Chapter 2: Research Methods Flashcards
scientific method: what are the two methods?
- formulate a hypothesis based on a theory
- use replicable techniques to collect, study, and analyze data in an effort to test a hypothesis or answer a research question
What are the 4 steps researchers complete for the scientific method?
- Choose a research method (correlational, experimental, case study, etc)
- Pick a research design
- Find a research sample
- Devise a data-collection strategy to test hypotheses in an effective and ethical way
Research starts with ideas derived from what?
Theory
Previous Research
Observations
Define Operationalization
defining a construct so that it is observable and measurable
What is a construct
an idea concept, especially a complex one
Define Correlation Method
Involves determining whether two variables are related to each other in a systematic way and how strongly they are related
- correlation does not equal causation
Define Correlation Coefficient
A numerical estimate of how closely two variables are related to each other and the direction of the relation
- Range from +1.0 to -1.0
- 1/+1 significant correlation , 0 non-significant
What is a negative correlation?
for every increase in one variable there is a systematicdecrease in the other
What is a positive correlation?
for every increase in one variable there is a systematic increase in the other
Why do we use correlational research?
- We cannot always design a suitable experiment to study our question
- Some variables of interest cannot be studied in a controlled way
- Ethical concerns sometimes prohibit using experiments
- Understanding causal processes are not the only goal of the research
- Simplest and least expensive
- Avoiding ethical concerns
What is the primary way to study the causal connection between variables?
Laboratory Experiments
- help to show causation
- can equate for possible factors
Define Experimental Group
participants exposed to the proposed causal factor
- exposed to the treatment
Define Control Group
participants not exposed to the proposed causal factor
- the baseline for treatment
Define Random Assignment
rules out the possibility that the people in the groups differ from one another in some systematic way that could distort the results of the experiment
Define Independent Variable
the factor that researchers deliberately manipulate in an experiment
Define Dependent Variable
the factor that researchers expect to change as a function of the change in the independent variable
Define Ecological Validity
Laboratory experiments lack the actual representation of what happens in the natural environment
- laboratory experiments may not accurately represent real world events or processes
Define Laboratory Analogue Experiment
An alternative to the laboratory experiment that attempts to duplicate in the laboratory features or events that occur naturally in everyday life in order to increase the ecological validity of the results
Define Field Experiment
Experiments in which researchers deliberately create a change in a real-world setting and they measure the outcomes of their manipulation
Define Intervention
Program provided to improve a situation or relive psychological illness or distress
Experiment in which researchers measure the results of events that occur naturally in the real world (e.g., effects of a hurricane, adoption, residence change)
Natural Experiment (Quasi-Experiment)
What is a Correlational Design?
- a researcher seeks to understand what kind of relationships naturally occurring variables have with one another
- may be a good starting point in an area not well known
- they follow up with an experiment to test causal relations
What is a Case Study?
A form of research in which investigators study an individual person or group intensely
What are the Advantages of a Case Study?
- Allows exploration of rare phenomena
- Facilitates intensive investigation
- Provides rich details
- May serve as a precursor to follow-up studies using alternative designs and methods
What are the Limitations of a Case Study?
- the impossibility of generalization
Define Cross-Sectional Design
Design in which researchers compare groups of individuals of different age levels at approximately the same point in time
What are the limitations of a Cross-Sectional Design?
- Design yields no information about the causes behind age-related differences
- No information about stability or change of individuals across age
- could reflect age-related change or historical change
Define Longitudinal Design
Examination of cause of change by studying over a long period of time
What are the limitations of a Longitudinal Design?
- Loss of participants over the course of the study
- Lack of flexibility in terms of updating methods of measurement
- Practice effects
- Cohort effects
- More time consuming and expensive