research methods Flashcards
what is applied research
focuses on solving problems, curing illnesses and innovating new technology
what is basic research
theory driven, hypothesis-testing science driven by a quest for fundamental understanding
what is sampling
group of people that are being studied through the experiment. how they are selected is the sampling. Sample must represent the population
what are the sampling methods
random selection
stratified sampling
volunteer/self-selection
convenience sampling
what is random selection
every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected. Random sampling increases the likelihood that the sample represents the population
what is stratified sampling
A process that allows researchers to ensure that the sample represents the population on some criteria. proportion of people selected to the population
what is volunteer/self-selection
sample has similar characteristics (bias) therefore it isn’t representative of the population
what is convenience sampling
the researcher sets out to find a sample group of people to speak to but only to the researcher’s convenience does he choose the people. Results are biased as all sections aren’t representative of the population
what is quantitative research
statistical research, experiments, numerical value, objective
what is qualitative research
descriptive data, subjective
what is a causal relationship
relationship between the independent variable and the dependent and how they affect each other
give an example of manipulating the IV to see its affect on the DV
measuring caffeine and its effect on concentration
giving group 1 5g of coffee and obseriving
giving group 2 10g of coffee and observing
IV is being changed and its affect on the DV is being observed
what is a control group
doesn’t receive IV/experimental treatment used for comparison
what are extraneous variables
variable that isn’t being investigated but could potentially affect the outcomes of the research
if left uncontrolled the extraneous variable could cause an inaccurate finding in the research
what is a confounding variable
if an extraneous variable affects the experiment then it is known as a confounding variable
this affects the validity of the experiment hence creating bias
what is a participant confounding variable
this is an extraneous variable that is present within the participant
e.g participant has adhd then they wouldn’t be able to concentrate even with coffee
what are the pros and cons of an artificial setup
pros:
Extraneous variables can be controlled perfectly and the causal relationship between IV AND DV is prominent. the experiment has high validity
cons
ecological validity is low as the fact that the subjects know they are in an experiment could hinder their performance
what is ecological validity
how the experiment matches with how the subjects perform in real life outside the experiment
what are demand characteristics
participants find out about the aim of the experiment before it takes place and they alter their behavior to suit the researchers’ needs. this decreases validity
what is a field/naturalistic experiment and what are the pros and cons of a field experiment
research taken place in a neutral real-world study
pros
no demand characteristics
ecological validity is high
cons
Extraneous variables might be hard to control as it is in a real-world habitat
what is a neutral experiment and what are it is pros and cons
is set in a real-world setting but IV is naturally occurring and cannot be manipulated.
eg effect of rain on mood, we cannot manipulate the amount of rain
pros
they can be effectively used to study real-world issues, enables researchers to investigate variables that would not be practical or ethical to manipulate
cons
possible only when differences occur naturally, control over extraneous variables is difficult
what is the independent measure design
in independent measure design different participants are used in each level of the IV so there are no order effects.
participants see only one level of the IV reducing effect of demand characteristics.
Random allocation to levels of the IV can reduce the effects of individual differences.
what are the pros of independent measure design
order effects are lowered
demand characteristics are lowered
individual differences are lowered
what are the cons of independent measure design
participant variables can distort results if there are individual differences between participants in different levels
what is the repeated measure design
same people are used fot the diffrent levels of IV
pros:
participant variables are unlikely to distort the effect of the IV as they are all the same people
cons
order effects could distort the results
practice effect could also distort results
what is an order effect
the influence of the order in which treatments are administered,
such as the effect of being the first administered treatment (rather than the second, third)
how can a researcher reduce order effect
counterbalancing
arranging a series of experimental conditions or treatments in such a way as to minimize the influence of extraneous factors, such as practice or fatigue, on experimental results
what is the practice effect
influence on test results if taken more than once as subject has experience
what is matched pair experiment design
pros and cons
different people in different groups, groups are matched based on similar characteristics
doesnt have to be a ‘pair’ can be a group of 3-4 people as well
pros
individual differences are minimal
cons
matched pair cannot be used on an experiment with a large sample as making pairings could be hard
what is a hypothesis
statement/prediction we are trying to prove in research. If proven right it is then labelled a theory
what is the Hawthorne effect
people will modify their behaviour since they are being observed
human ethics for experiments by APA
- no coercion
- informed consent
- anonymity
- risk
- debriefing
animal ethics for experiments
- least amount of feesable suffering
- need to be purchased from accredited companies, if wild need to be treated humanely
- shouldn’t be mutated
- veteranary doctor should be on standby
what is an operational definition
operational definition is the statement of procedures the researcher is going to use in order to measure a specific variable.
what are correlational studies
a non-experimental research method that studies the relationship between two variables with the help of statistical analysis. They do not prove cause and effect
what is random assignment
Random assignment means that each participant has an equal chance of being placed into any group.
The benefit of random assignment is that it limits the effect of participant-relevant confounding variables and bias
random assignment is specifically unique to _____
experimental design
what is experimenter bias
Experimenter bias is the unconscious tendency for researchers to treat members of the experimental and control groups differently to increase the chance of confirming their hypothesis.
eg if the experimenter is trying to prove something right he might give clues/hints to the participant so that they can prove his hypothesis right
what is the single blind technique
single blind occurs when only the participants do not know to which group they have been assigned
this strategy minimizes the effect of demand characteristics
what is the double blind technique
A type of clinical trial in which neither the participants nor the researcher knows which treatment or intervention participants are receiving until the clinical trial is over
this reduces the effect of demand characteristics as well as experiementer bias
what is social desirability
the tendency to try to give answers that reflect well upon them, is called social desirability
what type of graph is used for correlation studies
scatter plot
what are correlation studies
Correlational research involves measuring two variables and assessing the relationship between them. Not knowing which variable affects which
dont have IV DV
doesnt imply causation
what is a causation study
Correlational research involving measuring two variables and assessing the relationship between them, understanding which variable affects which
what is a positive correlation
positive correlation between two things means that the presence of one thing predicts the presence of the other.
what is a negative correlation
A negative correlation means that the presence of one thing predicts the absence of the other.
what is correlation coefficient
stastic used to compute the correlation.
ranges between -1 and +1
-1 is a perfect negative correlation and +1 is a perfect positive correlation
how do the points look on a graph with a strong correlation
seem to fall into a line
what is null hypothesis
hypothesis deemed true until proven wrong based on experimental data
what is alternative hypothesis
statement that contradicts the null hypothesis
