Chapter 2: Research Methods Flashcards
quantitative research
research that translates the social world into numbers that can be treated mathematically
qualitative research
research that works with nonnumerical data
literature review
a thorough search of previously published studies relevant to a particular topic
operational definition
a clear and precise definition of a variable that facilitates its measurement
replicability
the ability of research to be repeated and thus later be verified by other researchers
correlation
a relationship between variables in which they change together and may or may not be casual
causation
a relationship between variables in which a change in one directly produces a change in the other
intervening variable
a third variable, sometimes overlooked, that explains the relationship between the other two variables
spurious correlation
the appearance of causation produced by an intervening variable
deductive approach
an approach whereby the researcher formulates a hypothesis first and then gathers data to test that hypothesis
inductive approach
an approach whereby the researcher gathers data first, then formulates a theory to fit the data
steps of the scientific method
1- identify a problem or ask a question
2- conduct a literature review
3- form a hypothesis; give operational definitions to variables
4- choose a research design or method
5- collect data
6- analyze data
7- disseminate findings
4 main types of research methods
1- experiment
2-
experiment
testing a hypothesis under highly controlled conditions
- procedural control
- random assignment
experiments can prove
cause-and-effect relationship
classic experimental design
assign people to one situation or another
field experiment
change the environment and watch
to conduct an experiment, you must have
- random assignment (everyone has same chance to land in one situation or the other)
- procedural control (everything the same)
Hawthorne effect
people change their behavior when they know they are being studied
secondary analysis
using already gathered data
- can verify/disprove others’ findings
- limited by dataset decision of others
content analysis
searching for patterns in communication or behavior
- uses artifacts of behavior- records, history, items, media
