past paper questions from the research methods section Flashcards
in which sections of a scientific report would you expect to find reference to the results/ findings of the investigation?
the abstract, discussion and the results section only
why is it not appropriate for researchers to draw conclusions from correlational data?
•correlation doesn’t equal causation
•only shows a relationship
•there nah be a third extraneous variable responsible for the relationship
what is meant by the term meta-analysis?
•meta analysis is the process where researchers collect and collocate a wide range of previously conducted research on a specific area
•collated research is reviewed together
•combined data is often statistically tested to provide an overall conclusion
how do you know if data is symmetrically/ normally distributed?
because the mean is approximately equal to the mode/ medial
how do you know if data is positively skewed?
the mean is greater than the mode/ median
how do you know if the data is negatively skewed?
the mean is less than the mode/ median
strengths of volunteer sampling
•students will be happy and willing to participate so will be more likely to comply
•it is not a time-consuming method and requires minimal input from the researcher
limitation of volunteer sampling
•it would provide a bias sample and might not reflect the target population
•the sample may be biased as they may have different traits to the rest of the population
strengths of collecting quantitative data
•would enable the researcher to easily analyse the data
•would enable the researcher to perform a statistical test to draw conclusions
explain why the researcher used a controlled observation and a standardised script in a study
•a standardised script would provide a high level of control
•without using a standardised script the researcher may cause unintentional bias
•using a controlled observation helps to reduce extraneous variables which may affect the validity of the study
identify one limitation of controlled observations
•they lack ecological validity/ cannot be applied to everyday life/ less natural behaviour
•effects of demand characteristics are more likely
describe how the observers could use time sampling to record the social behaviour of each child during a five minute period
•record the child’s behaviour at set time intervals during the five- minute period
•ah the specified time intervals, tick one or more categories from the behavioural checklist according to the behaviour exhibited by the observed child
•behaviours observed in between the time sampling frames should be ignored and should not be recorded
explain possible strengths of time sampling (in terms of observing social behaviour)
•time sampling may be easier to manage as there are likely to be many social behaviours occurring throughout the set observation time
•time sampling is the most appropriate for recording ongoing behaviours that are likely to occur in a social setting
possible limitation of time sampling
•time sampling may not be representative of behaviour as some may be missed if it’s outside the time frame
describe features of the abstract section in a scientific report
•first section of a report
•brief summary (100-300 words)
•contains a summary of the aims, methods, results and conclusions
give a reason why research should be peer reviewed
•to reduce chances of flawed/ unscientific research being published and therefore treated as ‘fact’ and misinforming the public
•to improve quality of published reports by suggesting amendments or extension work
