Practical Issues in the Design and Implementation of Research Flashcards
What are practical issues?
The things a researcher has to think abot when trying to devise a credible and acceptable study which has few issues or criticisms that can lead to a lack of acceptance of findings
What does design refer to?
Broarder term for method - planning
What does implementation refer to?
How it is put into practice - doing
What is an issue with the use of correlations in biological psychology, is there anything that outweighs this negative?
Correlations do not show cause and effect meaning findings lack use, but they do allow us to research naturally occurring variables that would be unethical to induce e.g aggression
What issues exist with brain scans in biological psychology?
Sometimes they are unclear - Raine (1997) found some scans were blurry, can’t isolate regions of the brain, could be a lack in internal validity but they are most scientific method of studying the brain
What issues exist around self report data in biological psychology?
Use of questionnaires to measure aggression is open to SDB - aggression is an undesirable behaviour, internal validity likely to be lacking
What issues are there with twin and adoption studies in biological psychology?
Most people are not a twin or adopted meaning there is a lack of generalisability, could be something about being a twin or being adopted that leads to behaviour being studied
What outweighs the negatives of twin and adoption studies?
They are useful to look at nature and nurture, can identify whether aggression is due to the environment or our genes
How are the use of animals an issue in learning theories?
Lack of generalisability as humans live more complex lives. Also have to get a license to use animals. Potentially expensive to obtain and look after them.
What outweighs the issue of animals in learning theories?
Have shorter lifespan so can measure development quicker. Can conduct experiments that would be unethical on humans. No demand characteristics
What issues are there with overt observations in learning theories and how can they be overcome?
Participants likely to unconsciously change their behaviour if they know they are being observed (demand characs) Could use a false aim to overcome this
What is an issue with participant observations but how are they beneficial?
May lead to lack of objectivity as might form relationships with participants and interpret behaviour differently. Although, allow for a better understanding of behaviour.
What is an issue with non participant observations, what outweighs this?
Potentially demand characteristics - group become suspicious, although allows for objective interpretation of behaviour
What is an issue with covert observations, can this be outweighed?
Could be seen as unethical although if done in a punlic place - more ethical
What issues are there with content analyses in learning theories?
Descriptive - means you have to infer implications - may be wrong or inaccurate. However, they are useful to form a base for future research