research Flashcards
What is the primary goal of sexology?
the scientific study of sexuality, with aims to understand, predict, and change sexual behavior
What are some challenges of sex research?
the privacy of sexual behavior making discussions uncomfortable, links to emotional and moral issues, and high nonresponse rates due to discomfort with the topic
What defines a peer-reviewed source?
written and evaluated by experts in the field, typically research scientists
Describe a case study
an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles
What is a representative sample?
a randomly selected sample of subjects from a larger population, providing confidence in findings
Explain the concept of self-selection bias
when people who volunteer for sex research are more likely to be sexually experienced and sexually liberal than the general population
What characterizes demographic bias in sex research?
occurs because much sex research is conducted in middle-class college communities.
Define self-report bias
happens when data is influenced by tendencies toward social desirability
Define a random sample.
group chosen in such a way that each member of the population has an equal chance of being selected
What is social desirability, and how does it influence responses?
refers to the need to respond in socially appropriate ways, which can influence how individuals answer questions
Why is retrospective self-reporting often considered unreliable?
involves asking about past behavior, tends to be unreliable as memories degrade with time
What characterizes descriptive designs in research?
involve the examination of a phenomenon or group of phenomena without manipulation of variables.
- Ex: surveys, interviews, questionnaires, and correlational designs
What is the key feature of experimental designs?
involve the manipulation of one or more variables to investigate causation
What are the advantages and disadvantages of interviews as a research method?
- Advantages include flexibility and potential for better rapport
- disadvantages include susceptibility to self-report bias and interview biases, as well as being costly and time-consuming
How do surveys contribute to research, and what type of research design do they typically fall under?
involve questioning a sample of people about behaviors and attitudes, typically falling under descriptive designs
What are the advantages and disadvantages of questionnaires?
advantages:
- generally cheaper/more practical than interviews
- can get higher response rates due to less embarrassing format
- less subject to researcher biases
disadvantages:
- also subject to self-report bias
- subjects can skip uncomfortable questions
What are the Penile Strain Gauge and Vaginal Photoplethysmograph used for?
- Penile Strain Gauge measures sexual arousal through changes in penile circumference
- Vaginal Photoplethysmograph indirectly measures blood flow to the vagina using light
What are the advantages and disadvantages of direct observation as a research method?
Advantages include accuracy and reduced bias, while disadvantages include reactivity and practical limitations such as random sampling and cost.
Define reactivity in research and explain its significance
Reactivity is the process by which behavior changes because it is being measured, which may not generalize to the population
What is the purpose of correlational designs, and what are their advantages and disadvantages?
purpose: measure two or more variables to determine whether they are statistically related
advantages: identifying relationships between variables,
disadvantages: not explaining the nature of the relationship or proving causation
What distinguished the National Health and Social Life Survey, and when was it conducted?
National Health and Social Life Survey was the first large-scale population-based survey on sexual attitudes and practices in the U.S. It was conducted in 1992 with approximately 3,500 respondents
What is randomization of subjects, and why is it important?
involves assigning them in such a way that each has an equal chance of ending up in either the experimental or control group. It is essential for experimental designs
Differentiate between experimental groups and control groups
Experimental groups receive the intervention, while control groups do not
What is the significance of randomized controlled trials in clinical research?
Randomized controlled trials involve randomly assigning subjects to receive different interventions and are considered the state of the art for clinical research
