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Daniella IB HL psych > research methods > Flashcards

research methods Flashcards

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1
Q

experiments

A
  • studying people with fixed conditions (variables)
  • finding if changing one variable causes a change in another
  • testing a hypothesis

EX: drug effective in treating people with depression

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2
Q

correlational studies

A
  • collecting lots of data on people
  • looking for patterns (correlations)

EX: income level impacting likelihood of getting a divorce

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3
Q

case studies

A
  • in depth investigation (case)
  • normally on a person who is unique in some way
  • finds information on human nature or rare diseases

EX: someone with a really good memory to find out more on how our memories work

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4
Q

independent variable

A
  • what the psychologist is exploring to see if it is the cause of behaviour
  • manipulated
  • usually different groups for reliability and each group will get different “levels” of IV
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5
Q

dependent variable

A
  • outcome that is measured

- if the hypothesis is correct then when the independent variable is changed this will cause a change of the dependent

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6
Q

extraneous variables

A
  • other variables that may impact the results
  • should be controlled to make sure it really is the independent variable impacting the dependent variable
  • if these aren’t controlled correlation ≠ causation as it could just be the independent variable
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7
Q

laboratory experiments

A

pros

  • easy to control extraneous variables
  • easy to replicate and confirm

cons

  • participant bias meaning they won’t act how they normally will because they know they are being observed
  • want to look good
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8
Q

field experiment

A

pros

  • because it is in a natural setting, more likely to reflect how participants behave in everyday life
  • high ecological validity

cons

  • very hard to control all extraneous variables as the environment is constantly changing
  • music might start playing, sun sets, new people arriving and leaving
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9
Q

natural experiment

A

pros

  • independent variable changes naturally so psychologists can study things that would be unethical (disease) or impossible to create (volcano)
  • reflect how people behave in everyday life

cons
- usually only one time events which are unable to be replicated

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10
Q

issues with experimental research - participant variability

A

participant variability

  • participants in seperate groups being different which will impact the results
  • only trying to find the independent variable
  • groups need to be as similar as possible
  • to solve this randomly assign participants to groups and have a large even range of types of participants
  • each group will roughly have the same characteristics with no major differences
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11
Q

issues with experimental research - demand characteristics

A

demand characteristics

  • participants trying to guess the purpose of the experiment from subtle cues
  • thinking they know the purpose will cause them to behave unnaturally either aligning with what they think the purpose is or doing the opposite
  • to solve this researchers should keep the hypothesis secret or even mislead participants (ethical issues)
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12
Q

issues with experimental research - researcher bias

A

researcher bias

  • subconsciously or consciously designing the experiment to fit the results they want to see
  • drop hints to participant to encourage certain behaviour
  • ignoring results that don’t support their theory
  • to solve this researchers could implement a double blind which is where neither the participant or the psychologist knows which is placebo or the real thing
  • used mostly in medicine
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13
Q

sample

A
  • selecting a small group within a population to represent the whole
  • need to make sure your sample is representative of the target population
  • representative = generalizable
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14
Q

convenience sample / opportunity sample

A
  • asking whoever is there if they want to participate

pros
- quickest and easiest way to obtain participants

cons

  • sample may not be representative since it is only people in that location at that time
  • can really only be done in studies that take a few minutes
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15
Q

self-selected sample / volunteer sample

A

recruiting people who volunteer to participate in a study usually in exchange for payment

pros

  • easy way to obtain participants
  • as they volunteered they are more likely to cooperate and be motivated
  • no ethical issues as it is free will

cons

  • people who choose to volunteer may be different to those that don’t
  • may not be representative of target population
  • fearing being judged or reported to the police possibly
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16
Q

snowball sampling

A

participants are asked to refer other people they know like family or friends who would also be willing to participate

pros

  • easy way to obtain participants especially with populations that are hard to contact
  • ie drug dealers, but once the trust of one has been gained other members of the target population will feel safe to participate

cons

  • all come from the same social circle which may not be representative of the target population
  • ie all from the same drug ring, won’t hold the same views as others from different sections
  • not much anonymity as names of people participating know each other
17
Q

random sampling

A

everyone in the population has an equal chance of being sampled, often used for samples before an election.

pros
- very representative sample so information can be generalized

cons

  • expensive and time consuming
  • no guarantee that the random people will agree to participate
  • can cause response bias, different views of people who choose to participate vs those who don’t
18
Q

positive correlation

A
  • one variable (x) is associated with an increase in the second variable (y)

EX: highly educated people earning more money

19
Q

negative correlation

A
  • one variable (x) is associated with an decrease in the second variable (y)

EX: physical activity and blood pressure
the less you exercise the higher your blood pressure will be

20
Q

no correlation

A
  • one variable (x )has no impact on the second variable (y)

EX: height and intelligence

Daniella IB HL psych (12 decks)

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