Research methods Flashcards
What is a case study
To study a case in psychology is to promote a detailed and in-depth analysis of an individual group, institution or event. Case studies tend to take place over a long time (longitudinal) and may involve gathering data from family and friends of the individuals as well as the person themselves
What type of cases are used in case studies
Unusual and typical. Case studies often involve analysis of unusual events such as a person with a rare disorder or the sequence of events that led to the 2011 riots. Case studies may also concentrate on the more typical cases such as elderly person’s recollections of their childhood.
What type of data to they use (case studies)
qualitative data. Researchers will construct a case history of the individual or event concerned perhaps using interviews, observations, questionnaires or a combination of all of these. Data is mainly quantitative. Psychological tests may also be used to assess e.g. intelligence or personality. These are likely to produce quantitative data.
One advantage
Rich in detail
2nd avantage
Enables study of unusual behaviour
One disadvantage
Prone to researcher bias
Another disadvantage
Participants accounts may be biased
What is content analysis
Is a type of observational research. People are studied indirectly via the communications they have produced:
Spoken interaction, written forms, Examples from media like books.
What data does coding produce
Quantitative. Coding is the first stage of content analysis. Some data sets can be extremely large e.g.interviews. So info needs to be categorised into meaningful units. May involve counting up the number of times a certain number appears in text to produce quantitative data. E.g. newspaper reports may be analysed for the number of times crazy is used when mentioning mentally ill people.
What data does thematic analysis produce
Qualitative data. A theme in content analysis refers to any idea that is recurrent i.e. keeps cropping up in what’s being studied. Themes are more descriptive than coding units. For E.g. mentally ill people being described as mad can be categorised into stereotyping
One advantage of thematic analysis
Many ethical issues may not apply (mags already in public)
Another advantage of thematic analysis
A flexible method can be adapted to produce both types of data. Reduces validity of conclusions drwn
A disadvantage of thematic analysis
Communication is studied out of context may interpret info differently to author
Another disadvantage of thematic analysis
May lack objectivity especially when more descriptive bias may threaten validity of findings and conclusion. Reflexivity addresses reduced objectivity. Personal viewpoints are seen as an important part of the data collected.
What is the aim of a study
An intention of investigation
‘to see if’
‘to investigate whether’
What is the hypothesis
Statements of expected outcome
‘a prediction you are testing. Either you are right or wrong’
‘what we will find is’
Come in pairs: alternative + nullMust be clear + operationalised
What is the null hypothesis
Predicts IV has no effect on DV
What is the alternative hypothesis
Predicts that there will be a significant effect on DV because of the IV
What is are the 2 types of hypothesis
Directional (one tailed) = specific about effect that IV will have on DV e.g. ‘girls will score higher than boys in A level
Non-directional (two-tailed) = Say IV will affect DV but not specific about how this will be e.g.‘a significant difference in A level scores of boys’ and girls’
When do you use both of these hypothesis
Directional = sufficient background evidence (previous research) Non-directional = if evidence is unclear + researcher wants to suggest they are avoiding bias
Types of variables
DV=dependent variable = measuredIV = independent variable = manipulatedCV = controlled variable = kept constant
What are extraneous variables
Things that could influence DV = therefore should be controlledE.g. P&E effects, individual differences
What are confounding variables
Variables that have already effected DV
Should have been controlled
What are operationalised variables
Each variable should be operationalised in order to make the hypothesis clear and testable
What are the types of experimental variables
Conditions under which an experiment is carried at
Dependent on:
how much control we have over IV
How much control we have over extraneous variables
Decision between reliability OR validity
Lab, field, quasi + natural
What are the experiments and their var
One variable kept constant
A researcher causes the IV to vary and records the effect of the IV on the DV. There are different levels of the IV
