Methodologies 1-4 Flashcards
Extraneous Variables
Could affect the DV
Confounding Variables
Have affected the DV
Lab experiements
- Controlled environment
- Participants are randomly allocated to a condition
Lab advantages
- High level of control
- Easy to manipulate IV that can establish cause and effect
- Easily replicated
Lab disadvantages
- High chance of demand characteristics
- Lack of mundane realism/ecological validity
Field experiments
Carried out in the real world
Field experiment advantages
- More ecological validity
- Lower chance of demand characteristics
Field experiment disadvantages
- Less control over the sample
- Harder to replicate
Natural experiments
Naturally occurring IV is observed for its effect on the DV
Natural experiments advantages
- Very high ecological validity
- Useful for otherwise unethical studies
Natural experiments disadvantages
- Low control of Extraneous Variables
- Harder to replicate
- Harder to establish cause and effect
Quasi Experiments
Naturally occurring IV, which is a difference between people that already exists (ie gender, age, race)
Non-Participant observation
Researcher does not get involved with interactions between participants
Participant observation
Researcher is involved with interactions between participants
Covert observation
Psychologist goes undercover, group is unaware of observation
Overt observation
Group that knows they are being watched by a psychologist
Naturalistic Observation
Observing participants in their own environments and not deliberately manipulating the IV
Observation advantages
- Covert observation reduces chances of observer effects (participants change behaviour due to observation)
- Naturalistic observations are ecologically valid
- Naturalistic observations are useful when deliberate manipulation of IV is impractical or unethical
Observation disadvantages
- No control of Extraneous Variables
- Problematic to determine cause and effect
- Observer bias
Controlled Observation
Observing participants in a controlled environment, manipulating the IV
Controlled observation advantages
- Cause and effect can be determined
- Extraneous Variables can be controlled for
Controlled observation disadvantages
- Lower ecological validity
- Observer effects
- Observer bias
Behavioural Categories
- Observers have a list of behaviours to look out for and tally
- Gives a clear focus
- Easier to quantify/analyse
- Higher reliability
Observer Bias
- Observer knows the study’s aims, and has their observations influenced
How to avoid observer bias
Use two observers who agree beforehand how to interpret behavioural categories
Inter-observer reliability
The observers agree
Intra-observer reliability
Observation is recorded and watched several times
Event sampling
Recording every time a behaviour occurs
Time sampling
Recording all behaviours within a given time frame
Structured Interview
Same questions, same order, for quantitative data
Unstructured Interview
Informal, in-depth conversation for qualitative data
Semi-structured Interview
Combine structured and unstructured for quantitative and qualitative data
Interview advantages
- Useful for sensitive issues
- Can ask for clarification is a question is misunderstood
Interview Disadvantages
- Interviewer effects (a characteristic/behaviour of interviewer affects answer)
- Social desirability bias
- Interviewers must be trained (time consuming and expensive)
Recording interviews
- Notes can interfere with listening skills
- Audio/Video recordings can be used
Interviewer listening skills
Be aware of non-verbal communication and show interest to maximise information received
Closed questions
Choose from fixed responses (easy to compare and display)
Open questions
Answer in your own words (researcher can pursue a line of enquiry if they give an answer that was not predicted)
Questionnaire advantages
- Easy to collect lots of information (quick and convenient)
- Easy to score and collate
- Easy to replicate
Questionnaire disadvantages
- Misunderstanding the question
- Low response rates
- Sample may be biased (maybe the people who were willing to do the questionnaire had different characteristics to those who weren’t willing)
How to write good questions
- Clarity (no double negatives/double barrel)
- Bias (avoid leading questions)
- Analysis (easy to analyse the responses, like in closed questions)
Good questionnaire design
- Filler questions
- Sequence (start easy, then more sensitive)
- Pilot study (small scale test)
- Sampling techniques (be aware of biased samples)
Correlation scale
-1 to 1
Curvilinear correlation
Positive correlation up till a point and then negative (or vice versa)
Correlation advantages
- Establish strength of a relationship
- Predictions can be made
- Investigate things that cannot be manipulated experimentally (ethically and practically)
Correlation disadvanatages
- Cannot show cause and effect
- May be a third variable affecting the relationship
- Cannot show curvilinear relationships
Correlation
Analyse the strength and direction of the relationship between co-variables
Experiment and correlation difference
Experiments manipulate an IV to see the effect on the DV, so cause and effect is measured. Correlation only shows a relationship
Correlation Strength General Rule
- 0-0.1: No correlation
- 0.1-0.3: Weak correlation
- 0.3-0.5 Moderate correlation
- 0.5+ Strong correlation
