key terms

Question 1

practical

Answer 1

how easy/hard research is to carry out, in terms of time, money, access, analysing data, etc

Question 2

ethical

Answer 2

how morally correct research is in terms of causing harm, consent, etc

Question 3

reliable

Answer 3

whether research can be repeated in exactly the same way

Question 4

representative

Answer 4

if the sample looks like the wider population

Question 5

valid

Answer 5

a true picture of behaviour gained from a representative sample

Question 6

generalisability

Answer 6

the ability to apply the findings to the whole group

Question 7

representative sample

Answer 7

a small proportion of the group is selected as a representation of the larger population

Question 8

informed consent

Answer 8

when people know exactly what the research entails and agree to take part in

Question 9

anonymity

Answer 9

keeping people’s names and identities secret

Question 10

covert

Answer 10

when participants don’t know about the research

Question 11

overt

Answer 11

when participants know the research is taking place

Question 12

response rate

Answer 12

how many people take part in the research

Question 13

primary research

Answer 13

research you conduct yourself

Question 14

secondary data

Answer 14

data that is already existent that you use

Question 15

unstructured

Answer 15

there are few or no set questions or things to observe for

Question 16

structured

Answer 16

when there are set questions or things to observe for, like a checklist

Question 17

going native

Answer 17

when the researcher become so much a part of the group that they’re no longer objective

Question 18

positivism

Answer 18

a perspective on research which emphasises scientific, quantitative, reliable, and representative methods

Question 19

interpretivism

Answer 19

a perspective on research which emphasises free will and the importance of valid, subjective methods

Question 20

social desirability effect

Answer 20

when people give answers or behave in a certain way to make themselves look good

Question 21

qualitative

Answer 21

descriptive data, usually about thoughts and feelings, and presented in words

Question 22

quantitative

Answer 22

data usually presented in numbers, statistics or graphs

Question 23

hawthorne effect

Answer 23

when people change their behaviour because they know they’re being watched

Question 24

interviewer bias

Answer 24

when researchers ask leading questions or influence the respondents’ answers with their body language

Question 25

interviewer effect

Answer 25

when the gender, class, age, ethnicity or other characteristics of the researcher affect the respondent

Question 26

bystander effect

Answer 26

if people are all just witnesses to something happen then they are less likely to do something about it because of the belief that someone else will

Question 27

operationalise

Answer 27

the ability to define what you are researching, if not defined then it is not repeatable/reliable