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psych CAP 2 > Research methods > Flashcards

Research methods Flashcards

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1
Q

IV

A

variable that is manipulated by the researcher to see if it has an effect on the DV

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2
Q

DV

A

variable that is measured to see the effect of the IV

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3
Q

operationalising definition

A

be specific and clear when defining the IV and DV to make it easier to measure

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4
Q

aim

A

this is a general statement of what the researcher intends to investigate the purpose of the study

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5
Q

hypothesis

A

specific and testable statement in which the researcher predicts what will happen between the variables

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6
Q

directional hypothesis

A

researcher predicts the direction that the results will go in to see what difference they expect to find between two conditions

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7
Q

non-directional

A

researcher does not predict the directional that hey think the results will go in
they will just say there will be a difference

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8
Q

null hypothesis

A

IV does not effect the DV
results due to chance

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9
Q

lab method AO1

A

highly controlled environment
researcher manipulates the IV
to see the effect on the DV

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10
Q

lab methods strengths

A

High level of control over extraneous variables therefore cause and effect can be established between the IV and the DV which increases the internal validity of the research.

High in reliability as the experiment can be easily repeated in the same conditions to check for consistent results.

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11
Q

lab methods limitations

A

Lacks Ecological validity as it’s carried out in an artificial environment therefore it is difficult to generalise the findings beyond the setting of the study, lowering the external validity.

Can encourage demand characteristics, where the Ppt’s change their natural behaviour based on clues given off by the researcher this could lead to ppts choosing to either help/hinder the researcher, reducing the internal validity.

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12
Q

field method AO1

A

natural environment
researcher manipulates the IV and records the effect on DV

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13
Q

field method strength

A

Less prone to demand characteristics as people might not know they are being watched so they are less likely to guess clues given off by the researcher and change their natural behaviour in order to help/hinder the research Therefore increasing the internal validity.

High ecological validity as it is based in a real life setting therefore it is easier to generalise the findings beyond the setting of the study to other similar settings increasing the external validity.

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14
Q

field method weakness

A

Low in reliability as the environment is real so it is difficult to repeat with exactly the same conditions to check for consistent results.

This could create an ethical issue of lack of informed consent as people may not be aware they are being studied on so wouldn’t have given their consent. If they become aware they may become upset and wish to withdraw their data from the research.

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15
Q

natural method AO1

A

naturally occurring IV
changed even if the experimenter not interested
could happen in a lab or a field

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16
Q

natural method strength

A

Natural experiments provide opportunities for research that may not otherwise be undertaken for practical/ethical reasons. For example, Rutter’s study on Romanian orphans would have been unethical to manipulate unless the institutionalisation (IV) had not occurred naturally. Therefore, natural experiments contribute to a greater psychological understanding of behaviour.

High ecological validity as natural experiments are often based in a real life setting therefore it is easier to generalise the findings beyond the setting of the study to other similar settings increasing the external validity.

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17
Q

natural method limitations

A

Naturally occurring event may only happen very rarely which limits opportunities for research, unlike lab experiments where IVs can be manipulated by the researcher any time. Suggesting other types of experiment may be more convenient for research than natural experiments.

Low control over extraneous variables as natural experiments usually take place in a natural environment. Therefore it is difficult to establish cause and effect between the IV and the DV lowering the internal validity of the study.

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18
Q

quasi method AO1

A

existing difference between people
which the researcher has not manipulated
records the effect on DV
eg. age or gender

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19
Q

quasi method strength

A

could be lab or field

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20
Q

quasi method limitations

A

Sample bias as the sample being studied may have unique characteristics, which may mean that it is difficult to generalise to the target population decreasing the external validity of the study.

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21
Q

independent groups design AO1

A

ppts take part in one condition only
each condition has different groups of ppts

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22
Q

independent groups strength

A

There will be no order effects as ppts only take part in one condition so they will not get bored/fatigued/better at the task or have lasting effects from one condition to the next UNLIKE repeated measures design where ppts take part in all conditions and could have order effects.

Can be used when repeated measures design is inappropriate (e.g. quasi experiments when looking at gender differences) as each condition needs different ppts

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23
Q

independent groups limitations

A

Individual differences may affect the DV as there are separate groups of ppts in each condition e.g. some ppts could have a better memory which wouldn’t be suitable in a memory study lowering the internal validity UNLIKE repeated measures that uses the same group of individuals in all conditions to reduce the effect of individual differences.

More ppts are needed as two different groups are required for the different conditions UNLIKE repeated measures where you use less ppts as every ppt takes part in all conditions.

