Nonexperimental research Flashcards
what are the two types of nonexperiment research methods?
- descriptive research, e.g., naturalistic observation, case study, survey
- correlational research
what is the focus of nonexperimental designs?
the ‘what?’
they describe what is happening and test predictions
what is the focus of experimental designs?
the ‘why?’
they provide explanations for what is happening
what are observations?
mainly categorisation with as little disturbance as possible, and the observer often stays in the background
problems with observations
- reliability of categorisations
- reactivity (demand characteristics)
solutions for observations
- comparing notes of more than one observer (inter-observer reliability) to reduce potential bias
2, participant observations (recruiting from the same group) reduce bias of reactivity and promotes ‘normal’ behaviour
what are case studies?
observations of a single person, e.g., clinical (neurotic patient) or developmental (child with autism)
problems with case studies
- generalisability
- reproducibility (questions scientific credibility)
- cause-effect (confounding variables)
what are surveys?
questionnaires, interviews, and diary studies
problems with surveys
- reactivity (social desirability as participants know their answers will be analysed)
- questionnaire validity
- comparing answers
- memory of participants (reactivity)
solutions for surveys
- need a consistent scale and use a well-tested method
what are structured interviews?
involve a fixed set of questions in a fixed order, which are often multiple choice or ratings (likert scale or semantic differentials)
advantages of structured interviews
easily quantified, easy to compare, and can cover all topics
disadvantages of structured interviews
have a rigid structure, not adaptable to the participant, and only provide surface level information
what are unstructed interviews?
involve a number of topics without a fixed order or fixed questions
advantages of unstructured interviews
provide more depth and explanation, and are relevant to specific participants
disadvantages of unstructured interviews
generalisability is limited, and analysis can be time-consuming
advantages of descriptive research
- sometimes the only practical and ethical way of study
- often inexpensive and flexible
- no variable manipulation through real life studies (ecologically valid)
disadvantages of descriptive research
- researcher bias
- reactivity
- lack of cause and effect conclusions
what is the purpose of correlational research?
to determine the relationship between two variables without any manipulation.
variables are taken as they are to be measured without interference
what does correlational analysis allow?
the direction and strength of relationships to be quantifiably measured
problems with correlational research
- direction of relationship is often unclear (does not prove causality)
- confounding variables (does not account for potential third variable or cause)
what can correlational studies inform us on?
the degree of relationship, and they allow for the possibility of prediction
what do correlational studies not prove?
causality
