PET Issues Flashcards
What are the different practical issues?
Time and money
Funding bodies
Personal skills and characteristics
Subject matter
Research opportunity
Explain how time and money is an issue
Different methods use various amounts of resources
Explain how funding bodies is an issue
Organisations that provide the funding for the research may require the results to be in a particular form (may limit choices)
Explain how personal skills and characteristics is an issue
Each researcher possesses different personal skills and this may affect their ability to use a method
Explain how subject matter is an issue
It may be much harder to study a particular group or subject by one method than by another
Explain how research opportunity is an issue
Some opportunities may occur unexpectedly so may effect researchers time and planning
What are the ethical issues?
Informed consent
Confidentiality and privacy
Danger and harm
Vulnerable groups
Covert research
What does informed consent refer to?
Participants should have all information and be able to refuse research
What does confidentiality and privacy refer to?
Participants information should be confidential and they should have the right to refuse information
What does danger and harm refer to?
Participants should experience no psychological or physical harm
What does vulnerable groups refer to?
Extra care and attention should be given to any group deemed vulnerable
What does covert research refer to?
When researchers go ‘undercover’ and keep their identity as a researcher hidden
What are the theoretical issues?
Reliability
Validity
Representativeness
Methodological perspective
What does reliability refer to?
A method that gives the same results when repeated by another researcher
What does validity refer to?
If the method produces a true and genuine picture of what something is really like
