Drawing conclusions Flashcards
What is the difference between correlation and causation?
Correlation means two variables are related, but it doesn’t prove that one causes the other. In correlational studies, researchers observe natural relationships without changing anything. To establish causation, researchers must conduct experiments where they manipulate the independent variable to see its effect on the dependent variable. Only then can they test if one variable actually causes changes in another.
What is replication?
Replication is the degree to which the study can be repeated by the same or different researchers and achieve comparable resulations. If it is easily replicated (this is desirable in research) it can be established to be reliable (naturalistic observations + etc, are less harder to replicate -> assessing its reliability is a more time-consuming method)
What is a key issue with generalisation in quantitative research?
Quantitative research often struggles to generalise findings to the target population, especially when using biased samples like university student volunteers. This limits how well results apply to other groups. While random sampling is more representative, it’s time-consuming and not all selected individuals may participate. Because of this, researchers often use easier but less representative methods like volunteer or opportunity sampling. To improve generalisability, studies should be repeated with diverse groups from the target population.
What is transferability in qualitative research?
Transferability refers to how well the findings of a qualitative study can apply to other settings or populations. It’s similar to generalisation in quantitative research. For transferability to be judged, researchers must provide detailed information about the study. Then, readers—often other researchers—decide if the results are relevant to other contexts. Transferability is strengthened when similar findings are seen in other case studies.
What is triangulation?
This is an approach used to ensure enough evidence is available to make a valid claim about the results of a study.
There are a number of ways that the concept of triangulation can be applied;
- Methodological triangulation
- theory triangulation
- researcher triangulation
- data triangulation
What is methodological triangulation?
This tests a theory of a psychological phenomenon using different methods of inquiry. Data from a variety of methods is used to help validate the results of a study. Both qualitative and quantitative data can be involved in this method of triangulation
What is theory triangulation?
This is used to assess the results of a study from a range of theoretical perspectives. One way to achieve this is to bring together researchers from a number of disciplines + ask them to interpret the findings. If there is a agreement among them, then the validity of the study gains ground.
What is researcher triangulation?
This can be used to check how the data is being collected and interpreted in a study
What is data triangulation?
this is a way of checking the validity of the findings of a study. This method is whereby data collected is compared to other data collected on the same behavior under investigation.