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24
Q

repeated measures AO1

A

all ppts take part in all conditions of the experiment

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25
Q

repeated measured strength

A

Individual differences between participants in each condition are removed as the same ppts take part in all conditions.Therefore the researcher can be sure any effect to the DV is sue to the IV and not any confounding variables increasing the internal validity of the research UNLIKE IGD will use different ppts
in different conditions so individual
differences could affect the DV

Requires fewer participants as the same ppts take part in all conditions UNLIKE in an independent measures design as separate groups are needed for separate conditions.

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26
Q

repeated measures limitation

A

Order effects may occur when participants take part in more than one experimental condition they may perform worse/better in the second condition due to bored/fatigue/better in the second condition (due to practice), or there may be lasting effects from condition 1 to condition 2 lowering the internal validity UNLIKE independent measures where ppts only take part in one condition so cannot be susceptible to order effects

Increased chances of demand characteristics as participants take part in all conditions. They may pick up on clues given off by the researcher as they spend much more time with them, or from the research situation , and change their natural behaviour to help or hinder the research. Lowering the internal validity UNLIKE IGD where ppts are less likely to pick up on clues as the only take part in one condition of the research

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27
Q

Matched pairs AO1

A

ppts are matched on important characteristics in the study
given them an appropriate test and match two ppts on same score
each member is randomly allocated across each condition

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28
Q

matched pairs strength

A

Reduces individual differences between participants as it matches ppts on variables important to the research, such as IQ/age/happiness.Therefore the researcher can be sure the effect on the DV is due to the IV and not any confounding variables UNLIKE IGD where separate ppts are in separate conditions

There will be no order effects as ppts only take part in one condition so they will not get bored/fatigued/better at the task/have lasting effects from one condition to the next UNLIKE repeated measures design where ppts take part in all conditions and could have order effects.

29
Q

matched pairs limitations

A

Very time consuming to match up and find similar participants. The psychologists would need a very large pool of people UNLIKE repeated measures design where you use the same ppts in all conditions

Individual differences cannot be fully eliminated. Psychologists match ppts on variables important for the research but are not able to match ppts on all variables. Therefore this could question the validity of the matched-pairs design. UNLIKE RM where each condition will use the same ppts therefore, individual differences will be eliminated.

30
Q

Pilot study definition

A

small scale trial run of the research before the real main research
to identify problems and amend them

31
Q

what are the aims of a pilot study

A

CONTEXT NEEDED

1.Any problems can be identified and amended
2.Check standardised procedures and general design
3. Check the amount of time given to ppts is enough to complete the task
3. For questionnaire/ interview to make sure the questions are clear
4. For observations check coding systems and behaviour categories are understood/operationalised, check
observer/camera in a good position to see behaviours.
5. Extraneous variables can be identified and possibly eliminated ( how to be eliminated )
6. Ask the ppts to discuss their experiences of the experiment post-research debrief

32
Q

what does a high SD tell us

A

-more spread around the mean
-means more variation in the scores
-scores are less consistent and there are more individual differences in the results

33
Q

what does a low SD tell us

A

-less spread around the mean
-means less variation in scores
-scores are more consistent and there are less individual differences

34
Q

what does the mean tell us

A

-provides a good indication of the average
-generally the higher the mean the greater the score
NOT ALWAYS THO

35
Q

draw the NORIC TABLE

A

look in booklet

36
Q

the writing frame for a Man Whitney U stats test

A

The appropriate statistical test is Man whitney U This is because the study is a test of difference independent groups between _______ and __________ . They used a design as (context). The level of measurement is ordinal because (contextualise the DV of the experiment).

37
Q

the writing frame for spearman’s rho

A

The appropriate statistical test is spearman’s rho The researchers are looking at a correlation between _________ and ____________ . The level of measurement is ordinal because (contextualise the DV of the experiment).

