GENERIC AO3 EVALUATION POINTS Flashcards
ROUTE:
More Scientific (+)
1) More Scientific
2) Give example of which feature of a science - (e.g. objectivity, empiricism) and how they did it
3) What it leads to - higher reliability / internal validity
4) Moves away from philosophical roots
ROUTE:
Supporting Empirical Evidence (+)
1) Give statistically significant research evidence
> Empirical evidence - allows you to validate the assumptions of ________
Able to establish causation and draw firm, robust and concrete conclusions
Increases theoretical value of assumption
Higher credibility
ROUTE:
Larger Sample Size (+)
> Large sample size means that more participants are willing to partake
The more participants, the higher the statistical power of the results
More population validity
Results can be extrapolated to the wider population
ROUTE:
Higher internal validity (+)
> Can ascertain whether the IV truly affected the DV instead of the EV
Able to establish causation & draw conclusions
ROUTE:
Higher reliability (+)
> Standardised procedures
Higher consistency with results
Can be reproduced by other researchers to achieve similar results - increases replicability
Can draw firm conclusions
ROUTE:
Higher ecological validity (+)
> Experiment conducted in a natural setting
pps likely to show naturally occurring behaviour in original environment - mundane realism
Behaviour more representative of everyday life
ROUTE:
Laboratory Experiment (-)
> Lab experiment - artificial and strictly controlled
Likely prone to demand characteristics - pps guess the true aims of experiment through cues
Pps may have acted unnaturally bc it’s what they thought was expected of them rather than being a genuine and new behaviour
Difficult to establish causation
Reduces internal validity
ROUTE:
Reductionist (-)
> Approach doesn’t take into consideration of external factors (environment) that contribute to behaviour
Ignores that every human is unique, and that not all humans with low MAOA activity will show aggression
Leaves gaps and bias in research, lowering internal validity.
ROUTE:
Ethical issues (-)
> pps may not be aware / cannot give informed consent
pps may be exposed to physical or psychological harm
> investigation is less likely to be repeated due to BPS guidelines
Difficult to test experimental hypothesis because of ethics
More challenging to establish empirical evidence and raise credibility
ROUTE:
Investigator effects (-)
> Researcher bias
Influence ppls behaviours
Demand characteristics as they guess the aim of the study
Decreases internal validity.
ROUTE:
Objective (+)
> Objective, prevents researcher bias acting as an EV, reducing subjectivity
Results are consistent, thus reliable
OR
> Control over EV bias increases internal validity
> Able to draw firm conclusions
Key paradigm of a science met (objectivity)
ROUTE:
Rich detailed data (+)
> Rich, in-depth data obtained
Unlikely to miss any finer details
Gain unique insight
Better understanding of human behaviour
ROUTE:
Small sample size (-)
> Limits STATISTICAL power
Difficult to extrapolate results to wider population
Lacks population validity
ROUTE:
Too simplistic (-)
> Does not take into account complexity
Limits the EXPLANATORY power
May lead to inaccuracies as it does not have the full picture
