Research Methods Flashcards
What are the 4 Types of Experiments?
Lab
Field
Natural
Quasi
What is a Lab Experiment?
An experiment conducted in a highly controlled environment where the IV is manipulated by the researcher and the effect on the DV is measured
What is a Field Experiment?
An experiment carried out in a natural environment where the IV is manipulated and the researcher observes the effect it has on the DV
What is a Natural Experiment?
An experiment carried out in a natural environment where the IV is not directly manipulated and is occurring naturally
What is a Quasi Experiment?
An experiment that isn’t quite an experiment because the IV is not manipulated and is based on a pre-existing difference between people
What are the 6 Types of Observations?
Natural
Controlled
Overt
Covert
Participant
Non-Participant
What is a Natural Observation?
Behaviour is observed in its natural setting where everything has been left as it is
What is a Controlled Observation?
Behaviour is observed in an environment where the variables are controlled by the researcher
What is a Covert Observation?
Behaviour is observed and recorded without consent from the participants and they are unaware they are being observed
What is an Overt Observation?
Behaviour is observed where the participants know they are being observed
What is a Participant Observation?
Where the observer becomes part of the group they are studying
What are the 3 Self Report Methods
Questionnaires
Structured Interviews
Unstructured Interviews
What is a Questionnaire?
A set of written questions used to assess a person’s thoughts and/or experiences
What are the 5 Strengths of a Questionnaire?
- Cost efficient
- Gather large amounts of data quickly
- Can be completed without researcher being present
- Data is straightforward to analyse
- Comparisons can be easily made
What are the 5 Weaknesses of a Questionnaire?
- Responses may not be truthful/valid
- Social desirability bias
- Response bias
- Acquiescence bias
- Low response rate
What is a Structured Interview?
Any interview where the questions are decided in advance
What are the 3 Strengths of a Structured Interview?
- Easy to replicate
- Reduces differences between interviews
- Reduces depth/validity
What are the 2 Weaknesses of a Structured Interview?
- Interviewer cannot deviate from the topic or explain their questions
- Limits richness of data collected as well
What is an Unstructured Interview?
The interview starts out with some general aims and possibly some questions, and lets the interviewee’s answers guide subsequent questions
What are the 3 Strengths of an Unstructured Interview?
- More flexibility
- Gain more insight into worldview of interviewee
- May get unexpected information
What are the 3 Weaknesses of an Unstructured Interviews?
- Interview bias
- Not straightforward to analyse data
- Social desirability bias
What is a Content Analysis?
Systematically summarising and describing any form of content - written, spoken or visual
What are the Two Things Involved in a Content Analysis?
- Drawing up coding categories and counting how often these categories occur
- Converts qualitative data into quantitative
What are the 6 Steps involved in a Content Analysis?
- Decide what your research question is
- Decide what you are going to analyse and how you will collect this
- Develop a list of coding categories
- Pilot it and make any changes needed
- Count the number of times the categories occur
- Check the reliability of the content analysis by correlating one researcher’s scores with another’s
4 Evaluation Points of Content Analysis
- Can get around many of the ethical issues usually associated with research
- Suffers from subjectivity
- Observer bias
- Can be flexible - can produce both qualitative and quantitative data
Definition of Directional Hypothesis
Where the researcher makes clear what kind if difference they expect to happen
Definition of Non-Directional Hypothesis
Where the researcher state that they expect a difference but the exact difference is not specified
When Should You Use a Directional Hypothesis?
Choose this if previous research has suggested a particular outcome
When Should You Use a Non-Directional Hypothesis?
Choose this if no previous research has been done, or previous research has proved inconclusive
Definition of Pilot Study
A small scale version of an investigation that takes place before the real investigation is conducted
5 Aims of a Pilot Study
- Run with a small amount of participants
- Test out any research methods
- Save time and money
- Done before main study
- Do not include the results of the pilot study in main research
What is a Self Report Technique?
Any method in which a person is asked to state or explain their own feelings, opinions, behaviors and experiences related to a given topic
What is an Open Quesiton?
