Psychology - Research Methods Flashcards
experimental method
allows researcher to show cause and effect
experiments allow one variable to be manipulated while keeping everything the same
lab experiments
controlled condition
-adv.
increase level of control for the researcher
-dis.ad.
reduce level of ecological validity of the experiment
field experiments
takes place in natural surroundings -adv. increase ecological validity, by making the surroundings more realistic -dis.ad. reduce level of control
true experiments
both field experiments and lab control the variables under investigation and randomly allocate pp’s to a group
-these characteristics mean that they are true experiments
quasi experiments
lack control over the experimental groups used
- lack of random allocation
i. e. gender
e.g.different types of personality, control group vs psychological disorder group (cannot allocate groups randomly)
Observational Research
- uses just a few individuals to base research on
- allows researcher to have a very deep understanding of the individuals being studied
- rich data
limitations fo observational research
- want to explain all behaviour focusing attention on such a special group of people can make it difficult to generalise any observations to the larger population as a whole
- cannot be generalised
naturalistic research
- observing behaviour in its natural setting
- people change their behaviour in unexpected ways when they know they are being observed
animal research
- naturalistic observation
- observing animals in their own environments
- researchers maintain their distance and avoid interfering with the animal subjects so they dont influence their natural behaviours
advantages of naturalistic observaiton
- high validity as of the natural setting
- ecological validity and realism
- ability to generalise findings to real-world situations
- if done correctly no worry about people or animals changing their behaviour simply because they are being observed
disadvantages of naturalistic observation
- difficult to set up and control
- no control over behaviour to observe
- requires significant investments of time, money and luck
structured observation
-people are observed while engaging in set, specific tasks
non-participant observation
- watching everyday behaviour as it happens
- the observer will watch interactions from a distance/ on video taking notes using an observation schedule
observation
non experimental research method
ethics
people must be told they are being observed
-but disclosing this can alter their behaviour - observer effect
participant observation
- researcher joins in with the social situation to be able to observe it effectively without biasing the findings
i. e. Rosenhan’s 1973 observation in a psychiatric ward
limitations
- presence of the pp may make people suspicious or otherwise change their behaviour meaning that the researcher does not see authentic behaviour
- unethical for observers to assume a fake identity to observe behaviour
overt observation
in the open
- pp’s are aware they are being observed
- more ethical but leads to demand characteristics
covert observation
under cover
- pp’s unaware they are being observed
- reduces demand characteristics, pp’s act naturally
- no consent given = unethical
controlled observation
in a controlled observation the researcher has set up a situation and observes what happens
- not an experiment as there are no independent and dependant variables
i. e. Ainsworths strange situation 1969
self report techniques
non-experimental research methods
-pp’s report their own thoughts or behaviours
questionnaries
a list of questions
- often called a survey
- access a lot of pp’s
- distributed via post or email
interviews
involve a trained researcher asking pp’s questions face-to- face
-structured and untructured
structured interviews
researcher asks a sample list of questions and notes down the responses
unstructured interviews
like an everyday conversation
-certain planned questions, able to follow up/ ask spontaneous questions depending on the pp’s responses
social desirability bias
pp’s being interviewed may alter their responses to try to make themselves look good
surveys
list of questions for research pp’s to answer
can be digital / paper and pencil
-completed in a short time
-gather larger samples of data as they would from research methods
advantages of surveys
- collect a information from a large sample of people
- better generalisability
- large and diverse sample
disadvantages of surveys
- people dont always give accurate responses
- may misremember/ answer questions in a way that they think makes them look good
- may not be able to collect the same depth of info on each person as a case study
strengths of interviews
- generate qualitative data which is in depth and detailed
- validity as rapport develops between researcher and interviewee
- interviewer can explain the questions
limitations of interviews
- researcher bias
- demand characteristics and social desirability
- difficult to analyse
correlation
when 2 variables are correlated it mean that as one variable changes so does the other
- measure this by calculating a statistic known as correlation coefficient
- a number from -1 to 1 indicates strength and direction of the relationship between variables
the correlation coefficient
the number portion of correlation coefficient indicates the strength of the relationship
- closer to +/-1 the more strongly the variables are
- closer to 0 the weaker the relationship and less predictable the relationships between the variables become
positive correlation
coefficient
means that the variables move in the same direction or as one variable increases/decreases so does the other
negative correlation
coefficient
means that the variables move in opposite directions, so a decrease in one variable is associated with an increase in the other and vice versa
correlation research
- useful as it allows us to discover the strength and direction of relationships that exist between two variables
- correlation is limited because establishing the existence of a relationship tells us little about cause and effect
cause and effect realtionships
- is some factors a confounding variable is actually causing the movement
- cannot assume cause and effect
