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research methods Flashcards

1
Q

what is a lab experiment

A

an experiment conducted under controlled conditions

iv is manipulated

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2
Q

adv of lab experiments

A

high level of control

standardised so it can be replicated

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3
Q

disadv of lab experiments

A

artificial environment
may not apply to real life
participants may behave unnaturally

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4
Q

what is a field experiment

A

a real life environment

the iv is still manipulated

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5
Q

adv of field experiments

A

participants will behave more natural

can relate more to everyday life

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6
Q

disadv of field experiments

A

hard to repeat
there may be no consent from participants making it unethical
lacks internal validity

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7
Q

what is a natural experiment

A

there is a natural independant variable and the researcher has no control

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8
Q

adv of natural experiments

A

people behave naturally so if can reflect real life

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9
Q

disadv on natural experiments

A

expensive
no control over variables
difficult to repeat

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10
Q

what is a quasi experiment

A

independent variable is a pre existing difference.

the experiment lacks control

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11
Q

adv of quasi experiments

A

cheap and easy to carry out

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12
Q

disadv of quasi experiments

A

not scientific so they lack validity

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13
Q

what does validity mean

A

the extent to which a test measures what it claims to measure

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14
Q

what does reliability mean

A

results are consistent and dependable

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15
Q

what is an aim

A

a clear and precise statement for the meaning of the study

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16
Q

what is a direct hypothesis

A

a prediction made by a researcher regarding a change in a positive or negative direction or the difference between two variables.
this is used when previous research has been done

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17
Q

what is a non direct hypothesis

A

it predicts that the independent variable of the experiment will have an effect of the result but it does not specify the direction.
used when there is no previous research

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18
Q

what is an independent variable

A

a characteristic that is manipulated or changed by the researcher
e.g time

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19
Q

what is a dependant variable

A

the thing in the experiment that you measure

e.g memory

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20
Q

what is an extraneous variable

A

a variable that could effect the DV

the researcher should try control this e.g lighting

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21
Q

what is an confounding variable

A

factors other than the IV may change the result of the experiment
e.g a study of caffeine (some people may of got more sleep)

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22
Q

what is a demand characteristic

A

participants change their behaviour based on the clues given by the researcher to produce unnatural results in the experiments

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23
Q

what is an investigator effect

A

when the researcher consciously or unconsciously influences the results of the experiment

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24
Q

what is an experimental design

A

the way in which ppts are allocated to the two conditions of the independent variable of the of them experiment

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25
what is the meaning of an independent group design
there are different ppts in each group
26
what is the meaning of no order effects
no one gets better through practise or worse by being tired or bored
27
repeated measures design
the same ppts repeat the two conditions of the IV
28
matched pairs
every ppts in group A is matched with someone in group B based on their age, sex, wealth etc people are paired of relative characteristics that suit the experiment
29
what does sampling mean
the method used to select people from the population to take part in the experiment
30
generalisability meaning
the extent to which we can apply the findings of our research to the target population
31
biased sampling meaning
when certain groups are over/ under represented within one sample
32
random sampling meaning
every person in the target population has an equal chance of being selected
33
adv of random sampling
removes researcher bias | fair selection
34
disadv of random sampling
time and cost to produce a list of the population | chosen ppts might refuse to take part
35
systematic sampling meaning
every nth member (e.g every 5th member)
36
adv of systematic sampling
no bias | representative of the population
37
disadv of systematic sampling
time, effort and money to produce
38
stratified sampling meaning
divides population into sections, each representing a key group that should presented in the final sample e.g if the pop is more males then the sample should include more males than females
39
adv of stratified sampling
represents population well | no bias
40
disadv of stratified sampling
very time consuming
41
opportunity sampling meaning
taking people who are there at that moment and using them in the investigation
42
adv of opportunity sampling
quick and easy
43
disadv of opportunity sampling
bias | not representative of the population
44
volunteer sampling meaning
self-selected | e.g could be from an advert
45
what does ethics mean
a conflict of interest between the researcher and the participants rights
46
informed consent
ppts are aware of the aims of the research and their rights however this means participants behaviour will not be natural ppts should be sent a consent form detailing all information that may affect their decision
47
deception
deliberately misleading or withholding information from ppts this means behaviour may be more natural ppts should be aware of the true aims of the research and what their data will be used for
48
protection from harm
ppts aren't at anymore risk than they would be in everyday life protected from physical and psychological harm
49
privacy and confidentiality
can control what information about themselves is used in the research
50
what is the BPS code of conduct
ethical guidelines for all psychological researchers to follow
51
what is a pilot study?
an initial run through of the procedure which is helpful to identify any issues it may test validity, instructions, debriefs etc they DO NOT test the results of the investigation only the procedures
52
what is a briefing and debriefing statement
a briefing statement is given to the ppts before the research is carried out outlining the investigation a debriefing statement is given to the ppts after the research is carried out
53
controlled observation
conditions are manipulated by the researcher lab study + high levels of control + study can be replicated - demand characteristics - artificial environment means low ecological validity
54
naturalistic observations
``` no manipulation of variables natural environment + less cost/ time + real world environment means high ecological validity - impossible to replicate - low control over extraneous variables ```
55
covert observation
``` ppts unaware the are part of the study public environment + removes demand characteristics + high validity for natural behaviour - ethical issues as no informed consent so a debriefing statement would be used - difficult to set up/ find behaviour ```
56
overt observation
know they are being observed and have given informed consent + ethical as informed consent in advance - demand characteristics
57
participant observation
researcher joins ppts to get first hand account + high validity as researcher has insight into behaviour - lose objectivity
58
non-participant observation
remains separate from ppts + less risk of losing objectivity - may lose valuable insight
59
correlations
the relationship between the x and y variables positive = right, neg = left strong = close together, weak = far apart
60
interview
ppts give information in response to direct questions asked by the interviewer
61
questionnaire
ppts give information in response to questions that are sent out to them eg. post, online
62
open questions
questions are answered with no direction. you can give long answers and gives qualitative data (non numerical answers)
63
closed questions
yes or no, likehurt scales, set answers. quantitative data that can be numerical and put into graphs

psychology a level (16 decks)

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