Methodologies Flashcards
In What Conditions are Lab Experiments Carried Out In
- Carefully Controlled
What is an Experimental Group?
- Group in which independent variable appears
What is a Control Group?
- Compared to the experimental group to see if the IV has an affect
What are the Strengths of Lab Experiments?
- High Internal Validity - provides psychologist with highest control over confounding variables - allows researcher to establish cause + effect relationships
- Allows for replication - research will have more credibility if it’s replicated
- Forcing pace of research - psychologist decides when to start/stop
What are the Limitations of Lab Experiements?
- Low ecological validity - more control of behavior = less natural
- Demand characteristics - participants try to make sense of situation + act accordingly - can seriously affect validity of research
- Ethical issues - Deception?
Why Can Cause + Effect Relationships Be Formed in Lab Experiments?
- Possible to state the independent variable caused the change in the dependent variable because everything else is controlled
What Does Replication Mean?
- Allows other researcher to repeat the experiment + achieve the same results
- More credibility
What Does Forcing the Pace of Research Mean?
- Researcher can decide when to start/stop experiment
- Allows researcher to select when/where undertake experiment
What is Meant by the Term Low Ecological Validity?
- More control of behavior = less natural
- Due to experiment’s high degree of control it’s been argued that they engage artificial behaviors (not like real life)
What are Demand Characteristics?
- Participants try to workout purpose of experiment + act accordingly
Describe One Ethical Issue Within Lab Experiemnts
- Deception - participants may be lied to/decievd about true nature of experiment
What is a Field Experiment?
- An experiment that takes place in a natural setting
- It involves direct control of the IV by the experiment
How are Field Experiments Different to Lab Experiments?
- Doesn’t take place in a completely controlled setting
- Confounding variables cannot be controlled so behavior is more natural
What are the Advantages of Field Experiments?
- Improved ecological validity - possible to generlise findings to real life situations
- Reduction of demand characteristics - participants are unaware they’re taking part so behavior is artificial
What are the Disadvantages of Field Experiments?
- Low internal validity - difficult to control variables
- Ethical issues - participants are unaware that they’re taking part
- Time + cost - may take longer to complete
What is a Quasi Experiment?
- Not a true experiment
- Research cannot manipulate the IV
- Type of natural experiment
What is a Natural Experiment?
- Conducted when it is not possible for ethical/practical reasons to deliberately manipulated an IV
- Researcher take advantages of things that would normally be practically/ethically difficult to control
What are the Strengths of Natural Experiments?
- High in ecological validity
- Allows researcher to study real life behavior + problems
- Reduced demand characteristics - Participants unaware they’re taking part
- Investigates effects of IV that would be unethical/unpractical to manipulate
What are the Weaknesses of Natural Experiments?
- Possibility for confounding variables are endless - lack of control of IV means no cause + effect relationship can be established
- Ethical issues - if participants are unaware they’re taking part there cannot be informed consent
- Situation researchers are studying may not occur
What are the Observational Techniques?
- Controlled Observation
2. Naturalistic Observation
What are Controlled Observations?
- Involve researchers having control over environments where observation is being conducted
What are Naturalistic Observations?
- Involves looking at behavior without interfering
- No deliberate manipulation on IV
What are the Examples of Naturalistic Observations?
- Driver behavior
- Behavior of Children
- Studies in workplace
- Studies with drugs/alcohol
What is Participant Observation?
- Observer joins the group of people being observed
What is Non-Participant Observation?
- Observer remains external from those being observed
What is Undisclosed/Covert Observation?
- Observed remain unaware of research
What is Disclosed/Overt Observation?
- Participants are aware of research
What is Behavioral Categories?
- Reduces the variety of behavior
- Splits behavior into manageable amounts
What are the Advantages of Naturalistic Observations?
- High ecological validity
- Avoidance of demand characteristics
- Very ethical (e.g. when studying aggression)
- Useful for studying children/animals
What are the Disadvantages of Naturalistic Observations?
- Demand Characteristics - Participants may be aware that they’re being observed
- Ethical issues - Deception
- Observer bias
- Missing behavior (minimized with use of video/sound)
- Difficulty of Replication
What is Content Anaysis?
- Analysis of the content of something
- Observational technique - used for written/pictorial information
- Indirect Observation
What is Quantitative Data?
- Numerical Information
What is Qualitative Data?
- Words
What are the Strengths of Content Analysis?
- Unobtrusive + doesn’t need consent
- Useful for analyzing historical data
- Establishing reliability is easy
- Straightforward comparison methods
What is the Weakness of Content Analysis?
- Time consuming
