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AS Psychology > 3.2.3 Research methods > Flashcards

3.2.3 Research methods Flashcards

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1
Q

Name the 4 research methods

A
  1. Experimental method
  2. Observational techniques
  3. Self-report techniques
  4. Correlations
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2
Q

What is random allocation?

A

When participants have same chance of being placed in any condition in experiment

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3
Q

Describe how you could randomly allocate participants to 2 condtions

A
  1. Name each participant on separate piece of paper
  2. Put all names in a hat
  3. Pick out names individually
  4. 1st half of names are assigned to condition A
  5. 2nd half of names assigned to condition B
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4
Q

Name 4 experimental methods

A
  1. Laboratory Experiments
  2. Field Experiments
  3. Natural Experiments
  4. Quasi Experiments
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5
Q

What is meant by a laboratory experiment?

A
  • Experiment that takes place in controlled environment
  • Where researcher manipulates IV and records effect of DV
  • Involves controlled EVs and randomly allocating participants to conditions
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6
Q

Laboratory Experiments

Name 2 pros

A
  • Replication
    • Due to high level of control
    • Find if results are valid
  • High control over EV
    • Researcher can ensure that effect on DV is result of manipulation of IV
      • Show true cause and effect = high internal validity
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7
Q

Laboratory Experiments

Name 2 cons

A
  • Demand characteristics
    • Results invalid
  • Lack generalisability
    • Lab experiment = artificial
    • Participants may behave in strand ways = behaviour cannot be generalised = low external validity
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8
Q

What is meant by a field experiment?

A

Experiment that takes place in natural setting where researcher manipulates IV and records effect of DV

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9
Q

Field Experiment

Name a pro

A
  • Higher mundane realism = environment is more natural
    • Produce behaviour that’s more valid = high external validity
    • Especially when participants don’t know they’re being studied
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10
Q

Field Experiment

Name 3 cons

A
  • Precise replication is difficult due to lack of control
  • Harder to control extraneous variables
    • Harder to establish cause and effect between IV and DV
  • Ethical issues
    • Participants cannot consent to being studied
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11
Q

What is meant by a natural experiment?

A

Experiment where IV occurs naturally and not manipulated by researcher (is external)

  • Setting could still artificial
  • DV would happen even if researcher were not studying IV (e.g. IV e.g. adoption/natural disaster)
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12
Q

Natural Experiment

Name 2 pros

A
  • Provides opportunities for research that may not be undertaken for practical or ethical reasons
  • High external validity
    • Involve study of real life issues
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13
Q

Natural Experiment

Name 2 cons

A
  • Naturally occurring event rarely happens
    • Limits the scope for generalising results to other similar situations
  • Participants may not be randomly allocated to experimental conditions
    • Can’t be sure if IV affected DV
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14
Q

What is meant by a quasi experiment?

A
  • IV had not been determined by anyone (it’s naturally occurring within the participant)
    • IV is internal & can’t be manipulated by researcher
    • e.g. IV = twin, old, young, where they have IQ over 100
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15
Q

Quasi Experiment

Name a pro

A
  • Under controlled conditions
    • Have same strengths had lab e.g. clear cause and effect, high internal validity, ability to replicate
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16
Q

Quasi Experiment

Name 2 cons

A
  • Lack ecological validity
  • Researcher cannot randomly allocate participants to conditions
    • May be confounding variables = affects validity
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17
Q

Why conduct observations?

A

Experimental method doesn’t always provide most suitable way to study particular behaviour

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18
Q

Name 8 observational techniques

A
  1. Naturalistic Observations
  2. Controlled Observations
  3. Covert Observations
  4. Overt Observations
  5. Participant Observation
  6. Non-participant Observation
  7. Unstructured Observations
  8. Structured Observations
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19
Q

Describe Naturalistic Observations

A

Watching and recording behaviour in setting which it would normally occur in

e.g. watching infant play in its natural environment (nursery school)

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20
Q

Naturalistic Observations

Name a pro

A
  • High external validity
    • Findings generalisable
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21
Q

Naturalistic Observations

Name 3 cons

A
  • Lack control = replication is difficult
  • Hard to have confidence in results
  • Difficult to control extraneous variables
    • Hard to judge any pattern in behaviour in valid way
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22
Q

Describe Controlled Observations

A

Watching and recording behaviour within structured environment (where some variables managed)

e.g. Mary Ainsworth’s strange situation

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23
Q

Controlled Observations

Name a pro

A
  • Extraneous variables controlled
    • Easier to cause and effect & replicate observation
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24
Q

Controlled Observations

Name a con

A

More artificial = lack external validity ∴ can’t generalise to real life

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25
Q

Describe Covert Observations

A
  • Participants’ behaviour is watched and recored without their knowledge
  • Behaviour has to be public & happening anyway for observation to be ethical
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26
Q

Covert Observations

Name a pro

A
  • Removes problem of participant reactivity & ensures behaviour observed will be natural
    • Increases validity of data
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27
Q

Covert Observations

Name a con

A

Ethics questionable = public may not want to be observed

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28
Q

Describe Overt Observations

A
  • Participants’ behaviour is watched and recored with their knowledge
  • Observers try to unobtrusive as possible = use one way mirrors
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29
Q

Overt Observations

Name a pro

A

More ethical = no issues with privacy and informed consent

30
Q

Overt Observations

Name a con

A
  • Participant reactivity e.g. social desirability
    • Behaviour may not be valid
31
Q

Describe Participant Observation

A

Researcher becomes member of group whose behaviour they’re watching and recording

32
Q

Participant Observation

Name 2 pros

A
  • Researcher can experience situation as participants do
  • Gives insight to lives of people being studied = increases validity of findings
33
Q

