validity is increased as you’re only focusing on the behaviour that is of interest to you
what is a weakness of event sampling?
- reductionist, it limits the behaviour to just a few types
- could be taken out of context if only focusing on certain parts of the overall behaviour
define open questions
e.g ‘how do you feel about?’
the participant can explain and elaborate their answer
what is a strength of open questions?
- more in depth data because participants can elaborate on their answers and we get a greater understanding
- researchers can pursue a line of enquiry
what is a weakness of open questions?
- produces qualitative data which is subjective because the researcher needs to interpret participants responses
- low internal validity
define closed questions
participants can only give a limited response such as yes/no agree/disagree
what is a strength of a closed question?
- produces quantitative data which can be less subjective
- high internal validity
- researchers can get a response that suits them
what is a weakness of a closed question?
- data doesn’t have a lot of detail
- participants give limited answers and we don’t understand the complexities of human behaviour
define rating scale
an instrument that is used to assign scores to people or items along some numerical dimension, such as agreement with an attitude statement or frequency of occurrence.
what is a strength of a rating scale?
- produces quantitative data which is easy to analyse and make comparisons
- large amounts of data can be collected quickly
what is a weakness of a rating scale?
- the data lacks detail since its quantitative lowering validity
- risk of response bias e.g, giving the same answers
- points on a scale are only relative, gaps aren’t equal
define likert rating scale
participants indicate on a scale how much you agree with a statement
what is a strength of a likert rating scale?
- produces quantitative data which is less subjective
- high internal validity
what is a weakness of a likert rating scale?
- participants can only give a limited answer so the data doesn’t have a lot of detail
define osgood semantic differential
indicate where you stand on a scale between 2 contrasting adjectives
what is a strength of osgood semantic differential?
- valid and reliable
- easy to understand
- represents participants subjective feelings
what is a weakness of osgood semantic differential?
- susceptible to response bias such as social desirability
