Experimental Methods Flashcards
Laboratory study
Controlled, artificial setting
Has advance equipment
Test IV + DV, participant know they in study
Adv:
-follow standardised procedure = can be repeated for reliability (test-retest)
-control variables = avoid EV = results more valid
Disadv:
-demand characteristics: guess aim of study act different = less ecological validity
-aware in study act differently (participant effect)
-less ecological validity = less generalisable
Field study
Controlling IV and DV in natural field setting (hospitals, park)
Going to participant
Adv:
-natural environment = higher ecological validity
-less artificial behaviour - may not know being studied
Disadv:
-harder to control EV - no control of all variables = less internal validity
-harder to replicate = less reliability
Online study
Conducting research on the internet
Usually questionnaire or survey created online
Allow anyone with internet can access
Adv:
-more participants can be gathered easily
-participants maybe more diverse = external validity
Disadv:
-limited to survey + questionnaire harder to carry out in other study
-participant may not fully informed
Quasi experiment
Investigate effect of IV + DV
IV not in direct control of experimenter
Unethical or impractical to control variables
-involve violence or natural disaster
Adv:
-research phenomena that squally can’t be researched
-less researcher bias
Disadv:
-EV not controlled for = less validity
-IV not directly manipulated = harder to find causal relationship
Types of observation + what is it
Non-experimental
-no variables manipulated
-observe for trends or pattern
Naturalistic or controlled
Structured or unstructured
Participant or non-participant
Overt or covert
Naturalistic or controlled
Nature - observed behaviour in natural environment
+more eco validity
-less control on variables
Controlled - observe behaviours in controlled environment
+more control on variables
-less eco validity Disadv
Participant + non-participant
Participant - observer included in observed group
+may record deeper insight
-harder to keep up with everything as need opportunities to write down
Non-participant - observer not included in observed group
+easier to keep track of all behaviour
-less insight
Overt + covert
Overt - participant know they are observed
+informed and consented
-act differently
Covert - participant not know observed
+high eco validity
-may not display behaviours desired
Structured or unstructured
Unstructured - record all behaviour seen, usually to get first data or for coding system
Structured - have coding system or sampling procedure to record relevant behaviour
-some behaviours may not be included in sampling
Coding system + sampling procedure
Operationalised categories of behaviour to observe for behaviours interested in
Coding system
-behaviours operationalised by being in different categories of a chart (smile, move hand)
Sampling procedure
-event sampling: count each time a particular act of committed
-time sampling: record data at time interval (what he’s doing every 30 seconds)
Overall evaluation of observation
Adv:
Talking different to action - maybe more truthful
Disadv:
Observer bias - may only record data they expect
Reliability - maybe hard to replicate observation again - particular place + people
Dealing with validity + reliability of observation
Validity
-double blind techniques - can observer not related to research team to record behaviour
Reliability
-inter observer reliability = multiple observer compare result to reach similar result
-train observer with sampling procedure to avoid missing