38
Q

calculated value is equal or less than critical

A

sign
Mann Whitney U
wilcoxon

39
Q

Define a type 1 error

A

lenient P value
think the results are sig. when they are not sig.
wrongly accept the alt. hypothesis and wrongly reject the null hypothesis

40
Q

Define a type 2 error

A

stringent P value
think the results are non sig. when they are sig.
wrongly reject the alt. hypothesis and wrongly accept the null hypothesis

41
Q

difference between type 1 and type 2

A

lenient/stringent
type 1- reject the null when it is true
type 2- accept the null when it is false

42
Q

why do psychologists use the 5% sig level

A

strikes a balance between the risk of making a type 1 and type 2 error

43
Q

what is meant by a peer review

A

process by which psychological research papers are subjected to independent scrutiny before publication by other psychologists working in a similar field to consider the research in terms of its validity, significance and originality

44
Q

what is the purpose of a peer review (1 mark)

A

a gatekeeper to filter out flawed or unscientific research

45
Q

process of a peer review (6 marks)

A

-paper before publication is subjected to independent scrutiny by other researches in similar field to decide if it to be published
-considered in terms of its validity, significance, and originality
-assessment of appropriateness of methods and designs used
-researcher can accept,reject or improve the research
-review can be open, single blind and double blind
-editor of the journal will make the final decision based on the comments of the reviewer

46
Q

what is the purpose of a peer review (4 marks)

A

-ensure quality and relevance of research
-showing the work to others increases the likeliness weaknesses will be addressed
-ensures published research can be taken seriously because it has been independently scrutinised by fellow researchers
-prevents spread of irrelevant findings and personal views
-determines whether research should receive funding

47
Q

problems associated with a peer review (6 marks)

A

-fraud: in small cases it has failed to identify fraudulent research before publication
-anonymity: due to direct competition for limited research funding a minority of reviewers may use their anonymity as a way of criticizing rival reviewers
-bias: institution bias as there is a tendency to favour research which comes from prestigious universities or gender bias where there is a tendency to favour male research and bias towards positive findings
-values: impossible to separate personal,cultural and political views so if the research agrees with those views the research is more likely accepted to be objective

48
Q

peer review - fraud

A

fraud: in small cases it has failed to identify fraudulent research before publication

49
Q

peer review - anonymity

A

anonymity: due to direct competition for limited research funding a minority of reviewers may use their anonymity as a way of criticizing rival reviewers

50
Q

peer review - bias

A

bias: institution bias as there is a tendency to favour research which comes from prestigious universities or gender bias where there is a tendency to favour male research and bias towards positive findings

51
Q

peer review - values

A

values: impossible to separate personal,cultural and political views so if the research agrees with those views the research is more likely accepted to be objective

52
Q

5 parts to reporting a psychological investigation

A

abstract
introduction
method results
discussion
referencing

53
Q

what is the purpose of an abstract

A

allow the reader an overview of the study to help them decide if they want to read on

54
Q

what goes in an abstract

A

a summary that covers the aim,hypothesis,method,results and conclusion
150-350 words

55
Q

what goes in an introduction

A

describe and link to previous research
how the current research will add to previous research
into ends with the aim and hypotheses of the research

56
Q

what is the purpose of an introduction

A

gives background on relevant studies to explain how aims and hypotheses developed

57
Q

what is the purpose of an method

A

detailed description of the study
detailed enough to be able to replicate the study

58
Q

what is the acronym for what goes in a method

A

S ampling method
P rocedure
E quipment
E thics
D esign

59
Q

what goes in a method section

A

Sampling method- how many and info on ppts eg.age
Procedure- exact order of events as standardised instruction
Equipment- details of any materials and apparatus used
Ethics- sig. ethical issues and how they were dealt with
Design- RM/IGD/MP and justify why used

60
Q

what is the purpose of the results

A

present the overall summary of the findings instead of the raw data

61
Q

what goes in the results section

A

-descriptive statistics: tables/graphs showing frequencies and measures of CT and dispersion
-inferential statistics: stats tests are reported and calculated values and sig levels
-qualitative data: categories and theme are described along with examples

62
Q

what are descriptive statistcs

A

tables/graphs showing frequencies and measures of CT and dispersion

63
Q

what are inferential statistics

A

stats tests are reported and calculated values and sig levels detailed

64
Q

what is the purpose of the discussion section

A

discuss the findings and suggest possible uses and future areas of research

65
Q

what goes in the discussion section

A

-summary of the results
-compare with other results
-limitations and modifications
-implication and future research

66
Q

what is the purpose of the reference section

A

to give details of any other articles/books tht are mentioned in the research

67
Q

How can experimental designs be improved

A

random allocation
counterbalancing

68
Q

how can independent groups design be improved

A

random allocation
-put the names of ppt in a random name computer generator
-randomly select the ppts names and place half in condition 1 and the other half in condition 2

69
Q

how can repeated measures design be improved

A

-counterbalancing
half the ppts in condition A then condition B
half of the ppts in condition B then condition A
order effects have been balanced

psych CAP 2 (3 decks)

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