Paper 2: Research Methods

Question 1

What is an aim? (1 mark?)

Answer 1

The aim is what the researcher intends to study. (1 mark)

Question 2

Where can aims come from? (3 marks)

Answer 2

• Researchers interests & prior research
• Other research studies
• From a theory or practical problem

Question 3

Describe naturalistic observations.

Answer 3

• Takes place in natural settings.

- Aspects of the environment are NOT interfered with by the researcher

Question 4

Evaluate naturalistic observations

Answer 4

✅ - Tend to be high in ecological validity as there’s no intervention and results can be generalised to everyday life.

❌- Extraneous variables that might affect what is being observed.

Question 5

Describe controlled observations

Answer 5

• Used when it’d useful to control certain aspects of the research.
• There’s some control over variables, including the manipulation of variables to observe effects and the control of any extraneous variables

Question 6

Evaluate controlled observations

Answer 6

Evaluate controlled observations

✅ - Extraneous variables may be less of a problem so replication of the observation becomes easier.

❌- May not produces findings that cannot be applied to everyday life and the research is not completely natural

Question 7

What’s an example of controlled observations?

Answer 7

An example of a controlled observation is Ainsworth’s Strange Situation

Question 8

Describe covert observations

Answer 8

• Participants are not fully aware that they’re being studied. Researchers may use one-way mirrors or examine behaviour from across a room or from a balcony etc..

Question 9

Evaluate covert observations.

Answer 9

✅- The fact that participants don’t know they’re being observed means there’s no participant research. Behaviour observed will be natural which increases the validity of the data gathered.

❌- Theres ethical issues with observing people without getting their consent first!

Question 10

Describe participant observations.

Answer 10

• The observer is also a participant in the activity being studied.
• The type of observation can be useful because it provides more insights about behaviour.

Question 11

Evaluate participant observations

Answer 11

✅- The researcher gets to experience the situations like that participants do. This gives them a lot of insight into what’s being observed. This increases the validity of the findings.

❌- There’s a risk of the researcher ‘going native’ when the researchers identifies too strongly with the people they’re
studying. They become like a participant and the observation is less objective. (ie researchers joins a gang and they get too involved into gang culture and forget they’re a researcher)

Question 12

What’s an example of a participant observation?

Answer 12

A non psychology student observing a psychology class and joins in as if they did study Psychology.

Question 13

Describe non-participant observations

Answer 13

The researcher does not join in with the activity being observed.

Question 14

Evaluate non participants observations

Answer 14

✅Thered less chance of the researcher going native and the observation remains objective.

❌Thé observation may not give real insight into the lives of those being studied as the observes removed from the people and the behaviours that are being observed

Question 15

Evaluate ouvert observations

Answer 15

✅Less ethical issues as consent has been given

❌Rhe fact people know they’re
being observed might affect their behaviour making the results invalid

Question 16

What are observations

Answer 16

Observations involve systematically watching and regarding what people say or do in their own environment without manipulating and variables

Question 17

Describe ouvert observations

Answer 17

Participants know they’re being observed and have given consent beforehand

Question 18

What are traits of behavioural catergories?

Answer 18

• Clear and unambigious, shouldn’t require further information.
• Must be observable and measurable as well as being easy to identify in participants.
• Researchers must ensure that all possible forms of the target behaviour are included in the checklist (ie aggressive behaviour - look for shoving other children, hair pulling, kicking objects and children (see how i’ve been specfific)
• Should NOT overlap - (ie smiling and grinning would be difficult to distingiush and should be classed as one behaviour instead)

Question 19

What is event sampling?

Answer 19

Involves counting the NUMBER OF TIMES a particular behaviour occurs

Question 20

What’s an example of event sampling?

Answer 20

The event sampling of disagreement at a football match would involve counting the number of times players argue with the referee

Question 21

What is time sampling?

Answer 21

Involves recording behaviour within a TIME FRAME

Question 22

What’s an example of time sampling?

Answer 22

A researcher may only be interested in one particular player at a football match. The researcher would then make a note of what the player does every 60 seconds

Question 23

Evaluate event sampling.

Answer 23

• Useful when the target behaviour or event happens infrequently and could be missed if time sampling was used.
• If the event’s too complex, the observer may overlook important details.

Question 24

Evaluate time sampling.

Answer 24

• Reduces the number of observations that have to be made.

- When behaviour is being observed, it might not be representative of the whole observation.

Question 25

Define structured observations.

Answer 25

Where the researcher designs a type of scheme to record participants behaviour.

These help catergorise behaviour in terms of how often a type of behaviour occurs.

Question 26

Define unstructured observations.

Answer 26

Involves the researchers recording everything they can see.

This method’s appropriate for small scale investigations. Video recording is ideal for this type of observation

Question 27

Define independent variables.

Answer 27

The variable you have control over and manipulate. It’s usually what you think will affect the other variable(s).