Research Methodology Flashcards
What is stratified sampling?
Taking already known statistics into account, recruiting id sone to take into account diversity & explore that impact on the study. It keeps the proportion of diverse characteristics constant across all groups.
What is random sampling?
Where every member of the target population has an equal chance of being selected. This is easier to generalize.
What is convenience/opportunity sampling?
Samples are based on naturally occurring groups –> Volunteers participate in the study when asked by the researcher. It is an easy way to sample. It may lead to some bias and therefore is hard to generalize.
What is self-selected sampling?
This is where advertisements alert people to the study & they come to the researcher wanting to be a part of the study. It is almost always guaranteed to have a motivated sample. Hard to generalize because volunteers rarely reflect the entire population.
What is snowball sampling?
A sampling system where initial participants have their friends or people they know participate in the study and then they recruit their friends. This is hard to generalize because of more bias.
What is sampling bias?
Non-random sampling results in bias where some members of the population are less likely to be included than others. Participant variables also may not be representative & can influence the study’s outcome.
What are the problems with using University Students as a sample/target population?
The have a strong need for peer approval, they were pre-selected for competence in cognitive skills, and are more egocentric than adults.
Describe a retrospective study?
A study about past behavior. Problems arise because we are reliant on a participant’s memories and it is not often possible to verify the information that the participant shares.
Describe a prospective study?
A study where a variable is measured at the beginning and we watch it change (or not). This is not dependent on participants memories, however, it takes a lot longer which could create participant extinction.
What are the two main types of prospective studies?
Longitudinal and cross-sectional studies. Research is stronger if it is confirmed by both.
What is longitudinal research?
This is when a study involved repeated observations of the same variables over long periods of time. This takes longer, however the data it provides shows the changing in individuals over time.
What is cross-sectional research?
This is when a study analyzes data from a population at a specific point in time. Middlers graduating example. Take a sample from each grade at one point in time.
What are quasi-experiments?
In these “almost-experiments”, allocation into groups is not random. It is based on preexisting conditions (the IV is naturally occurring). Cause-effect relationships cannot be inferred.
What are field experiments?
These are conducted in the real life setting with the researcher manipulating the IV. We don’t know if the IV is the only variable. This has a higher ecological validity. This is not replicable.
What are natural experiments?
These are experiments conducted in the natural environment, however there is no control over the IV. There is very high ecological validity, but low internal validity. This can be used instead of a field experiment when it would be unethical to manipulate the IV. All natural experiments are quasi-experiments.
What are the types of validities?
Construct validity, internal validity, external validity, ecological validity.
What is validity?
Considering whether the research does what it claims to.
What is construct validity?
It helps to determine the quality of the research by looking into definitions and the measurability of the study.
How do you controll confounding/extraneous variables?
Eliminate them or keep them constant.
What is internal validity?
This helps to determine how well the study was conducted & identify the influence of extraneous variables on the outcome of the study.
