Research Methods

Question 1

Define case study.

Answer 1

• May provide in-depth information about how brain structures, or damage to those structures, may influence behaviour
• Researcher observes the behaviour of an individual or a group of individuals

Question 2

Describe data collected in a case study.

Answer 2

• Holistic
• Qualitative and quantitative data
• Method triangulation
• Researcher triangulation
• Data triangulation
• Often focus on limited aspect of behaviour
• No IV is manipulated, so no cause and effect

Question 3

What are strengths and limitations of case sudies?

Answer 3

• Rich qualitative data
• High ecological
• Only way to investigate phenomenons
• High chance of researcher bias

Question 4

Define experiment.

Answer 4

• Establish a cause and effect relationship
• Hypothesis
• Manipulate an independent variable to measure the effect on a dependent variable, while attempting to keep all other variables constant
• Participants randomly allocated to either a treatment group (where the IV is manipulated) or a control group (where the IV is not manipulated)

Question 5

What are the strengths and limitations of experiments?

Answer 5

• Attempt to control extraneous variables
• High internal validity – you can say that the IV most likely caused the change in the DV
• Highly standardised, can be replicated
• This allows other psychologists to test the reliability of the results
• Low ecological validity due to the highly controlled environment
• Procedures are often highly artificial
• Demand characteristics
• Often take a reductionist approach, looking at the effect of a single IV on a DV

Question 6

Brain and behaviour & Hormones evaluation

Answer 6

• Causality
• Artificiality and ecological validity
• Importance of replication
• Internal validity
• Construct validity (aka face validity)

Question 7

Genetics evaluation

Answer 7

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