Introduction To Psychology

Question 1

Independent variable and dependent variable

Answer 1

Independent - variable is that the experimenter can manipulate or vary in some way.

Dependent - variable that is used to observe and measure the effects of the independent variable.

Question 2

Informed Consent

Answer 2

Procedures involved in the research must be explained to people and they must be given written consent prior to the study.

Question 3

Objective data + examples

Answer 3

Data based on measurements of a participants response that can be directly observed and verified by the researcher.

Examples: heart rate, IQ score, behaviour counts

Question 4

Subjective data + examples

Answer 4

Data determined by the research participants that the researcher cannot directly verify and therefore be certain of their accuracy.

Quantitative examples: responses on checklists, rating scales, questionnaires.

Qualitative examples: content analysis of focus group statements

Question 5

Define psychology

Answer 5

The scientific study of how people think, feel and behave and the factors which influence these.

Question 6

Define Hypothesis

Answer 6

A testable prediction about the relationship between at least two events, characteristics or variables.

Question 7

Voluntary Participant

Answer 7

Participation must be voluntary and it must be ensured that no coercion or pressure is felt to particpate.

Question 8

Right to withdraw

Answer 8

People must know they are free to withdraw at any time without any negative consequences.

Question 9

Confidentiality

Answer 9

Participants privacy must be protected and no details about them or their individual results can be disclosed (ID Numbers)

Question 10

Debriefing

Answer 10

After the investigation, it is essential that people receive an explanation of the study and are helped to overcome any negative effects (counselling).

Question 11

Accurate reporting

Answer 11

Results must be reported accurately.

Question 12

Professional conduct

Answer 12

Researchers must behave in a professional way.

Question 13

Vulnerable groups

Answer 13

Special care and consideration must be taken for vulnerable groups (children, animals, mentally ill).

Question 14

What is content analysis?

Answer 14

Process used called coding which analyses large amounts of qualitative data and reduces it into fewer categories.

Question 15

Process of content analysis

Answer 15

• Careful reading of all the responses
• Identifying, naming and sorting core themes within the data
• Identifying sub-themes
• Noting the frequency with which these occur
• Looking for patterns in the responses

Question 16

Steps followed for Delphi technique (7)

Answer 16

1 - Recruitment of group members
2 - Construction and distribution of a questionnaire
3 - First circulation and administration of the questionnaire
4 - Collation and categorising of results found
5 - Second circulation and administration of the questionnaire
6 - Collation of results
7 - Summary of findings

Question 17

External validity

Answer 17

whether conclusions drawn from the results are applicable in other situations.

Question 18

Face validity

Answer 18

whether a measure appears as though it would measure what it is designed to measure.

Question 19

Limitations of a small/ unrepresentative sample

Answer 19

• Representativeness: Sample must be accurate representation of population interest. If sample is not large/diverse then not valid to generalise population.
• Statistical power: Small sample means higher chance of existing differences between groups. Larger Sample = Greater statistical power (less bias) = Convincing evidence

Question 20

Small SD leads to …….

Answer 20

High validity and less variability

Question 21

When is it better to use mean or median?

Answer 21

Mean - large sets of scores

Median - outliers are present

Question 22

main features of experimental design

Answer 22

• random allocation
• manipulation of the independent variable
• control of other variables

Question 23

main features of quantitative observational design

Answer 23

• uses pre-existing variables of groups
• independent variable varies naturally
• used for when experiments are not possible, ethical or too costly

Question 24

main features of qualitative design

Answer 24

• methods produce data in comprehensive verbal and written form
• do not seek to test hypothesis
• good for investigating opinions and perceptions

Question 25

main features of focus group

Answer 25

• group discussion led by a leader
• participants discuss, interact, seek and share information on a specific topic
• free response questions

Question 26

main features of delphi technique

Answer 26

• questionaries used to collect data about opinions from a groups of experts in a field
• no meeting required, information in writing
• summarised information is sent back to participants and further questionaries are developed

Question 27

social desirability

Answer 27

tendency of some respondents to report an answer in a way they believe to be more socially acceptable than their true answer

Question 28

validity

Answer 28

whether a measurement tool actually measures what it is supposed to measure.

Question 29

variability

Answer 29

a term used to refer how scattered or spread out scores are from the central score.

Question 30

extraneous variables + types

Answer 30

any variable, apart from the independent variable, that can cause a change in the dependent variable and therefore affect the results of an experiment in an unwanted way. (participant, experimenter, situation)

Question 31

reliability

Answer 31

the extent to which an experiment, test or measuring procedure yields the same result from repeated trials.

Question 32

random allocation

Answer 32

participants are assigned randomly into groups to ensure the groups are as similar as possible. the participants are just as likely to be in the experimental group as the control group.

Question 33

manipulation of the Independent variable

Answer 33

the researcher manipulates the independent variable, while keeping all other variables constant to test its affect on the dependent variable.

Question 34

experimental design + advantages/disadvantages

Answer 34

an investigation design used to test whether one variable influences or causes a change in another variable.

advantages: research is replicable, control of extraneous variables, allows conclusions about cause and effect
disadvantages: artificial results, unethical/impractical, extraneous variables may decrease validity

Question 35

quantitative observational design + advantages/disadvantages

Answer 35

an investigation design in which the researcher collects quantitative data based on pre-exisiting criteria and variables.

advantages: allow variables to be investigated that would be unethical/impossible/too costly in experiment
disadvantages: does not allow conclusions about cause and effect (lack of random allocation)

Question 36

qualitative design + advantages/disadvantages

Answer 36

an investigation design that collects qualitative results

advantages: useful for investigating attitudes/opinions/experiences, avoids ethical problems
disadvantages: results cannot be generalised to other groups, not useful in testing hypothesis, often a small sample

Question 37

focus group + advantages/disadvantages

Answer 37

a group interview technique that obtains data through discussion between research participants in a group setting

advantages: gain info that cannot be obtained from questionnaires, spontaneity (respondents speak because of genuine feelings not because question requires answer), snowballing (comments trigger a series of responses from other participants)
disadvantages: people may dominate discussion, observer presence may influence behaviour, people may not feel comfortable to share

Question 38

Delphi technique advantages/disadvantages

Answer 38

a research method that uses self-administered questionnaires to obtain the opinions of experts in a field of interest

advantages: expert opinion (accurate information), convenient, not influenced by other participants
disadvantages: often forces consensus, extremely time consuming