Quantitative research phase test

Question 1

What is reliability?

Answer 1

Consistency of the measure at different points in time across different circumstances

Question 2

What is internal reliability?

Answer 2

Indicates how consistently all of the items in a scale of measure the concept in question

Question 3

What is validity?

Answer 3

Whether a test measures what it is intended to measure.

Question 4

What is face validity?

Answer 4

From the appearance of the items does the scale measure what it claims to measure

Question 5

What is content validity?

Answer 5

Do the items of the scale cover the important characteristics of the content being measured

Question 6

What is concurrent validity?

Answer 6

Does the scale correlate well with other measures of the same concept taken at the same time?

Question 7

What is predictive validity?

Answer 7

Does the measure predict accurately future behaviors e.g. does IQ predict those who eventually go to university?

Question 8

What is construct validity?

Answer 8

This involves developing theoretical and conceptual understanding of the thing being measured. How well do we understand the construct?

Question 9

What is triangulation?

Answer 9

Using multiple types of measures to assess something such as verbal measures and behavioural measures of a concept.

Question 10

What is convergent validity?

Answer 10

Do different sorts of measures of the same concept tend to intercorrelate together?

Question 11

What is discriminant validity?

Answer 11

Do measures of apparently different concepts not correlate with each other?

Question 12

What is known-groups validity?

Answer 12

Does the measure distinguish between groups that it should be expected to? e.g. do university students have higher IQ than those who do not go to university?

Question 13

What is good about non-manipulation studies?

Answer 13

They seem more naturalistic so are therefore more appealing to some researchers.

Question 14

What is an example of when manipulation is not possible?

Answer 14

Sometimes it is unethical to manipulate the variable of interest. For example, investigating the effect of divorce on children. Divorce cannot be assigned at random.

Question 15

What are the 3 key concepts in the analysis of cross-sectional studies?

Answer 15

Varying reliability of measures
The third variable issue
Restricted variation of scores

Question 16

What is varying reliability of measures?

Answer 16

Two measures can only correlate to the extent that each measure is reliable.
It is possible to adjust the correlation between two variables so that it is based on ‘perfectly reliable’ measures.

Question 17

What is the third variable issue?

Answer 17

Third variables can affect the correlation between two variables and reduce or inflate the correlation.
Statistical adjustments to ‘get rid of’ the effect of third variables include the partial correlation coefficient.

Question 18

What are restricted variation of scores?

Answer 18

The correlation between intelligence and income will be higher in the general population but much smaller if a sample of people with university degrees is chosen.
There is nothing to be done about this other than to a different sample if your research question demands it. just do not draw conclusions about the general population based on this sample.

Question 19

What are cross-sectional designs?

Answer 19

They are typical of most non-experimental psychological research. The same variable is measured only once for each participant.

Question 20

What cant be tested definitively in cross-sectional designs?

Answer 20

Causality cannot be tested however cross-sectional designs help determine the direction and the strength of the association between two or more variables.

Question 21

What is an example of cross sectional designs?

Answer 21

We could determine the relationship between gender and diagnosis of depression.

Question 22

What are longitudinal studies?

Answer 22

Longitudinal studies examine variables at different points in time

Question 23

What is a panel or prospective study?

Answer 23

Involves looking at the same group of participants in two or more distinct occasions. Ideally exactly the same variables are measured on all occasions although not always achieved.
This study has good potential to help reveal causal pathways.

Question 24

What is a retrospective study?

Answer 24

These studies ask participants to answer questions, e.g. from a past perspective.
This is week in terms of establishing causality because perceptions of the past may be effected by the present.

Question 25

What is Sampling?

Answer 25

When making inferences about finate populations ideally a representative sample should be used in order to estimate the characteristics of the population precisely.

Question 26

What is a Simple random sample?

Answer 26

Random sampling from a list of names

Question 27

What is a systematic sample?

Answer 27

Every nth case in a list after a random starting point.

