Course Overview & T-Test Revision Flashcards
What are the two broad psychological approaches to research?
Qualitative and quantitative approaches.
On what does the qualitative psychological approach to research focus?
Qualities (i.e., descriptions and interpretations of experiences).
On what does the quantitative psychological approach to research focus?
Measurable phenomena (it turns behaviour into numbers or quantities).
What type of data do qualitative research methods produce?
Data that is not numerical (e.g., text, interviews, or focus groups).
How do qualitative research methods approach data analysis?
By aiming to identify themes or recurring topics.
What are the two advantages of the qualitative research method?
It is great for exploring new or complex topics, and it is flexible, meaning that it is able to facilitate the following up of unexpected findings.
What is the disadvantage of the qualitative research method?
It does not allow for the statistical analysis of data.
What type of data do quantitative research methods produce?
Numbers (as responses).
What is the advantage of the quantitative research method?
It allows for the statistical analysis of data, and therefore the quantification of whether there truly is a ‘signal’ present.
What is the disadvantage of the quantitative research method?
It is inflexible.
What does the observational research method entail?
The observation of behaviour.
What are the two different ways in which behaviour is able to be observed?
Behaviour can either be observed directly (e.g. Jane Goodall observing a chimp’s behaviour) or indirectly by examining data or records (e.g. via newspapers, or Twitter and Facebook trends).
What is the advantage of the observational research method?
It is ecologically valid, meaning that what is observed remains true in natural settings.
What are two disadvantages of the observational research method?
- Some behaviours are difficult to observe (as they may either be rare or private).
- It is difficult to infer causal relationships from observational data.
What do surveys need in order to be conducted?
A representative sample.
What is important in relation to surveys?
The framing of questions (e.g. when individuals are asked ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions, they tend to answer ‘yes’).
What is the advantage of using a survey as a method of research?
It is able to measure unobservable behaviour.
What are two disadvantages of using a survey as a method of research?
- Individuals may provide inaccurate responses (on purpose or due to a simple inability to answer the question(s)), reducing the ecological validity of the survey.
- It is difficult to infer causal relationships from surveys.
What are the two disadvantages of using experiments as methods of research?
- They are subject to participant effects.
- They are subject to experimenter effects.
What is a participant effect?
An effect that occurs due to the adjustment in performance of a participant in accordance with how they think the experimenter wants them to perform or social desirability.
To what does the term ‘experimenter effects’ refer?
To the effects of the experimenter on the outcome of their experiment.
How can experimenter effects be resolved?
Via double-blind procedures (neither the participant nor the experimenter are aware of to which experimental condition the participant belongs).
