FORMULATING RESEARCH Flashcards
define what is meant by the AIM of research
broad statement explaining the purpose of the experiment
define what is meant by the RESEARCH QUESTION in research
the exact question you are trying to answer, including the population of interest
define what is meant by extraneous variables
only variable other than IV that may affect the DV
define what is meant by the confounding variable
variable other than the IV that consistently/systematically effects the DV
what is a non-directional hypothesis
predicts that there is a relationship between 2 variables, but doesn’t specify the direction of the relationship
“hypothesised that students who take hemp seed oil before bed for two weeks will DIFFER in the time taken to fall asleep compared to students who don’t take hemp oil”
define what is meant by a directional hypothesis
predicts the nature of the effect of the IV on the DV, predicting the direction the change will take place
“hypothesised that students who take hemp seed oil before bed for two weeks will take LESS time to fall asleep compared to students who don’t take hemp oil”
define experimental research
what must this include?
experiments conducted to test whether one variable influences or causes a change in another variable
experimental group
control group
define non-experimental research
includes observation, case studies, correlations studies and archival research
variables ARE NOT manipulated
cause and effect relationship cannot be established
strength of experimental research
researchers can have control of variables
cause and effect relationship can be established
limitations of experimental research
controlled environment (lab) reduces realism and may impact participant behaviour
trying to control variables - risk of human error
strengths of non-experimental research
observing what is naturally occurring in environment - controlled setting doesn’t need to be created
allowing research applications where manipulating variables would be unethical for participants
limitations of non-experimental research
reliable causal conclusions cannot be made due to no evidence of cause-effect relationship
no variable manipulation, larger sample sizes are required to be observed
define what is meant by observational research
studying behaviour of participants by researcher monitoring participants and recording notes
what are 2 strengths of Observational research
can be replicated
participants more likely to behave naturally
what are 2 limitations of observational research
observer bias
participants changing behaviour if they are aware that they are being observed
voluntary participation and informed consent may be breached
define what is meant by a case study
an in depth investigation of an individual person, group of people or single event useful in studying unusual events that cannot be replicated
state 2 strengths of using a case study research design
detailed info given
information is gathered from a range of perspectives
state 2 limitations of case study research
results unable to be generalised to the population the sample was taken from
conclusions drawn are limited due to lack of formal control groups
define what is meant by a correlational study
measuring linear relationships between 2 variables
what is a strength of a correlational study
can be used when manipulating variables
can lead to potential hypothesis being tested
what is a limitation of a correlational study
correlation does NOT equal causation
no cause and effect relationship established
what is meant by a longitudinal study
data is collected more than once using the same participants, often looking at development overtime
what is a strength of a longitudinal study
developmental trends can be studied
frequency, timing and duration can be assessed
participant related variables are kept constant
what is a limitation of a longitudinal study
time consuming
expensive
participants may drop out overtime
what is meant by a cross sectional study
data collection method from people of different ages at the same point in time, often looking at development over lifespan
cross sectional study strength
quicker, cheaper than longitudinal
cross sectional study limitation
cohort effect
can’t determine cause and effect relationship
define what is meant by convenience sampling
participants are selected based on being easily accessible
what is a strength of convenience sampling
low cost
quick
easy
what is a limitation of convenience sampling
unlikely to be representative of population
high level of experimenter bias likely
define what is meant by snowball sampling
after initial participants are chosen, they are encouraged to recruit more participants to gain sample
what is a strength of snowball sampling
similar participants may know eachother
easier to find a sample that is difficult to recruit
time saving
what is a limitation of snowball sampling
unlikely to be representative of population
biased
define what is meant by random sampling
ensuring all members of a population has an equal chance of being recruited
what is a strength of random sampling
researcher bias minimised
what are limitations of random sampling
more time/effort required
need large sample to be representative of population
define what is meant by stratified sampling
population is broken into subgroups based on shared characteristics relevant to the study and then participants from each group are randomly selected in same proportions that they appear in popukation
what is a strength for stratified sampling
likely to represent population
researcher bias is decreased
what is a limitation of stratified sampling
expensive
long time and effort required
difficult to classify each participant into groups
define what is meant by experimenter effect
the expectations and behaviours of the researcher that may bias results
consciously or unconsciously give away the desired outcome if the research which influences participants
what can help reduce experimenter effect?
double-blind procedures
define what is meant by demand characteristics
cues participants perceive during the study that lead them to believe they have discovered the aim of the study or expectations of the researcher
what may participants do when experiencing demand characteristics ?
participants may change their behaviour in ways that support the hypothesis to please the researcher
what are 2 methods that minimise the effects of extraneous and confounding variables
random allocation
single blind procedures
what is meant by random allocation
participants are randomly allocated to the experimental group or control group within the study
each participant has the equal chance of being in the experimental or control group
what is meant by single blind procedures
the experimenter is aware of the experimental conditions (which participants are in control and experimental groups) while the participants are unaware
ex. placebo is given
list 3 quantitative data methods
checklists
rating scales (Likert)
physiological measures
what is quantitative data
information that can be expressed numerically
can be subjective or objective
what are 3 examples of Qualitative data
interviews (structured/semi-structured)
focus groups
open ended questions
surveys
observation (naturalistic)
what is qualitative data
descriptive data allowing free-form answers to be provided
expressed in words
what are 3 strengths of quantitative data
generalisability of results can be expressed
numerical data is easier to replicate allowing reliability to be assessed (statistically analysed)
quicker, cheaper and more efficient
what are 3 limitations of quantitative data
responses are limited to those provided
strength and direction given but no reason
phrasing and order of questions can affect responses
large sample size required for high generalisability
what are 3 strengths of qualitative data
in-depth information can be collected which provide reasoning for responses
flexibility is aspects of method used to collect data
can collect more detailed information
what are 2 limitations of qualitative data
reduced generalisability of results due to info being gathered from small sample size
expensive, time consuming
type and amount of data collected makes analysis difficult
to interpret data, researchers require a deep understanding of studied concept
define validity
extent to which the measuring tool actually measures/evaluates what it is designed to measure
define reliability
the degree to which a measurement tool produces consistent results
define generalisability
the extent to which results gathered from a sample in research can be applied to other situations
