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PSY1005S - Test 1 > Quantitative Research Methods > Flashcards

Quantitative Research Methods Flashcards

1
Q

Define research methods

A

Research methods are the products of specific methodologies

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2
Q

How is a research topic created?

A

First a plan must be made, then an appropriate research method has to be found, after that collect data, analyse the data, report findings and build a theory

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3
Q

How can a person come up with a research topic?

A

A topic can be created through observations, being inspired by prior research and wanting to replicate it or gain clarity. Furthermore, researchers may wish to challenge or verify a theory. Lastly, research topics are created through an individual’s personal interest or common sense.

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4
Q

How should researchers gather data about their research topic?

A

Researchers have to conduct a literature review

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5
Q

What is a literature review and why is it important?

A

Literature reviews involves finding literature that is related to their topic. They are important because they provide insight about successful or unsuccessful methods that were used in the past. They are useful for identifying gaps and weaknesses in literature.

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6
Q

How would a researcher successfully conduct a literature review?

A

1) They need to know what it is they want to research
2) Understand the importance of their study and contribution.

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7
Q

What are the most common kinds of sources for relevant information?

A

Peer-reviewed academic journals and expert-written books

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8
Q

What is important to consider before researching a topic?

A

It is important to consider the practical, intellectual, ethical and personal problems that may occur throughout the research process.

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9
Q

What are the two classes of research studied in psychology?

A

Quantitative and Qualitative Research

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10
Q

Give 3 examples Quantitative Research?

A

Descriptive Research, Experimental (Exploratory) Research and Correlational (Explanatory) Research

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11
Q

Define descriptive research

A

Descriptive research is used to explain behaviours making use methods such as naturalistic observation, case studies, or interviews.

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12
Q

Define correlational research

A

Correlational research measures the strength of the relationship between two variables. Correlation can be described as positive, negative or non-existent.

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13
Q

How is the strength of a correlation measured?

A

Correlation strength varies from -1 to 1. A correlation of -1 means there is a strong negative correlation, and 1 means there is a strong positive correlation.

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14
Q

Define experimental research

A

Experimental research studies involve the manipulation of the independent variable to measure the effect that it has on the dependent variable.

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15
Q

What is the difference between experimental research and quasi-experimental research?

A

The difference between quasi-experimental and experimental research is that quasi-experimental research does not use random assignment.

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16
Q

What does it mean to operationally define a variable?

A

Operationally defining a variable involves specifically defining what that variable means. This includes describing the procedures and methods used to measure it.

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17
Q

What are confounding variables, and why is it important to identify them?

A

Confounding variables are other variables that are not intentionally being measured. It is important to identify the confounding variables to see how they affect the relationship between the independent and dependent variables by adding error to the experiment.

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18
Q

What are the two types of confounding variables?

A

Subject and Situational variables

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19
Q

What is a subject confounding variable?

A

Unique characteristics of the participants that may affect the results, an example of this is demand characteristics.

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20
Q

What is a situational confounding variable?

A

Attributes of the environment where research is being conducted that may affect the experiment’s outcome.

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21
Q

Define an independent variable

A

The independent variable is the variable that is manipulated throughout the experiment to monitor the effect that it has on the dependent variable. It is what is changed.

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22
Q

What is a variable?

A

A variable is an object that changes of varies throughout an experiment.

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23
Q

Define a dependent variable

A

The dependent variable is what the researcher measures.

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24
Q

Define a hypothesis

A

A hypothesis is a precise and testable statement that relates to the research question, by predicting the outcome of the study.

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25
Q

What are the goals of psychology?

A

The goals of psychology are to describe, predict, explain and control behaviour.

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26
Q

What are the research methods used to collect quantitative research data?

A

Case study, Naturalistic observation and a Survey

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27
Q

What is a case study?

A

A case study studies a single subject in great detail.

28
Q

What are the advantages of using a case study?

A

The advantages of a case study are that it describes data in detail, can suggest hypotheses for future research and studies rare phenomena in depth.

29
Q

What are the disadvantages of using a case study?

A

The disadvantages of a case study is that it does not establish causation or effect, may not represent all the data, and relies on other researchers’ subjective opinions.

30
Q

What is naturalistic observation?

A

It is the study of behaviour, based on observations made in the environment where it would naturally occur

31
Q

What are the advantages of using naturalistic observation?

A

The main advantages of naturalistic observation are that it can provide details about how often a behaviour naturally occurs and it allows researchers to have a realistic idea of certain behaviours occurring in a particular setting.

32
Q

What are the disadvantages of naturalistic observation

A

The main disadvantages of naturalistic observation include the presence of the observer affecting the behaviour of the participants, and there may be bias in the researcher’s interpretations.

33
Q

What is a survey?

A

A survey is a form of research that administers tests or questions to gather data

34
Q

What are the advantages of using a survey?

A

The main advantage of using a survey is that it provides properly drawn out and representative data of a broader population from the sample group.

