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data collection techniques Flashcards

1
Q

what are the 2 main types of research design?

A

experimental design

correlational design

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2
Q

what are the characteristics of an experimental design?

A

IVs manipulated by researcher and DVs recorded

causal relationship clear (if method sound)

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3
Q

what are the characteristics of a correlational design?

A

all variables measured and strength of associations between them assessed
only possible to establish causation when applying existing theoretical or experimental knowledge

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4
Q

what are the 3 types of experimental design?

A

lab - based
field
natural

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5
Q

what is a lab-based experiment?

A

carried out in lab with high control of variables and extraneous factors

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6
Q

what are the advantages of a lab-based experiment?

A
  1. highly-controlled so extraneous and/or confounding variables can be excluded
  2. easier to replicate due to standardised procedure
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7
Q

what are the disadvantages of lab-based experiments?

A
  1. artificial setting so behaviour may be unnatural

2. demand characetristics may influence beh.

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8
Q

what is a field-based experiment?

A

carried out in everyday environment but researcher still manipulates variables of iterest

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9
Q

what are the advantages of a field-based experiment?

A
  1. naturalistic environment so ppts beh. more likely to reflect real responses (higher ecological validity)
  2. demand characteristics less likely to affect ppts (especially in covert)
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10
Q

what is the disadvantage of a field-based experiment?

A

less control over extraneous and/or confounding variables making replication more difficult

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11
Q

what is a natural experiment?

A

carried out in everyday environment but researcher cannot manipulate variables of interest, as they naturally occur

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12
Q

what are the 3 advantages of a natural experiment?

A
  1. naturalistic environment so very high ecological validity
  2. demand characteristics unlikely to affect ppts (especially if covert)
  3. can be used in situations where ethical considerations prevent manipulation of independent variables
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13
Q

what are the 2 disadvantages of a natural experiment?

A
  1. costly both in time and finance

2. no control over extraneous or confouding variables

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14
Q

in which 2 ways are correlational designs usually measured?

A

naturalistic observation

surveys

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15
Q

what are the 3 advantages of a correlational design?

A
  1. allows researchers to predict direction and strength of relationship between variables
  2. may help to establish how well findings from experiments generalise to more naturalistics contexts (confirmatory evidence)
  3. allows for study of phenomena that can’t be investigated ethically or practically using experiments
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16
Q

what is the disadvantage of using a correlational design?

A

can’t establish direction of causation

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17
Q

what are the main features of observational studies?

A

behaviour observed within the setting it naturally occurs

ppts may or may not know they are being observed

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18
Q

what are the 3 main types of observation?

A

controlled
naturalistic
participant

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19
Q

describe controlled observations

  • what are they
  • how to code
  • examples of when used in research
A

usually under lab conditions to retain control
beh. coded into different categories
inter-rater reliability can be checked whn more than 1 researcher coding

code using numbers or scale to measure behaviour

Bandura and Ainsworth

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20
Q

what are the 3 strengths of observational studies?

A
  1. easy to replicate
  2. data quick to analyse if quantitative analysis used
  3. quick to conduct so large samples
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21
Q

what is the limitation of observational studies?

A
  1. Hawthorne effect or demand characteristics may limit validity
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22
Q

what is the Hawthorne effect?

A

alteration of behaviour by participnats as know they are being observed

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23
Q

describe naturalistic observations

  • what are they
  • how to code
  • examples
A

behaviour observed under naturalistic conditions
data recorded using variety of methods

coding may be number or sclaes to measures beh.

croft and levine

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24
Q

what are 2 strengths of conducting a naturalistic observation?

