personal investigation Flashcards
what type of study was it with the use of what?
correlational study with the use of a stroop test
what were we trying to find out?
if driving experience affects cognitive processing abilities
what were we measuring? specifically
driving experience in years
time taken to complete a stroop test in ms
why have we chosen a correlational study? (methodology)
- to establish a relationship between 2 variables
- more ethical as you don’t manipulate variables
what was the location of our research and why?
online
- efficient and convenient
- cost effective
- reduced social desirability bias
what ethical issues were relevant in this study? (3)
- confidentiality
- risk of psychological harm
- valid consent
why was confidentiality an issue?
pps may not wish to be identified as having taken part in the research or linked with the data provided. This may particularly be the case as members of teaching staff will be submitting Stroop test scores to their pupils which could lead to a stigma against the staff members who performed badly.
how could we overcome the issue of confidentiality?
Anonymity will be offered. Participant numbers will be used for Stroop scores. The online location will also allow for greater anonymity.
why was risk of harm an issue?
The experience of actually undergoing the Stroop test could be quite stressful for some due to the cognitive confusion caused and the timed nature of the task. the stress of the result may also come into play
how could we overcome the risk of harm?
a debrief (presented online on completion of the survey) will be used to assess whether harm/distress has been caused. Necessary support offered to those who encounter distress through completing the Stroop test. acknowledgment of right to withdraw
why was valid consent an issue?
if I don’t explain to pps the true nature and purpose of the study and their role within it, it will be impossible for them to provide valid consent
how could we overcome the issue of valid consent?
Pps should be asked to formally indicate their agreement to participate in the study and this agreement should be based on the knowledge of the purpose of the research, as well as their role in it
who is our target population?
All UK citizens who can drive and are above the UK legal driving age
what method of sampling did we use and why?
(hint: problems with other methods)
opportunity
- quick and convenient - easy access
- other methods result in a highly biased sample e.g. snowball, self -selected
- other methods are far more time consuming e.g. random/systematic
what are the potential extraneous variables in our study?
time of day
location of test
demand characteristics
what are the potential confounding variables in our study?
experience with cognitive tests
vision impairments (colour blind)
caffeine levels
what are the 2 issues of reliability?
fluke outcome
effort applied
how can we assess the reliability?
test-retest method
how would we implement the test-retest method in this study?
pps would complete the Stroop style task, a carefully selected period of time would be left (long enough that students can’t remember how to perform the test, but not so long that they could have changed in some way) and then the same pps would be re-tested in the exact same way. The 2 Stroop scores from the different occasions are correlated.
A significant positive correlation = high external reliability.
how could we improve the issues of reliability?
(fluke + effort)
fluke outcome = pps complete 3 trials and take an average score
effort = as part of the standardised instructions they are told to put in as much effort as possible
what are the possible issues with validity in this study?
- demand characteristics
- driving experience
- social desirability bias
- mundane realism
- population validity
what are the 2 best methods for assessing validity in this study?
face validity
concurrent validity
how would you implement face validity?
carry out an ‘eyeball test’ to see if it looks as though the Stroop test chosen for use will be an appropriate measure of cognitive performance
how would you implement concurrent validity?
compare the results produced on the Stroop style task with a previously validated test of cognitive ability. If the results of both tests come to the same conclusion, then the Stroop test outcome is valid
