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Mock Revision > Psychology - Research Methods > Flashcards

Psychology - Research Methods Flashcards

1
Q

experimental method

A

allows researcher to show cause and effect

experiments allow one variable to be manipulated while keeping everything the same

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2
Q

lab experiments

A

controlled condition
-adv.
increase level of control for the researcher
-dis.ad.
reduce level of ecological validity of the experiment

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3
Q

field experiments

A 
takes place in natural surroundings 
-adv. 
increase ecological validity, by making the surroundings more realistic 
-dis.ad.
reduce level of control
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4
Q

true experiments

A

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

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5
Q

quasi experiments

A

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)

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6
Q

Observational Research

A
  • uses just a few individuals to base research on
  • allows researcher to have a very deep understanding of the individuals being studied
  • rich data
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7
Q

limitations fo observational research

A
  • 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
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8
Q

naturalistic research

A
  • observing behaviour in its natural setting

- people change their behaviour in unexpected ways when they know they are being observed

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9
Q

animal research

A
  • 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
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10
Q

advantages of naturalistic observaiton

A
  • 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
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11
Q

disadvantages of naturalistic observation

A
  • difficult to set up and control
  • no control over behaviour to observe
  • requires significant investments of time, money and luck
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12
Q

structured observation

A

-people are observed while engaging in set, specific tasks

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13
Q

non-participant observation

A
  • watching everyday behaviour as it happens

- the observer will watch interactions from a distance/ on video taking notes using an observation schedule

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14
Q

observation

A

non experimental research method

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15
Q

ethics

A

people must be told they are being observed

-but disclosing this can alter their behaviour - observer effect

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16
Q

participant observation

A
  • 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
17
Q

limitations

A
  • 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
18
Q

overt observation

A

in the open

  • pp’s are aware they are being observed
  • more ethical but leads to demand characteristics
19
Q

covert observation

A

under cover

  • pp’s unaware they are being observed
  • reduces demand characteristics, pp’s act naturally
  • no consent given = unethical
20
Q

controlled observation

A

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
21
Q

self report techniques

A

non-experimental research methods

-pp’s report their own thoughts or behaviours

22
Q

questionnaries

A

a list of questions

  • often called a survey
  • access a lot of pp’s
  • distributed via post or email
23
Q

interviews

A

involve a trained researcher asking pp’s questions face-to- face
-structured and untructured

24
Q

structured interviews

A

researcher asks a sample list of questions and notes down the responses

25
Q

unstructured interviews

A

like an everyday conversation

-certain planned questions, able to follow up/ ask spontaneous questions depending on the pp’s responses

26
Q

social desirability bias

A

pp’s being interviewed may alter their responses to try to make themselves look good

27
Q

surveys

A

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

28
Q

advantages of surveys

A
  • collect a information from a large sample of people
  • better generalisability
  • large and diverse sample
29
Q

disadvantages of surveys

A
  • 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
30
Q

strengths of interviews

A
  • generate qualitative data which is in depth and detailed
  • validity as rapport develops between researcher and interviewee
  • interviewer can explain the questions
31
Q

limitations of interviews

A
  • researcher bias
  • demand characteristics and social desirability
  • difficult to analyse
32
Q

correlation

A

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
33
Q

the correlation coefficient

A

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
34
Q

positive correlation

coefficient

A

means that the variables move in the same direction or as one variable increases/decreases so does the other

35
Q

negative correlation

coefficient

A

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

36
Q

correlation research

A
  • 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
37
Q

cause and effect realtionships

A
  • is some factors a confounding variable is actually causing the movement
  • cannot assume cause and effect

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