Methods Flashcards
What are examples of research consumers?
- Other scientists - develop new ideas
- Students - developing our own expertise
- Clinicians - informs best practices in various clinical settings
- Employers - inform practises and keep employees happy/ boost business
- Industry - user experience, research in VR, market research for promotion
- Public policy - gov can use psychological knowledge to inform policies i.e. COVID
- General public - The general public can make informed choices
what is included in the scientific method?
observation - question- research - hypothesis - experiment - analyse - conclusion
The scientific method
We cant ‘prove’ a theory/hypothesis but we can collect evidence to support one hypothesis over another
scientists are also subject to pressure and can make mistakes
How is good research found?
Good research is founded on honesty and integrity as well as good research practises such as transparency and openness
What can research be categorised as
Basic or translational as well and qualitative or quantitative
Reproducibility
Good research designs and statistical practices are key to research reproducibility
Contributing factors: questionable research practices - hypothesizing after results are known , selective research reporting, P- hacking
scientific misconduct: fabrication, falsification
Imporvements: improving statistical tools, having accountability, open science
What can research be categorised as?
Basic: improves our understanding of given areas, fundamental research
Translational: Using basic findings and applying them to a real-world context, used to improve outcomes
Qualitative and quantitative research
Quantitative: collects numerical data, usually uses statistical analysis, complex variables are broken down into simple constructs, lab experiments
Qualitative: collects non-numerical data, usually no statistical analysis, focus on rich in depth, subjective trends - more detailed and complex, conversation analysis, thematic analysis
What are ethics?
Set of values, norms, and regulations that help constitute and regulate scientific activity
Why do we have ethics?
To balance the rights and well-being of participants against the aims of scientific research
What is the historical code of ethics?
Nuremberg code
Declaration of Helsinki (still in use)
Belmont report
what is the modern code of ethics?
APA- American psychological association
BPS- The british psychological society
Why do we need ethics?
- Ethical issues when conducting research on humans
- Sensitive topics can be traumatising/stigmatising or come with physical risk of harm
-Ps may be in discomfort due to research - Ps have the right to privacy,respect and safety
What do research aims do?
Outline the overarching goal of a particular study
- contribute to something
- fill a gap in a literature
Research hypotheses
Specific predictions about the results of a study
What are the 4 types of hypotheses based on direction and causality?
Directional, causal
Directional, non-causal
Non directional, causal
Non directional, non- causal
Variables
Things that vary and can be measured or manipulated
what types of variables are there?
Independent variables: things that can be changed/manipulated
Quasi-independent variables: things that aren’t fully under experimental control/ vary naturally
Dependent variables: things that experimenters measure
Operationalisation
Precise definitions of concepts that are under investigation
Causality
How to tell if a change in one variable causes a change in another
- covariance - the cause and effect
- Temporal Precedence - cause needs to happen before the effect
- Exclusion principle - empirical observation can eliminate possible causes for a phenomenon and thereby reach conclusions about the true causes
Extraneous variables
Other factors that can influence the dependent variable
Confounding variables
Other factors that can influence both the IV and DV
Lab experiments
Based on the idea of manipulating an IV to see the impact on the DV
Experimental manipulation
- IVs
- Operationalisation of variables: how we define the variables we manipulate and measure
- Pilot study- small-scale experiments to check that the IV works as intended and that Ps tolerate the experimental design
