2 - Research Designs Flashcards
nomothetic
an explanation should apply to humanity in general, not just to the people who participated in the study
three criteria of causation
correlation, time order, non-spuriousness
what does it mean that nomothetic explanations need to correlate?
the proposed cause and the proposed effect have to vary together
what does it mean that nomothetic explanations need to satisfy time order
the proposed cause must precede the effect in time
what does it mean that nomothetic explanations need to be non-spurious
alternative explanations for the correlation observed have to be ruled out
measurement or construct validity
refers to whether a particular indicator actually does measure what it is supposed to measure, applies primarily to quantitative research. ex: IQ
internal validity
causality
external validity
whether a study’s finding are applicable in settings outside the research environment, and whether the results of a study can be generalized beyond the people or cases analyzed by the researcher
which one is more likely to be externally valid: qualitative or quantitative?
qualitative, because it usually takes a naturalistic stance
naturalism
a style of research that seeks to minimize the use of artificial methods of data collection
cross sectional vs longitudinal
one point in time vs across time
types of case studies
critical, extreme/unique, revelatory
critical case
the researcher has a clearly specified hypothesis, and a case is chosen on the grounds that it will allow a better understanding of the circumstances under which the hypothesis does or does not hold
extreme/unique case
common focus in clinical studies
revelatory case
when an investigator has an opportunity to observe and analyze a phenomenon previously inaccessible to scientific investigation
