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Psychology > Research Methods > Flashcards

Research Methods Flashcards

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1
Q

What is an experiment?

A

A way of conducting research in a controlled way

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2
Q

What is the aim of a laboratory experiment?

A

To control all relevant variables except for the independent variable

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3
Q

What is the independent variable?

A

The variable that you alter

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4
Q

Where is a laboratory experiment conducted?

A

In an artificial setting

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5
Q

What are three strengths of a laboratory experiment?

A
  • High level of control
  • Easy to replicate
  • Possible to establish causal relationships
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6
Q

What are three limitations of a laboratory experiment?

A
  • Artificial setting means low ecological validity
  • Demand characteristics
  • May be ethical issues
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7
Q

Where are field experiments conducted?

A

Outside the laboratory in a natural environment

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8
Q

What are two strengths of field experiments?

A
  • High ecological validity as natural setting
  • Minimised demand characteristics
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9
Q

What are two limitations of field experiments?

A
  • Low levels of control
  • May be ethical issues
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10
Q

What is a natural experiment?

A

When researchers look at how an independent variable that is not manipulated affects a dependent variable- the independent variable is an event that occurs naturally

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11
Q

What are three strengths of natural experiments?

A
  • Possible to study variables that would be unethical to manipulate
  • Demand characteristics unlikely
  • High ecological validity
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12
Q

What are two limitations of natural experiments?

A
  • Hard to establish causal relationships
  • May be ethical issues
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13
Q

What is involved in a quasi experiment?

A

Researchers aren’t able to use random allocation to put participants in different conditions because the independent variable is normally a feature of participants

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14
Q

What are two strengths of quasi experiments?

A
  • High level of control
  • High ecological validity
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15
Q

What are two limitations of quasi experiments?

A
  • No random allocation so confounding variables may alter results
  • Hard to establish causal relationships
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16
Q

What does a naturalistic observation involve?

A

Observing subjects in their natural environment

17
Q

What are two strengths of naturalistic observations?

A
  • High ecological validity
  • Can be useful for theory development
18
Q

What are three limitations of naturalistic observations?

A
  • Can’t control extraneous variables
  • May be observer bias
  • May be ethical issues
19
Q

What is a controlled observation?

A

Where the observation is carried out under controlled conditions

20
Q

What does correlational research look for?

A

A relationship between two variables

21
Q

What are two strengths of correlational research?

A
  • Causal relationships are established
  • Can study variables that would be unethical to manipulate
22
Q

What are two limitations of correlational research?

A
  • Causal relationships may be due to coincidence
  • Misinterpretation could be an issue
23
Q

What are the four ways questionnaires can be given?

A

Written
Face-to-face
On the phone
Via the internet

24
Q

What is one strength of questionnaires?

A

You can collect a lot of information quickly and cheaply

25
Q

What are four limitations of questionnaires?

A
  • Leading questions or unclear questions can be a problem
  • Low response rate makes sample unrepresentative
  • Could be social desirability bias
  • May be ethical issues
26
Q

What are structured interviews?

A

Follow a fixed set of questions that are the same for all participants

27
Q

What are unstructured interviews?

A

May have discussion topics but are less constrained about how the conversation goes

28
Q

What are two strengths of interviews?

A
  • Can get rich data, especially with unstructured interviews
  • Useful way to get information before a study
29
Q

What are four limitations of interviews?

A
  • Results can be unreliable and affected by social desirability bias
  • Can be time consuming and needs skilled interviewers
  • Analysing data can be hard
  • May be ethical issues
30
Q

What are two strengths of case studies?

A
  • Provide rich data
  • Can challenge existing ideas and suggest ideas for future research
31
Q

What are three limitations of case studies?

A
  • Causal relationships cannot be established
  • Generalisation is difficult
  • Can be ethical issues
32
Q

What is content analysis?

A

A method used to analyse secondary data and already collected data

33
Q

What does content analysis involve?

A

Splitting the data into assigned categories

34
Q

What are two strengths of content analysis?

A
  • Easy and inexpensive
  • Few ethical issues
35
Q

What are two limitations of content analysis?

A
  • Analysing data can be time-consuming
  • Interpretation and categorisation can be subjective

Psychology (71 decks)

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