Questions with no fixed answer/response and respondents can answer in any way they wish
2 Strengths of an Open Question
- Get more information
- Produces qualitative data - more depth and detail
2 Weakness of an Open Question
- People can miss them out as they can’t be bothered to answer them
- Harder to analyse
What is a Closed Question?
Questions with a fixed answer/ the choice of response is determined by the question setter
2 Strengths of a Closed Question
- Quick and easy to answer
- Quantitive data is easier to analyse
2 Weakness of a Closed Question
- Not detailed or in depth answers
- Don’t find the meaning behind the answer
What is a Semi-Structured Interview?
There is a list of questions that have been worked out in advance but interviewers are also free to ask follow up questions when they feel it is appropriate
What is an Aim?
A general statement that the researcher intends to investigate
What is a Hypothesis?
A detailed statement which is clear, precise and testable that states the relationship between variables being tested
What is a Null Hypothesis?
States that there will be no relationship between the 2 variables
What is a Meta-Analysis?
A particular form of research method that uses secondary data from a large number of studies which have involved the same research question and method are combined
What is Quantitative Data?
Data that focuses on numbers and frequencies which can be counted
What is Qualitative Data?
Data that describes meaning and experiences which is expressed in words
What is Primary Data?
Information that has been obtained first hand by the researcher
What is Secondary Data?
Information that has already been collected by previous researchers
Informed Consent - 2 Points
- Participants should be told what they are letting themselves in for
- If under 16 consent must be obtained from their parents.
What is Deception?
Information is withheld from participants and they are misled about the purpose of the study and what will happen during it.
Right to Withdraw - 2 Point
- Participants should be told this at the start of the research
- No attempt should be made to encourage them to remain.
What is Protection from Harm?
Participants should not be put through anything they wouldn’t normally be expected to
What is Competence?
Psychologists must not attempt to carry out research unless they are qualified to do so
What is a Debrief?
Researchers should discuss the aims of the research with the p.ps making sure they know how they’ve contributed to meeting the aims
Ethical Issues - 6 Points
- Informed consent
- Deception
- Right to withdraw
- Protection from harm
- Competence
- Debrief
What is a Variable?
Any thing that can vary or change with in an investigation
What is an Independent Variable?
An aspect of the experimental situation that is manipulated by the researcher or changes naturally so the effect on the DV can be measured
What is a Dependent Variable?
The variable that is measured by the researcher, and is caused by change in the IV
What is Operationalising Variables?
The process of devising a way of measuring a variable. It is a clear statement of what the variable is
4 Strengths of Lab Experiments
- Can establish cause and effect
- Few if any extraneous variables
- Easy to replicate
- High internal validity
4 Weaknesses of Lab Experiments
- Lacks ecological / external validity
- Demand characteristics can occur
- Behaviour in a lab is often different
- Experimenter effects can occur
4 Strengths of Field Experiments
- More ecologically/externally valid
- Fewer demand characteristics
- Replication can occur to some extent
- Fewer experimenter effects
4 Weaknesses of Field Experiments
- Chance of extraneous variables
- More time consuming
- Ethical issues (informed consent)
- Need a skilled researcher
4 Strengths of Natural Experiments
- No demand characteristics
- No researcher effects
- Fewer ethical issues
- Allows P.ps who wouldn’t normally be tested to take part
4 Weakness of Natural Experiments
- Lack of control (extraneous variables)
- Short term behaviour may be displayed
- No random allocation can create confounding variables
- Harder to replicate
What are Extraneous Variables?
Any variable apart from the IV which can effect the DV if not controlled, but can be controlled by the researcher
What are Confounding Variables?
A variable apart from the IV which can effect the DV, but cannot be controlled by the researcher
What is the Baseline Measure?
Result established from control condition when no manipulation of IV occurs and allows comparisons to be made.
What is Random Allocation?
People are chosen randomly and have an equal chance of being selected
What is Ecological Validity?
How methods can be applied to real life settings
What is External Validity?
How valid results are outside of a research setting
What are Demand Characteristics?
Any cue from the researcher or research situation that can be interpreted by participants as revealing the purpose of the investigation leading them to changing their behaviour
What are Experimenter Effects?
Where the experimenter changes a persons views usually sub-consciously through body language