Participant Observation

Name a con

A

Researcher may identify too strongly with those they’re studying and lose objectivity

34
Q

Describe Non-participant Observation

A
  • Researcher remains outside group whose behaviour they’re watching
  • Records behaviour in more objective manner
35
Q

Non-participant Observation

Name a pro

A

Maintain objective psychological distance = less danger of ‘going native’

36
Q

Non-participant Observation

Name a con

A
  • Lose valuable insight as they’re not participating
    • May not understand behaviour
37
Q

Describe Unstructured Observations

A
  • Researcher records all relevant behaviours but has no system
  • Observer has to record every instance of behaviour in as much detail
38
Q

Unstructured Observations

Name a pro

A
  • Useful for researchers who are observing behaviours/situations that haven’t been conducted before
    • As kind of pilot study to see what behaviours might be recored using structured system
39
Q

Unstructured Observations

Name 2 cons

A
  • May be too much to record
  • Behaviours recorded = most visible but may not be most important/relevant behaviours
40
Q

Describe Structured Observations

A

Use of various ‘systems’ to organise observations

41
Q

Name the 2 mains ways to structure observation

A

By using:

  • Behavioural Categories
  • Sampling Procedures
42
Q

Describe Behavioural Categories

A
  • Behaviour needs to be operationalised ∴ break it down into set of categories
    • e.g. when observing infant behaviour = smiling, crying and sleeping
  • Should be objective, cover all possible behaviours and mutually exclusive
43
Q

Name 4 reasons why behavioural categories are important

A
  1. Allow observers to tally observations into pre-arranged groupings
  2. Provides clear focus
  3. Greater reliability
  4. Easier to quantify data
44
Q

Name 2 Sampling Procedures

A
  • Event sampling
  • Time sampling
45
Q

What is event sampling?

A

Counting no. of times a certain behaviour occurs in certain time

46
Q

What is time sampling?

A

Recording behaviours in given frame

e.g. every 30 seconds

47
Q

Describe observer bias

A
  • Difficult for observers to be objective
  • What researchers observe can be distorted by their expectations of what’s likely or what they hope to see
48
Q

How can we make observations more reliable?

A

By using at least 2 observers to record same data

49
Q

What is meant by inter-observer reliability?

A

Extent to which 2 or more observes agree

50
Q

When is the inter-observer reliability considered high for data?

A

More than 80% agreement on observations

51
Q

What are questionnaires?

A

Set of written questions designed to collection information

52
Q

Name 3 qualities that good questionnaires have

A
  • Filler questions
    • Irrelevant questions to distract respondent from main purpose of questionnaire
  • Sequence for questions
    • Start with easy questions
  • Pilot study
    • Test questionnaire on small group of people
53
Q

Name 3 pros of questionnaires

A
  • Use them for lots of people cheaply and quickly
  • Respondents may feel comfortable to reveal personal/confidential information
  • Reduces experimenter bias
54
Q

Name 2 cons of questionnaires

A
  • Biased
  • Take long time to design
55
Q

Name 2 types of interviews

A
  • Structured Interview
  • Unstructured Interview
56
Q

Describe Structured Interviews

A

Pre-determined questions

57
Q

Describe Unstructured Interviews

A
  • New questions developed during course of interview
  • May begin with general aims
58
Q

Name 3 designs of interviews

A
  • Recording interview
  • Effect of interviewer
  • Non-verbal communication
59
Q

Name 3 questioning tips for interviews

A
  • Be aware of questions asked & avoid repeating them
  • Avoid probing too much and asking why too often
  • Ask more focused questions
60
Q

Interviews

Name 3 pros

A
  • Easily be repeated ∵ questions are standardised
  • Different people can be compared due to standardised questions
  • More detailed information
61
Q

Interviews

Name 3 cons

A
  • Interviewer bias
  • More expensive = need skilled interviewer
  • Comparability difficult if interviewer behaves differently or different interviewer
62
Q

What are correlations?

A

Relationship between 2 variables to see if trend/pattern exists

63
Q

Describe the difference between correlations and experiments

A
  • Experiment = controls or manipulates IV to see effect on DV
    • Possible to infer cause and effect relationship between IV and DV
  • Correlation study, researcher doesn’t manipulate IV ∴ can’t assume cause and effect relationship
    • e.g. if we found strong positive correlation between caffeine and anxiety ≠ caffeine causes anxiety
64
Q

Write a correlational null hypothesis

e.g. Age and beauty = co-variables

A

There is no relationship between age and beauty, any relationship will be due to chance factors

65
Q

Write a correlational non-directional hypothesis

e.g. Age and beauty = co-variables

A

There will be a relationship between age and beauty

66
Q

Write a correlational directional hypothesis

e.g. Age and beauty = co-variables

A

There will be as positive relationship between age and beauty

67
Q

Describe Curvilinear Relationships

A

Relationship is not linear = predictable relationship through Yerkes-Dodson law

68
Q

Correlations

Name 3 pros

A
  • Used to investigate trends in data
    • Correlation = significant = further investigation justified
    • Correlation = insignificant = rule out causal relationship
  • Can be easier repeated = findings can be confirmed
  • Quick and economical
    • No need for controlled environment or manipulation of variables
    • Data collected by others = correlations less time consuming
69
Q

Correlations

Name 2 cons

A
  • Lack internal/external valid
    • e.g. methods used to measure academic achievement may lack validity
    • Or sample used may lack generalisability
  • As researcher measures variables without manipulating = no clear cause and effect
70
Q

What is meant by self-report?

A

When participants gives information to the reseacher

AS Psychology (9 decks)

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