35
Q

What are the disadvantages of using a survey?

A

The biggest disadvantage of using a survey is that it can lead to affected results because of desirability and courtesy bias.

36
Q

What are the advantages of a correlational study?

A

It explores issues that cannot be studied practically or ethically in real life and it allows researchers to be able to predict outcomes.

37
Q

What are the disadvantages of a correlational study?

A

Correlational does not equal causation.

38
Q

What are the advantages of using an experimental study?

A

It is the best method for establishing cause and effect.

39
Q

What are the disadvantages of an experimental study?

A

Experimental studies that aren’t carefully designed can threaten the validity of the results obtained in the experiment as result of not taking confounding variables into account.

40
Q

How is causality established?

A

1) The existence of covariation between two variables
2) Temporal precedence &
3) The elimination of other plausible explanations.

41
Q

What is temporal precedence?

A

It is an experimental method in which the experimenter manipulates variables and has the ability to decide which one comes first

42
Q

What is covariation?

A

Covariation occurs when the experimenter measures whether or not a change in one variable is associated with a change in the other variable.

43
Q

What makes a good experiment?

A

The use of random assignment, a large sample size, careful planning to eliminate confounding variables and reliable operationalised variables.

44
Q

What are the levels (scales) of measurement?

A

Nominal, Ordinal, Interval and Ratio scale

45
Q

What is a nominal scale?

A

It is a mutually exclusive method of categorization that assigns labels to groups, this can be done by assigning numerical values to them.

46
Q

What is an interval scale?

A

Scales that have no true zero, examples of this include temperature and IQ.

47
Q

What is a ratio scale?

A

Ratio scales have a true zero.

48
Q

What are the measures of central tendency?

A

Mean, Median, Mode and Range

49
Q

What are 3 examples of confounding variables?

A

Demand characteristics, Placebo effects and Experimenter expectancy effects.

50
Q

What are demand characteristics?

A

Cues that the participant picks up about the aim of a study or about how they are supposed to behave in the study. Demand characteristics can appear in the form of social desirability bias or malicious intentions.

51
Q

What is the placebo effect?

A

It is a form of deception that is utilised in experimental research by a researcher which makes participants believe that the treatment they are being administered is improving their condition.

52
Q

How can the placebo effect be controlled?

A

The placebo effect can be controlled using a double-blind study.

53
Q

What is the experimenter expectancy effect?

A

Bias that is introduced into the experiment by the researcher.

54
Q

How are experimenter expectancies managed?

A

Experimenters can be trained on how to produce consistent behaviour from the participants by giving them a standardised set of instructions.

55
Q

What is a single blind study?

A

A single-blind study occurs when participants are not aware of which group they are in during an experiment.

56
Q

What is a double-blind study?

A

In a double-blind study neither the participants nor the researchers know which group the participants are in.

57
Q

What is the difference between a demand characteristics and experimenter expectancy effects?

A

Demand characteristics are participant centred whereas experimenter expectancy effects are researcher centered.

58
Q

What are examples of unethical experiments?

A

The Little Albert experiment and the Stanford Prison Experiment .

59
Q

Why is it important to consider ethics before conducting a research project?

A

It is important to take into consideration the ethics of a psychological study to ensure that no harm comes to participants.

60
Q

What are the 3 fundamental principles of ethics?

A

Beneficence, Autonomy and Justice

61
Q

What is beneficence?

A

It is an ethical principle which is intended to ensure that the participants as well as people outside of the study can benefit from it. The benefits of the study should outweigh the risks.

62
Q

What is autonomy?

A

It is the principle which allows participants to be viewed as capable of choosing whether or not they want to participate in a study. Participants should not feel as though they are forced to participate in a study, and it should be made clear to them that they have the choice to leave the experiment whenever they please.

63
Q

What is justice?

A

It is the ethical principle that ensures that people aren’t taken advantage of or discriminated against during a study because of who they are or what they believe. Examples of grounds that could constitute discrimination include race, class, gender and economic status.

64
Q

What is informed consent?

A

A participants awareness of the procedures of the study that they are voluntarily participating in and the choice that person has in understanding the power of their will. Competence describes a participants ability to carry out the experiment.

65
Q

What should an informed consent form include?

A

1) An overview of the experiment, which includes the description of the procedures.
2) The risks and benefits involved in the study.
3) Economic considerations and costs if there are any.
4) Confidentiality and voluntary participation
5) Questions and any other additional information.
6) A place to sign.

66
Q

How should a research proposal be structured?

A

1) Abstract
2) Literature Review & Introduction in which the background of the study and the theoretical framework are given.
3) Aims & Hypotheses
4) Methods. Aspects such as the samples, research design, data collection, procedures and analysis will be included in the method.
5) Ethical considerations
6) Results which include the study’s limitations and the timeline.
7) Discussions
8) References in APA format.
9) Appendices.

PSY1005S - Test 1 (1 decks)

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