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psychology paper 1 > 1.2 Planning and conducting research > Flashcards

1.2 Planning and conducting research Flashcards

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1
Q

what is a research aim?

A

a statement of what the researcher intends to find out in a research study

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2
Q

what is a research question?

A

the question the researcher is trying to answer

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3
Q

what is a hypothesis?

A
  • a precise and testable statement about the assumed relationship between variables
  • if you aren’t doing an experiment its called an alternative hypothesis
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4
Q

what is a null hypothesis?

A

the IV is not going to affect the DV
if a null hypothesis is rejected it means the theory is supported

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5
Q

what is an alternative hypothesis?

A

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

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6
Q

what is a target population?

A

particular groups within the general population that you are interested in

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7
Q

what is a sample?

A

smaller groups of people selected from the target population to represent the target population

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8
Q

define random sampling

A

every person in the target population has an equal chance of being studied

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9
Q

what is a strength of random sampling?

A
  • 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
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10
Q

what is a weakness of random sampling?

A
  • 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
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11
Q

define snowball sampling

A

psychologists will find a participant and once they have studied them they will ask them if they know anyone else in the same situation

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12
Q

what is a strength of snowball sampling?

A
  • 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
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13
Q

what is a weakness of snowball sampling?

A
  • no way of knowing if the sample is representative of the population
  • suffers from culture and gender bias
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14
Q

define self-selected sampling

A

people volunteer to take part

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15
Q

what is a strength of self selected sampling?

A
  • 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
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16
Q

what is a weakness of self-selected sampling?

A
  • 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
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17
Q

define opportunity sampling

A

you use anyone who happens to be there at the time

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18
Q

what is a strength of opportunity sampling?

A
  • easiest sampling type for the researchers as they can just use whoever is there
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19
Q

what is a weakness of opportunity sampling?

A
  • 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
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20
Q

define independent measures design

A

when participants only do one condition in an experiment

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21
Q

what is a strength of independent measures design?

A
  • 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
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22
Q

what is a weakness of independent measures design?

A
  • 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
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23
Q

define repeated measures design

A

when every participant takes part in both conditions

24
Q

what is a strength of repeated measures design?

A
  • no individual differences between conditions
  • less participants required
25
Q

what is a weakness of repeated measures design?

A
  • order effects such as boredom can occur
  • practice effects can occur since participants are tested twice
  • participants are more likely to show demand characteristics
26
Q

define matched participants design

A

participants only do one condition, participants in condition A are matched to those in condition B on relevant variables

27
Q

what is a strength of matched participants design?

A
  • individual differences are reduced
  • no order effects
  • less likely to show demand characteristics
  • the same stimulus can be used in both conditions
28
Q

what is a weakness of matched participants design?

A
  • impossible to match participants exactly so there will always be some individual differences
  • matching participants may be time-consuming
29
Q

what is the IV and how is it operationalised?

A
  • the variable we manipulate
  • by putting abstract concepts into concrete measurable concepts
  • putting variables into a form that they can be tested
30
Q

how are extraneous variables controlled?

A
  • 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
31
Q

define behavioural categories

A

pre-determined operationalised categories of behaviour that will be observed

32
Q

what is a strength of a behavioural category?

A

easy to record

33
Q

what is a weakness of a behavioural category?

A

open to observer bias

34
Q

define coding frames

A

a list of behavioural categories with a code and potentially a scale

35
Q

what is a strength of coding frames?

A

it makes recording behaviour easy

36
Q

what is a weakness of coding frames?

A
  • time consuming and difficult to gain a conclusion
37
Q

define time sampling

A

when you divide time into equal intervals and record whether a behaviour occurs in a time interval

38
Q

what is a strength of time sampling?

A
  • reduces the amount of time spent observing
  • increases the accuracy of observation as less likely to get bored and miss things
39
Q

what is a weakness of time sampling?

A
  • behaviour may be missed if time samples are limited
  • if time samples are too short you may not record behaviour that is representative
40
Q

define event sampling

A

when you record how many behaviours occur over the whole period of time

41
Q

what is a strength of event sampling?

A
  • validity is increased as you’re only focusing on the behaviour that is of interest to you
42
Q

what is a weakness of event sampling?

A
  • 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
43
Q

define open questions

A

e.g ‘how do you feel about?’
the participant can explain and elaborate their answer

44
Q

what is a strength of open questions?

A
  • more in depth data because participants can elaborate on their answers and we get a greater understanding
  • researchers can pursue a line of enquiry
45
Q

what is a weakness of open questions?

A
  • produces qualitative data which is subjective because the researcher needs to interpret participants responses
  • low internal validity
46
Q

define closed questions

A

participants can only give a limited response such as yes/no agree/disagree

47
Q

what is a strength of a closed question?

A
  • produces quantitative data which can be less subjective
  • high internal validity
  • researchers can get a response that suits them
48
Q

what is a weakness of a closed question?

A
  • data doesn’t have a lot of detail
  • participants give limited answers and we don’t understand the complexities of human behaviour
49
Q

define rating scale

A

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.

50
Q

what is a strength of a rating scale?

A
  • produces quantitative data which is easy to analyse and make comparisons
  • large amounts of data can be collected quickly
51
Q

what is a weakness of a rating scale?

A
  • 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
52
Q

define likert rating scale

A

participants indicate on a scale how much you agree with a statement

53
Q

what is a strength of a likert rating scale?

A
  • produces quantitative data which is less subjective
  • high internal validity
54
Q

what is a weakness of a likert rating scale?

A
  • participants can only give a limited answer so the data doesn’t have a lot of detail
55
Q

define osgood semantic differential

A

indicate where you stand on a scale between 2 contrasting adjectives

56
Q

what is a strength of osgood semantic differential?

A
  • valid and reliable
  • easy to understand
  • represents participants subjective feelings
57
Q

what is a weakness of osgood semantic differential?

A
  • susceptible to response bias such as social desirability

psychology paper 1 (5 decks)

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