Methodologies Flashcards
What is meant by an experiment?
research method where a cause and effect is measured, through the control and manipulation of key variables, and where the participants are randomly allocated to experimental/control groups.
What is a Quasi-Experiment with eval
A research where the experimenter has NOT deliberately manipulated the IV and participants are NOT randomly allocated. Methods within this category include natural experiments and difference studies.
Strength: Sometimes the only ethical type of experiment to use, such as when dealing with murderers in Raine et al. Unethical to make people murderers to look at the before and after brain activity
Weakness: Lacks any clear cause and effect and not a true experiment as there is no IV being manipulated
What is a Participant Observation with eval
A research method where the researcher takes on the role of a participant whilst also observing other participants’ behaviour around them.
One strength of Participant observations is that by the researcher taking part in the activity, they can provide useful insight into behaviours that wouldn’t be able to be recorded otherwise.
However, one weakness of participant observations is that they are usually overt, this means they are susceptible to extraneous variables such as social desirability bias where participants change their behaviour to appeal and looking desirable in the study.
What is a Non-Participant Observation with eval
Research method where the researcher watches and records participants’ behaviour without interfering in any way (usually from a distance).
One strength of non-Participant observations is that they are typically covert, this means the participants do not know they are being studied meaning their behaviour will be natural and not influenced by factors such as demand characteristics or social desirability bias
However, one weakness of non-participant observations is that covertly recording the behaviour of unknowing participants breaks the BPS ethical guidelines of informed consent.
What is a content-analysis with eval
CONTENT ANALYSIS is a type of indirect observational study as people are not observed directly but rather the artifacts they produce are studied such as written or verbal material such as: magazines, television programmes, websites, advertisements etc. are analysed. The data can be primary or secondary. Behavioural categories are used to analyse content in a systematic manner and a tally is taken each time the material fits a theme. - It can produce both qualitative and quantitative data.
One strength of content analysis is that the artefacts being analysed already exist so there is less chance of demand characteristics
One Weakness is that the effect of observer bias can affect validity of findings as different observers might interpret the meanings of the categories in the coding system differently.
What is self-report data with Eval
Methods that involve the participant reporting information about themselves. They can include interviews, questionnaires, inventories, diaries.
A strength of self-report data is that it is a far quicker way of gathering quantitative or qualitative data than other data-collection techniques such as observation.
A weakness of self-report data is that it is extremely prone to the effects of social derireability bias, where participants are not truthful with their responces and bias them to make themselves seem more secoailly desireable.
What is structured interview with eval
A structured interview has pre-determined questions. Meaning it is effectively a face-to-face questionnaire. The researcher cannot deviate from the questions in anyway to remain fully structured.
Strength – Extremely replicable as it uses a standardised procedure.
Weakness – Conversation is not natural and free-flowing which may cause participants to be more cautious of what to say and withhold information
What is unstructured interview with eval
An Unstructured interview has no pre-determined questions and will just ask questions that come to them on the spot.
Strength – Conversations are free-flowing and natural which make people feel more comfortable and therefore give more detail in their answers.
Weakness – Unreplaceable, time consuming and often requires a lot of interviewer skill to effectively execute.
What is a semi-structured interview with eval
A semi structured interview also has pre-determined questions however, the researcher can deviate from the original questions and instead ask follow-up questions based on the participants responses.
Strength - more detail can be obtained as the researcher can ask follow-up questions and gain greater detail.
Weakness - requires more interviewer skill making the research less replicable.
A weakness of all interview methods is that it is highly time consuming and works better for case studies than gathering large amounts of data about a specific topic.
What is a questionnaire with eval
Questionnaire – a set of written questions designed to collect data about a topic.
Strength – Can be used to collect a lot of data in a short period of time cheaply and quickly allowing for a larger sample of participants.
Weakness – Very subject to social desirability bias. People may not be truthful in their answers and instead answer in a way to appear socially desirable.
What is a correlational study with eval
A research method which involves a comparing two continuous variables (co-variables) to see if there is an association/relationship between them.
A scatter diagram/scatter graph can be used to illustrate
correlations.
The closer the coefficient is to 0, the weaker the coefficient. The closer the coefficient is to +1 (goes from +1 or -1) the stronger it is.
Strength: Shows both the direction and strength of a relationship which can then be used to make predictions about behaviour.
Weakness: Effect of intervening variables not being accounted for can invalidate the correlation. E.G wealthy and life-expectancy. Being wealthy dosen’t make you live longer but the intervening variable is better health care being available to wealthy people.
What is a case study
A case study is a research method that involves an in-depth and detailed examination of a specific individual, group, or situation.
It is a qualitative research approach that aims to gain a comprehensive understanding of the complexities and unique aspects of the case being studied.
In a case study, researchers collect and analyse various types of data, such as interviews, observations, documents, and archival records, to develop a holistic and rich description of the case. The focus is often on exploring individual experiences, behaviours, processes, or phenomena within their real-life context.
Evaluate the use of Case Studies in psychological research
One strength of case studies is their ability to provide detailed and nuanced insights into complex phenomena. Case studies allow researchers to delve deeply into a specific case and explore intricate details that may not be captured by other research methods. They can provide a more comprehensive understanding of individual experiences, processes, or unique circumstances that may not be easily captured through quantitative or experimental methods. Case studies are particularly useful when studying rare or unique cases where it may be difficult to generalize findings to a larger population.
However, a weakness of case studies is the potential lack of generalizability. Due to their in-depth and focused nature on usually very unique or specific cases, the findings of a case study may not be readily applicable to other individuals, groups, or situations. The limited sample size and specific context of the case may restrict the generalizability of the findings beyond the specific case being studied.
Additionally, case studies may be susceptible to researcher bias or subjectivity in data analysis, and interpretation, which can impact the objectivity and reliability of the findings.
How does a PET brain scan work
Gets coloured pictures of the brain, first, an individual is injected with radioactive substance called a tracer, once in the bloodstream the amount of tracer in any given region can be monitored, this is because blood flows to any active areas.
A computer monitors the movement of the tracer and creates a map of the active and inactive areas of the brain during a given behaviour. These were seen in Raine et al.
Evaluate PET brain scans
A strength of PET scans is that they can reveal chemical information not available with other brain imaging techniques allowing them to distinguish between benign and tumours.
A weakness of PET brain scans is that since the pp must be injected with radioactive substance, this scan can only safely be done a few times. Additionally, they are very costly and less precise than MRI scans.