A

observing beh. in natural setting increases ecological validity

often used to inform further research

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25
what are the 4 limitations of conducting a naturalistic observation?
observations on small scale may not be representative difficult to replicate hard to know what to observe hard to establish cause and effect relationships
26
describe participant observations - what is it - examples
variation on naturalistic observations researcher becomes part of group under investigation assumes false role and identitiy and goes 'under-cover' Festinger joining a cult
27
what are the 2 strengths of participnat observations?
observing natural beh. increases ecological validity often used to inform further research
28
what are the 2 limitations of participant observations?
hard to record data loss of objectivity and researcher bias
29
why is there sometimes little difference between overt and covert observations?
people may forget they are being filmed and act how they would if covert
30
what are the 3 main sampling methods?
event time instantaneous
31
what is event sampling?
events identified in advance (coding) event frequency recorded all other behaviours ignored
32
what is time sampling?
events idenitified in advance (coding) | observations take place within specific period in set sampling schedule (e.g 10 minutes to the hour for 12 hours)
33
what is instantaneous (target time) sampling?
observations recorded at specific time period (record what's happening at that one moment) all observations mad before and after ignored
34
main features of case studies?
individual, group or event investigated in detail mutiple techniques employed to measure e.g observations and tests idiographic approach ('case history' examining life of ppt) used in clinical research and psychiatry
35
what arethe 4 advantages of a case study?
rich descriptive info indicates hypothesis for further research study rare phenomenon in detail opportunity to investigate factors too unethical to manipulate
36
what are the 4 disadvantages of case studies?
unable to establish cause-effect relationships phenomenon studied not typical or generalisable relies heavily on subjective interpretation hard to replicate
37
2 advantages of surveys?
representative sample provides accurate info about population of interest can be large increasing external reliability
38
2 disadvantages of a survey?
if sample unrepresentative then could provie misleading info | researcher or social desirability bias
39
what are the 4 types of surveys?
in-person web-based mail-out telephone
40
what is the highest quality survey type?
in-person surveys
41
what is an in-person survey?
ppts complete survey in presence of researcher
42
3 advantages of in-person survey?
control over environment can provide instructions and address queries highest quality data
43
2 disadvantages of in-person survey?
time consuming and expensive | small samples
44
2 advantages of a telephone survey?
cheaper so larger samples possible | anonymous
45
3 disadvantages of a telephone survey?
less control visual materials unavailable materials less sophisticated
46
what are some of the advantages of mail-out and web-based surveys?
cheap rapid data collection no interviewer bias convenient
47
what are the 3 disadvantages of mail-out and web-based surveys?
self-selection bias full instructions required easy to not complete
48
what is the advantage of conducting an interview?
representative sample provides accurate info about population of interest
49
what are the 2 disadvantages of interviews?
unrepresentative sample provides misleading info | researcher or social desirability bias
50
strength and weakness of using open questions?
strength : rich source of data | weakness : harder to analyse using empirical analysis
51
strength and weakness of using closed questions?
strength : more specific answers which are easier to analyse weakness: liekly to bias answers as restrictive
52
what is the benefit of new technologies?
allow forms of data collection previously unavailable
53
what is internal/digital therapy?
delivery of treatment using computers, the internet etc. | most commonly ammended forms of CBT
54
support and challenge from research for internal/digital therapy?
Fairburn & Patel, 2017 supported digital as effective as face-to-face missing like for like comparisons with existing treatments for same problem
55
what can smartphone aps be used for?
reserach interventions goal processes inhibition training (brain training)
56
2 types of VR?
immersive - head mounted devices llowing embodiment semi or non-immersive - presented on flat screen or projectors e.g driving simulator
57
what is VR?
allows user to interact with computers and digital content in a more natural and sophisticated fashion
58
VR application in social psychology?
increases ppts psychological engagement in research (more naturalistic settings)
59
VR applications in clinical psychology?
understand beh. in more naturalistic settings therapy for disorders as can acquire new skills and use them in a safe environement training clinicians in different situations
60
issues with social media use for psychological research?
difficulty in obtaining informed consent | anonymity and confidentiality
61
strengths of using social media in psychological research?
specific blogs and forums can be used for qualitiative data on specific topic access to large and hard to reach ppts/content

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