Psychology research methods Flashcards
What is a directional hypothesis?
States the direction of the results i.e. more/less or higher/lower.
What is a non-directional hypothesis?
Simply says that there will be a difference
What is a null hypothesis?
says that there will be no difference
What is needed to design a hypothesis?
-Aim
-IV and DV
-Experimental
-Null hypothesis
-Decide on sample
-experimental design
-Procedure
-What controls will be in place
What are two strengths and one weakness of a case study?
+Can be used to gather data that cant be obtained by other means
+Internal and External validity
-Hard to replicate
What is a correlation?
Where one variable could cause another i.e. Watching violent films/ violent behaviour
What is a positive correlation?
As one variable increases, the other increases
What is a negative correlation?
As one variable increases, the other decreases
What is a scatter graph?
Shows the correlation between two data sets by plotting dots to represent each pair of scores
What is the correlation coefficient?
The number between 1 and -1 that indicates how strong the correlation is
What are two evaluation points of correlations?
+they are useful for studying potentially unethical topics
-It can not establish cause and effect
What is a demand characteristic?
Where participants pick up a cue and modify their behaviour affecting the results of the study
What are the controls for demand characteristics?
- Deception
- Single bind - The P is unaware which condition there in
- Investigator effects - Potential cues from the experimenter that happen subconsciously
- Double bind - neither researcher or P know which condition they are in
- Inter-rater reliability - Independent raters rate same behaviour as researcher
Why are descriptive statistics important?
If they are wrong, its likely that the conclusion of the whole experiment is wrong too
What are the four different types of experimental methods?
Lab, field, natural and quasi
What are 5 different types of data?
Primary
Secondary
Qualitative
Quantitative
Interval
What are four types of observation?
Overt
Covert
Participant
Controlled
What are the three levels of measurement?
Interval
Nominal
Ordinal
What is the purpose of an extract?
To provide the reader with a quick overview of the research
What type of questions would gather qualitative data?
Open
What are the three measures of central tendancys?
Mean,Median and Mode
What are the two measures of Dispersion?
Range and statistical deviation
What is a field experiment?
manipulation of the independent variable that is natural to the Ps
What is a Quasi experiment?
The researcher is unable to allocate Ps to the different experimental conditions as these characteristics are already associated with the P i.e. Gender or Age
What is the difference between P and non-P observation?
In a P observation, the researcher joins the group being study. Vise versa
What is the difference between time and event sampling?
Time sampling: Researcher recalls all relevant behaviours e.g. everything for 15 seconds.
Event sampling: Tallies every time a behaviour occurs from the list of behavioural catagories
How are observations assessed for reliability?
rater reliability: Two or more researchers observe same observation and compare the two results
What is a self-report technique?
A participent gives information to the researcher om their own feelings/ thoughts/ behaviour.
What is a structured interview?
The interviewer reads out a list of prepared questions as they are written
What is an unstructured interview:
No setlist of topic
What is the difference between a correlation and an experiment?
Experimental designs require manipulation of the IV and a measurement resulting change in the dependant variable. Correlation is where no variables are manipulated, two covariables are measured and compared to look for a relationship
What is a correlation coefficient?
A number that represents both strength and direction of the relationship between covariables.
Define operationalisation?
Operationalised variables are carefully stated, demonstrating exactly how they are measured
What is an independent measures design?
Ps only take part in one condition
What is a repeated measures study?
Ps take part in all conditions
What is a matches pairs study?
Ps are matched on characteristics that may have an effect on their performance and then each do a different condition
What are order effects?
When a participant may perform better as a result of already carrying out the task (practice)
Why can SLT be argued to have higher face validity than behaviourism?
Due to everyone’s personal experience of having internal mental processes, SLT’s inclusion of internal mental processes is an improvement on behaviourism in explaining human behaviour
Why can SLT be argued to be less scientific than behaviourism?
cognitions used in SLT are not observable directly, so SLT needs to make inferences about internal working model
What is the SLT perspective on determinsim?
Environmentally determined
What is the key assumption of the cognitive approach?
They suggest the brain is like a computer, and software is like thoughts. The computer model
What is making an inference?
Observing behaviour and then making a logical assumption about the underlying mental processes
What is a schema
A package of information about how the world works built up by experience. The self, roles and events
What are schemas used for?
Mental shortcuts to make assumptions and expect behaviour, packages of information that help us navigate the world, process large amount of information and expect behaviour
What is machine reductionism and why is this a problem?
The brain is explained as a machine/computer. Humans are less rational than computers and feel emotions