Question 28

What is a multi stage sample?

Answer 28

e.g. universities are selected at random and then students are selected at random from each of these universities.

Question 29

What is a stratified sample?

Answer 29

Structured e.g. by gender so that random sample includes both genders proportionately.

Question 30

What is a disproportionate stratified sample?

Answer 30

Involves oversampling from some groups of interest which are relatively uncommon.

Question 31

What is a cluster sample?

Answer 31

Geographical areas selected and then random sample drawn within each cluster

Question 32

What is a variable?

Answer 32

A variable is anything that varies and can be measured

Question 33

What is the importance of basic laboratory experiments

Answer 33

They allow the investigation of causal relationships so we can establish cause and effect. This is achieved by random allocation of participants and the manipulation of the IV while standardising procedures as much as possible to control other sources of variability.

Question 34

What is the name for the experiments in which different participants take part in different conditions?

Answer 34

Between- participants, Independent groups, unrelated groups or uncorrelated groups design.
Unrelated statistical tests are used for this sort of design

Question 35

What is the name for the experiments in which the same participants take part in all of the conditions

Answer 35

Within- subjects, within- participants, repeated-measures, dependent groups, related groups, or correlated groups design
Related statistical tests are used for this sort of design

Question 36

Reasons to use a research laboratory

Answer 36

Practicalities, A study may require the use of equipment.
Experimental control, It is important to keep all factors constant other than the variable that is manipulated.

Question 37

What are the three essential aspects which need to be understood in order to design effective experiments

Answer 37

Experimental manipulation
Standardisation of procedures (control of all variables other than the IV)
Random assignment to conditions or order of conditions.

Question 38

Explain experimental manipulation

Answer 38

Only the variable that is assumed to cause or affect another variable is manipulated by the researcher. The manipulated variable is known as the IV.
If it is not manipulated independently then any affect we observe may be due to those other variables.
The manipulation must have 2 conditions .

Question 39

What is the purpose of a control condition?

Answer 39

To see comparison.

Question 40

Explain standardisation of procedures

Answer 40

All factors should be held constant apart from the variable being investigated. This is achieved by standardising all aspects of the procedures employed.

Question 41

Explain Random assignment

Answer 41

Participants are put in experimental or control condition at random.
If participants undertake more than one condition then they are randomly assigned to the different order orders of the two conditions.

Question 42

What does Quantitative research always begin with

Answer 42

A testable prediction (hypothesis)

Question 43

What is the experimental condition?

Answer 43

The condition where the independent variable is present. It can be several experimental groups.

Question 44

What is the control condition?

Answer 44

The condition where the independent variable is absent.

Question 45

What is an extraneous variable?

Answer 45

Variables that can potentially affect the relationship between the Iv and Dv (e.g. a third variable). It is called a confounding variable if it differs systematically with the independent variable.

Question 46

How do we prevent extraneous and confounding variables?

Answer 46

Match the conditions on key variables.
Standardised procedures.
Randomisation of the sample to the conditions.

Question 47

What are demand characteristics?

Answer 47

When researcher guesses the aim of the study

Question 48

What are experimenter effects?

Answer 48

Experimenters desire to support the hypothesis affects the behaviour

Question 49

What is a between groups design?

Answer 49

Also known as independent measures design.
Strengths
No carry-over effects (avoids one condition contaminating another condition
Process is quicker for participants
Weakness
Individual differences have a greater affect
need more participants

Question 50

What is a Within groups design?

Answer 50

also known as repeated measures design
Strengths
effect of individual differences reduced
fewer participants needed
Weakness
Boredom, fatigue, drop outs etc
One condition may contaminate the other

Question 51

What is the null hypothesis?

Answer 51

Manipulation of IV will have no effect on the DV.
There will be no difference between the conditions.

Question 52

What is the experimental (alternate) hypothesis?

Answer 52

Manipulating the IV will cause a change in the DV
There will be a difference between the conditions