Psych research skills Flashcards

1
Q

Confidentiality

A

privacy, protection and security of participant’s personal info in terms of personal details and anonymity of individual results, including removal of identifying elements

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2
Q

Debriefing

A

at the end of experiment, participant leaves with true understanding of the aim, results and conclusion. Any questions addressed and support is provided to ensure there is no long-lasting harm

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3
Q

Voluntary participation

A

no coercion or pressure on participant to partake, freely choose to be involved

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4
Q

Informed consent

A

participants understand the nature and purpose of the experiment, including potential risks, before agreeing to participate. Voluntary written consent should be obtained and if participants are unable to give consent, a parent or legal guardian should provide this

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5
Q

Withdrawal rights

A

can discontinue involvement at any time, during or after conclusion of experiment, without penalty. May include removal of results after study’s completion

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6
Q

Deception

A

deliberately misleading participants, which is only permissible when knowing the true purpose may affect behaviour and the subsequent validity

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7
Q

Respect

A

considering the value of living things, giving regard to the capacity of living things to make their own decisions

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8
Q

Integrity

A

commitment to searching for knowledge, and understanding and the honest reporting of all sources of info and results

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9
Q

Justice

A

moral obligation to ensure that competing claims are considered fairly, and there is no unfair burden on a particular group and fair distribution and access to the benefits of action

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10
Q

Beneficience

A

commitment to maximising benefits and minimising risks and harm

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11
Q

Non-maleficence

A

avoid causing harm

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12
Q

Accuracy

A

how close a measurement is to the true value of the quantity being measured

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13
Q

Precision

A

how closely a set of measurements values agree with each other

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14
Q

Internal validity

A

Investigates what it sets out or claims to investigate
Consider:
* Appropriateness of investigation design
* Sampling and allocation techniques
* Impact of EVs and CVs
* Lack of internal validity means conclusions can’t be made and external validity is irrelevant

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15
Q

External validity

A

Results of research can be applied to similar individuals in different settings
* Increased by broad inclusion criteria, specific sampling techniques, large sample
Consider when evaluating:
* Sample size, sampling methods …

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16
Q

Generalisability

A
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17
Q

Controlled experiment

A

IV is manipulated to test its effects on the DV –> to establish causal relationship

18
Q

Correlational study

A

observe general relationships and associations between variables, often in a real world setting
Pros:
- Observation of real life behaviours with no manipulation (natural)
- Direction and strength of a relationship between variables can be measured
Cons:
- Results can’t draw conclusions about cause and effect
- Relationship is bidirectional, so can’t determine which variable has more influence

19
Q

Between subjects

A

participants randomly allocated to one of two (or more) entirely separate conditions

20
Q

Within subjects

A

each participant is in both the experimental and the control group (repeating the task) –> compares scores within the same participants

21
Q

Mixed design

A

components of within and between, multiple groups and data recorded at multiple timepoints
- 2 IVs at 2 levels – 1 between, 1 within

22
Q

Within subjects evaluation

A

Strengths
* Ensures results more likely from manipulation of IV than any participant differences that would happen if they were in separate groups
* Less people needed
Weaknesses
* Can produce order effects - completing one condition first may influence how they perform in later condition (fatigue, practice, expectations)
* Participant dropping out has greater impact on study

23
Q

Between subjects evaluation

A

Strengths
* Less time-consuming, participants can complete conditions simultaneously
- Doesn’t create order effects
Weaknesses
* May require more participants than within-subjects
* Individual participant differences can affect results –> e.g. results may be due to split of participants rather than the IV

24
Q

Mixed design evaluation

A

Strengths
* Experimenters can note differences that occur within each experimental group over time and compare differences across experimental groups
* Useful for studying effectiveness of a treatment or program: e.g. treatment v control (between) – before and after treatment (within)
* Multiple experimental conditions can be compared to a baseline control group
Weaknesses
* More costly and time consuming to plan, conduct and then analyse results
* Demanding for researchers and assistants to be across multiple methods

25
Stratified sampling
divides population into distinct strata and selects a separate sample from each stratum in the same proportions as the population
26
Random sampling
every member of the population has an equal chance for selection
27
Counterbalancing
method to reduce order effects that involves ordering experimental conditions in a certain way
28
Case study
in depth investigation of an individual, group or phenomenon Pros: - useful when limited number of participants available - effective when it would be unethical or impossible to expose a person to a particular variable - rich qualitative data Cons: - Not representative of population - low external validity, thus cannot be generalised - time consuming - may not be repeatable
29
Subjective data
relies on personal opinion or interpretation
30
Objective data
can be observed by multiple people and yield the same result
31
Repeatability
extent to which same study/measure under identical conditions will produce the same results
32
Measures of central tendency
Mean, Median, Mode
33
Measures of variability
Range, standard deviation
34
Reproducibility
extent to which the same study/experiment can be carried out under different and produce the same results
35
True value
values or set of values that would be obtained if the quantity could be measured perfectly
36
Systematic error
differ from true value by a consistent amount - affects accuracy
37
Random error
unpredictable variations in the measurement process - affects precision
38
Personal error
mistakes miscalculations and observer errors
39
Literature review
process of collating and analysing secondary data, to answer a question or provide background info for observed events, or as preparation to generate primary data Pros: - provides background info which can inform new studies and hypotheses may uncover patterns of gaps of knowledge Cons: - time consuming - difficult if there is little research on a topic
40
Fieldwork
involves collecting data first-hand, and may be through a variety of methods: - yarning circles, participant observation, qualitative interviews/questionnaires Pros: - conducted in naturalistic setting - high ecological validity - rich detailed data Cons: - can be time-consuming and expensive - generally, can't inform conclusions about cause and effect difficult to control environment and v ariables