key terms Flashcards
practical
how easy/hard research is to carry out, in terms of time, money, access, analysing data, etc
ethical
how morally correct research is in terms of causing harm, consent, etc
reliable
whether research can be repeated in exactly the same way
representative
if the sample looks like the wider population
valid
a true picture of behaviour gained from a representative sample
generalisability
the ability to apply the findings to the whole group
representative sample
a small proportion of the group is selected as a representation of the larger population
informed consent
when people know exactly what the research entails and agree to take part in
anonymity
keeping people’s names and identities secret
covert
when participants don’t know about the research
overt
when participants know the research is taking place
response rate
how many people take part in the research
primary research
research you conduct yourself
secondary data
data that is already existent that you use
unstructured
there are few or no set questions or things to observe for
structured
when there are set questions or things to observe for, like a checklist
going native
when the researcher become so much a part of the group that they’re no longer objective
positivism
a perspective on research which emphasises scientific, quantitative, reliable, and representative methods
interpretivism
a perspective on research which emphasises free will and the importance of valid, subjective methods
social desirability effect
when people give answers or behave in a certain way to make themselves look good
qualitative
descriptive data, usually about thoughts and feelings, and presented in words
quantitative
data usually presented in numbers, statistics or graphs
hawthorne effect
when people change their behaviour because they know they’re being watched
interviewer bias
when researchers ask leading questions or influence the respondents’ answers with their body language
