Lecture 1 - Flirting with Meaning Flashcards
What are the goals of the Thinking About Human Behaviour Module?
To:
- Develop scientific thinking
- Understand all stages of research
- Evaluate arguments
- Explore causal inference challenges in everyday life
- Spot bogus arguments
What is qualitative research?
It explores the ‘what’, ‘how’, and ‘why’ of experiences, focusing on beliefs, perspectives, or unknown phenomena by analyzing words and themes instead of numbers
When are qualitative methods most useful?
- When seeking deep understanding of participant experiences, and exploring the meanings they give to phenomena
- Observing complex processes
What form does data take in qualitative research?
Words and narratives, often organised into themes
What is ontology?
Ontology is the study of the nature of reality
What is epistemology?
Epistemology is the study of how what we know what we know
What are the two main ontological perspectives in research? (describe them)
- Realist: Reality exists independently of human experience
- Relativist: Multiple realities exist depending on human experience
Describe five epistemological approaches in qualitative research
1) Positivist: Knowledge from measurable observations
2) Post-positivist: Context and interpretation matter
3) Critical realist: Reality exists but is nterpreted by humans
4) Constructivist: Focuses on individual perceptions
5) Social constructionist: Reality is co-created between people
Why is qualitative research used in educational psychology?
To understand how experiences, attitude, and life circumstances affect learning, behaviour, and development, especially from different perspectives like pupils, teachers, and parents
What are the two types of qualitative analysis?
1) Content coding: Tagging predefined categories (e.g., 1 = mentions anger, 0 = doesn’t mention anger)
2) Thematic analysis: Finding common themes across narratives to tell a story
What are the stages of working with qualitative data?
1) Familiarisation
2) Coding
3) Generating initial themes
4) Reviewing and developing themes
5) Refining and naming themes
6) Producing the report
What makes a good research question in qualitative research?
It should be clear, specific, and answerable - helping to define the project, set boundaries, and give direction
What are common data generation methods in qualitative research?
- Individual interviews
- Group interviews
- Contextual data collection
What are four qualitative sampling strategies?
- Snowball sampling
- Convenience sampling
- Stratified purposeful sampling
- Purposive sampling
What are the three key principles of sampling?
1) Justifying sample size
2) Ensuring representativeness
3) Considering convenience carefully
What are the core ethical principles according to the British Psychological Society 2018 (BPS Code 2018)?
- Respect
- Competence
- Responsibility
- Integrity
What law protects people against discrimination based on characteristics like age, race, or disability?
The Equality Act 2010
What did Goodboy & Brann (2010) study?
They studied how college students reject unwanted flirtatious advances, using behavioural and verbal strategies
What method did Goodboy & Brann (2010) use?
- Three focus group sessions with 21 college students
- Data was analysed using thematic analysis with open and axial coding
