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Psyc 201: Research Methods > Chapter 2 > Flashcards

Chapter 2 Flashcards

1
Q

What are the potential sources for research questions?

A

Personal experience and daily events (eg. Kitty Genovese murder), prior research and theory, real world problems (eg.why do some kids get PTSD and others don’t?), and serendipity (eg. Viagra).

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2
Q

What is a qualitative review?

A

A review article in which authors identify important articles on a topic and integrate the findings in a nonstatistical manner while getting the major themes and conclusions from the literature.

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3
Q

What is a quantitative review?

A

Experts identify and review empirical reports on a topic (possibly categorizing the individual studies on the basis of their methodological quality) then describe the number or percent of studies that support or fail to support a particular hypothesis or conclusion. After, they discuss their findings.

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4
Q

What is a meta-analysis?

A

A quantitative approach used in many research review articles. It is a statistical procedure for combining the results of different studies that examine the same topic.

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5
Q

What does it mean to form a hypothesis through inductive reasoning?

A

Specific facts were used to form a general conclusion or general principle. (Eg. Past research/findings led to the formation of a new hypothesis; physician – “it’s likely you have a stomach ulcer.”) Bottom-up reasoning.

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6
Q

What does it mean to form a hypothesis through deductive reasoning?

A

Using a general theory to arrive at a hypothesis. (Eg. Physician – “if you have this disease, then this treatment would be most effective.”) Top-down reasoning.

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7
Q

What are the characteristics of a good hypothesis?

A

Testability (must also be falsifiable for it to be testable), specific in its predictions (the hypothesis can’t be vague; the concepts need to be clearly defined and based on sound reasoning) so that it will be clear whether the data support the hypothesis or not, and supported by the research that tests it.

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8
Q

What is exploratory research?

A

Research in which there may be no relevant theory or little prior information upon which to develop a hypothesis.

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9
Q

What is the difference between quantitative and qualitative research?

A

Quantitative research relies primarily on numerical data/analysis to describe and understand behaviour while qualitative research seeks to achieve a relatively holistic or thematic description and understanding of it (primarily through nonstatistical analysis of data).

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10
Q

What is content analysis?

A

An analysis of the different types of content found within or represented by a set of data.

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11
Q

The combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches is sometimes called…?

A

Mixed-methods research.

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12
Q

What is the goal of descriptive (nonexperimental) research?

A

To measure variables (rather than manipulate them).

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13
Q

What is the goal of exercising control in an experiment?

A

To achieve high internal validity.

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14
Q

What is the definition of “internal validity”?

A

The degree to which we can confidently infer that our study shows that one variable had a causal effect on another.

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15
Q

What is the main limitation of experiments conducted in a laboratory setting?

A

The artificiality of the environment means that findings may have low external validity.

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16
Q

What is the definition of “external validity”?

A

The generalizability of a study.

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17
Q

What is a field study?

A

A study conducted in a field (real world) setting.

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18
Q

What is a field experiment?

A

An experiment conducted in a natural setting in which researchers manipulate an independent variable and exercise some control over extraneous factors.

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19
Q

What is cross-sectional research?

A

When people of different ages are compared at the same point in time.

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20
Q

What is meant by “cohort effects”?

A

Different age groups or generations generally experience different environmental histories. (Thus differences in age groups may be saying something about different historical experiences rather than aging.)

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21
Q

What is longitudinal research?

A

Research conducted on the same participants over an extended period of time.

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22
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of longitudinal research?

A

Advantages: studying the aging process in the same people. Disadvantages: greater length of time (and cost) to collect data, the likelihood that participants will drop out over time, and the possibility that conclusions will only apply to this particular cohort.

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23
Q

What is a sequential research design?

A

When several age cohorts are tested longitudinally. (Cross-sectional + longitudinal).

24
Q

What must researchers do when planning to conduct a study?

A

They must decide how to conduct an ethical study, operationalize their variables, and minimize the presence of potential confounding variables.

25
Q

What is an operational definition?

A

The specific procedures used to measure of manipulate a variable in a particular study.

26
Q

What is a confounding variable?

A

An extraneous variable that systematically varies along with the variables being studied and therefore provides a potential alternative explanation for the results.

27
Q

What is the difference between quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis?

