Chapter 2: Research Methods

Question 1

Hypothesis

Answer 1

A testable prediction about the relationship between two or more variables.
- an essential feature of a hypothesis or research question is that it is testable; some questions are difficulty to determine what data would constitute suitable evidence

Question 2

Research Question

Answer 2

If there is insufficient information about the phenomenon to allow the researcher to generate a specific hypothesis, they may instead propose a more general research question that clearly specifies the variables of interest but does not make specific predictions about the associations among them.
- an essential feature of a hypothesis or research question is that it is testable; some questions are difficult to determine what data would constitute suitable evidence

Question 3

Operational Definition

Answer 3

It is an exact specific, and concrete definition of how the researcher chose to conceptualize and measure the variable.

Question 4

Multi-Operationalize

Answer 4

Employ multiple measures of the variables included in the study. Multioperationalize increases the probability that a variable’s meaning will be appropriately and completely “captured.”
- there is often no perfect method for operationally defining a variable.

Question 5

Research Strategy

Answer 5

How to go about implementing your investigation - you need to select a research strategy. A research strategy concerns how the researchers decide to investigate a research question or hypothesis (i.e., how they frame the research question).
- Is the researcher interested in describing or illustrating a particular interpersonal event or phenomenon?
- Or establishing whether two variables are related or associated with one another?
- Or determining what causes a specific relational outcome?

Question 6

Descriptive Research

Answer 6

In descriptive research, no variables are manipulated, and the researcher often has not set out to specifically investigate a particular relationship among variables; rather, they are simply interested in describing people’s behaviour. It is common for free response data to be coded by the researcher and reduced to quantitative (numeric) form. There are different types of descriptive research:
- naturalistic or observational studies
- survey research
- archival research

Because the researcher has no control over the participant or the research situation, they cannot make causal inferences.

Question 7

Naturalistic Studies

Answer 7

Involve detailed observation of a participant sample in a natural or real-world setting.
- naturalistic or observational studies often have high external validity
- must develop a coding system, select a suitable setting, and decide the behaviour of interest

Question 8

Survey Research

Answer 8

Involves designing and administering a questionnaire to a sample of people in order to assess and describe their beliefs, attitudes, behaviours and so forth.

Question 9

Challenges to Survey Research

Answer 9

• must maximize response rates so that no biases will be introduced into their results
• concerns regarding the construction of the questionnaire; i.e., researchers must be very sensitive to the way in which questions are phrased and the type of response options allowed to participants

Question 10

Archival Research

Answer 10

It involves using data that were gathered by others.
- Public archives and statistical abstracts provide data on marriage, divorce, births and deaths, and other important interpersonal events.
- newspapers, journals, and diaries are other sources of information about close relationships.

Question 11

Challenges to Archival Research

Answer 11

• can be extremely laborious
• existing records may be difficult to locate and/or inaccurate
• the researcher is limited to the data at hand and, therefore cannot ask additional questions or obtain further clarification of responses

Question 12

External Validity

Answer 12

This means that the results are reflective of what actually occurs in the “real world.”

Question 13

Correlational Research

Answer 13

Involves measuring variables and looking for evidence of an association between them; used to determine if variables covary - a useful strategy when the researcher is dealing with variables that cannot be directly manipulated or controlled.

Question 14

`Positive Correlation / Negative Correlation

Answer 14

Positive: means that the variables covary positively; as scores on one variable (X) increase, so do scores on the other variable (Y).
Negative: means that the variables covary negatively; as the scores on one variable (X) increase, the scores on the other variable (Y) decrease.

Question 15

Zero Correlation

Answer 15

This means that the variables are unrelated; there is no evidence of a significant association between them.

Question 16

Correlation Coefficient (r)

Answer 16

A statistic that provides the measure that reflects
the strength of the association between two variables.
[-1, 1]

Question 17

Longitudinal (prospective)_ Studies

Question 18

Experiment

Answer 18

The researcher manipulates the causal variable X (called the independent variable) to create groups of participants who differ in the level of that variable and then measures and compares the groups in terms of their scores on some outcome Y (called the dependent variable).

Question 19

Random Assignment

Answer 19

This means that each participant has an equal chance of being placed in the different groups created by the experiment.

Question 20

Confounding

Answer 20

Occurs when a variable other than the independent variable differs between the two groups and might influence the scores o the dependent variable.

Question 21

Direct Experimental Control

Answer 21

Aims to limit confounding variables; methods include:
- ensuring that participants are tested by the same researcher, at the same time in the day, in the same room, etc.
- through random assignment of participants to different experimental conditions (which distributes any pre-existing individual differences)

Question 22

Internal Validity

Answer 22

The influence on the dependent variable is due to the independent variable.

Question 23

Data Collection Method

Answer 23

Refers to the source of the data.

Question 24

Self-report Method

Answer 24

It involves as scores on one variable (X), so do scores on the other variable (Y). asking people directly to report on their own experiences, behaviour, affective reactions, attitudes, perceptions, thoughts, physical or mental state, etc.

Question 25

Observational Methods

Question 26

Research Setting

Question 27

Laboratory Setting

Question 28

Field Setting

Question 29

Unit of Analysis

Question 30

Independent (participants)

Question 31

Statistically Significant Result

Question 32

Practical Significance

Question 33

Deception

Question 34

Informed Consent

Question 35

Debriefing

Question 36

Debriefing

Question 37

Debriefing

Question 38

Debriefing