A

Quantitative analysis is mathematical; it typically involves using statistics to aid in summarizing and interpreting data. Qualitative analysis is nonmathematical; it often involves identifying, classifying, and describing different types of characteristics, outcomes, specific responses, or general patterns of behaviour.

28
Q

What is the role of descriptive statistics?

A

Descriptive statistics organize and summarize a set of data. (Eg. Percentages, averages, etc.)

29
Q

What are the measures of central tendency?

A

Mode, median, and mean.

30
Q

What is the disadvantage of using the mean?

A

Outliers. (Extreme scores.)

31
Q

What role does inferential statistics serve for researchers?

A

It allows them to draw conclusions about a population based on data from a sample.

32
Q

How low does the probability (using inferential statistics) have to be to let us determine whether or not the findings are due to chance?

A

5%

33
Q

What is Type I and Type II error?

A

Type 1: False alarm. Type 2: Missed opportunity.

34
Q

What is affirming the consequent?

A

If X then Y; but Y is not X.

35
Q

What is the law of parsimony?

A

The simplest explanation is the best. (Occam’s razor.)

36
Q

Mental health practitioners being urged to demonstrate the efficacy of a treatment is related to the usage of what kind of intervention?

A

Evidence-based treatments. (EBTs.)

37
Q

How are literature searches usually conducted?

A

Through accessing online scientific databases.

38
Q

What is the name for the database options for tailoring a search?

A

Parameters.

39
Q

What is a key feature of PsycARTICLES with regard to the articles they carry?

A

PsycARTICLES carry a complete online version –called a full-text version– of almost every article they carry.

40
Q

If studying a topic of which has little research, which database would be the most effective?

A

PsycINFO. (Because it is larger.)

41
Q

What is a difference between PsycINFO and PsycARTICLES in terms of what each database carries?

A

PsycINFO is a database of abstracts while PsycARTICLES is a database of online articles.

42
Q

What are some of the ways to broaden or narrow a search?

A

Boolean operators such as AND, NOT, OR, or an asterisk symbol (which is a truncation symbol).

43
Q

What is the structure of a research article?

A

Abstract, intro, method, results, discussion, references.

44
Q

What are the two main ways in which you can extract the important results of a study without having to know the complex statistical details?

A

First, if a results section is complicated then focus on the written descriptions within each sentence that spell out the findings rather than the technical statistical terms. Second, the discussion section often includes a summarization of the results at the beginning of this section.

45
Q

What is a random error?

A

Random factors that influence an outcome.

46
Q

Does statistical significance tell us whether findings are conceptually, theoretically, or practically important? What about if they were produced by confounding variables?

A

No. It only tells us that it is unlikely that the findings are due solely to chance.

47
Q

What is a key component to moving science forward?

A

Public reporting of findings.

48
Q

What are the benefits of forming a theory?

A

It provides a unifying framework that organizes existing info into a coherent whole; it can help us understand and make predictions about new situations and events for which there may not be any empirical info; it can generate interest on a topic within the scientific community and provide a focus for new research.

49
Q

What are the characteristics of a good theory?

A

Testability and specificity, internal consistency and clarity, empirical support, parsimony, and scientific impact.

50
Q

What quality must a theory have in order to be considered scientific?

A

It must be empirically testable.

51
Q

How do we test a theory?

A

We use deductive reasoning to form a hypothesis based on a theory. When we conduct a study to test the hypothesis, we convert the hypothesis into a specific prediction about the outcome we expect to find.

52
Q

Why is it good if a theory allows us to make predictions that are specific, not just general?

A

Specific predictions are less likely to be correct due to chance. Also, they’re easier to falsify and thus they put the theory “on the line” to a greater extent than do general predictions.

53
Q

What does it mean if a theory is internally (logically) consistent?

A

Different components or principles do not contradict one another. (Also related to internal consistency: a good theory does not make contradictory predictions about the outcomes that will occur in a particular situation.)

54
Q

What does it mean if a theory has clarity?

A

Concepts and the links between them are clearly specified.

55
Q

What is the relation between a good theory and empirical support?

A

A good theory is supported by empirical evidence, meaning that it is consistent with the known empirical facts at that time (or why those facts are flawed).

56
Q

What is the relationship between a good scientific theory and scientific impact?

A

On a practical level, a measure of a good scientific theory is the degree to which it has an impact on the field.

57
Q

What is modus tollens?

A

If P then Q. Not Q, therefore not P.

Psyc 201: Research Methods (3 decks)

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