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Psychology Ms Hixon > Research methods > Flashcards

Research methods Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the 4 types of experiments?

A

Laboratory
Field
Quasi
Natural

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2
Q

What is a field experiment?

A

Takes place in a natural environment. The independent variable is manipulated. Participants aren’t necessarily randomly allocated to conditions.

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3
Q

What is a lab experiment?

A

An experiment carried out in a controlled environment where the independent variable is manipulated. Other extraneous variables are controlled.

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4
Q

What is a quasi experiment?

A

The IV doesn’t vary. It is a condition that just simply exists. e.g age, gender because we’re not deliberately manipulating the IV.

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5
Q

What is a natural experiment?

A

Researcher takes advantage of a naturally occurring variables. Theres no random allocation of participants.

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6
Q

What are strengths and weaknesses of a field experiment?

A
  • There is less control over extraneous variables that might bias the results.
    + Behaviour in a field experiment is more likely to reflect real life because of its natural setting. High ecological validity.
    + Less likelihood of demand characteristics affecting the results.
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7
Q

What are strengths and weaknesses of a natural experiment

A
  • They may be more expensive and time-consuming than lab experiments.
  • There is no control over extraneous variables that might bias the results.
    + Behaviour in a natural experiment is more likely to reflect real life because of its natural setting.
    + Less likelihood of demand characteristics affecting the results.
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8
Q

What are strengths and weaknesses of a lab experiment?

A
  • Demand characteristics or experimenter effects may bias the results and become confounding variables.
  • The artificiality of the setting may produce unnatural behaviour that does not reflect real life, i.e. low ecological validity.
    + It is easier to replicate (i.e. copy) a laboratory experiment.
    + They allow for precise control of extraneous and independent variables.
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9
Q

What are strengths and weaknesses of a quasi experiment?

A
  • Aware they’re studied= with less internal validity.
  • Confounding environmental variables are more likely= and less reliable.
    + Allows comparison between types of people.
    + Studies the ‘real effects’ so there is increased realism and ecological validity.
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10
Q

What are the 6 non - experimental methods?

A

Observations
Self-report technique
Case studies
Meta-analysis
Correlational analysis
Content and thematic analysis

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11
Q

What are the 2 types of observations carried out?

A

Naturalistic
Controlled

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12
Q

What is a naturalistic observation?

A

Behaviour is studied in a natural setting. E.g observing shoppers in a supermarket. The environment has been left as normal.

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13
Q

What is a controlled observation?

A

Variables in the environment are regulated by the researcher. Ppts are likely to know they’re being observed.

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14
Q

What is a covert observation?

A

Participants are unaware they’re being observed.

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15
Q

What is an overt observation?

A

Participants are aware they’re being studied.

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16
Q

What is a structured observational design?

A

A researcher uses various systems to organise observations such as behavioural categories and sampling procedures.

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17
Q

What are advantages and disadvantages of a naturalistic observation?

A

+ Realistic picture of spontaneous behaviour.
+ High ecological validity
- Theres little control of all other things that are happening.

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18
Q

What are advantages and disadvantages of a controlled observation?

A

+ Observer can focus on particular aspects.
- Feels unnatural participants behaviour.

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19
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a covert observation?

A

+ Ppts are unaware they’re being observed so less chance for demand characteristics.
- Ethical issues.

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20
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of an overt observation?

A

+ No ethical issues
- May affect the naturalness of their behaviour.
- Difficult to replicate
- Demand characteristics

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21
Q

What are advantages and disadvantages of unstructured observation?

A

+ Good to use a pilot study, especially when the area of research is new.
- Visible and eye catching but may not be important to the researcher.
- There may be too much data to record.

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22
Q

What are advantages and disadvantages of structured observation?

A

+ Objective and rigorous.
+ Better method to use in comparisons to unstructured observations.
- May be problematic if researchers don’t agree upon and understand behavioural categories prior to the study.

23
Q

What is a non- participant?

A

Observer is separate from people being observed.

24
Q

What is a participant?

A

Observations made by someone who is also participating in the activity.

25
Q

How can you design a good questionnaire?

A

CLARITY: respondent needs to know what is being asked of them.
BIAS: avoid all questions that may lead to ppts answering in a certain way.
ANALYSIS: questions need to be easy to analyse.
PILOT STUDY: carry out a small-scale version in order to make changes.
SAMPLING: use a sample that represents the population.
SEQUENCE: leave more difficult questions to the end.
FILLER QUESTIONS: irrelevant questions should be included to distract ppts, reducing demand characteristics.

26
Q

What are strengths and weaknesses of questionnaires?

A

+ They’re ethical as they allow for informed consent and withdrawal.
+ Reliable due to standardised instructions.
- Social desirability bias may occur.
- Low response rate.

27
Q

What are strengths and weaknesses of structured interviews?

A

+ Can easily be repeated as the questions are standardised.
+ High response rate as new respondents can be accessed.
- Interviewers expectations may influence the answer given, a form of investigator effects.

28
Q

What are strengths and weaknesses of unstructured interviews?

A

+ More detailed info can be obtained.
+ Easier for misinterpretation to be reduced.
- Ethical issues if researcher brings up a sensitive topic to the interviewee.
- They take a long time to conduct which limits the number they can carry out.
- Not reliable as not standardised.

29
Q

What are the 2 self report techniques?

A

Questionnaires
Interviews

30
Q

What are the 2 types of questions and what are they?

A

Open questions: Can further explain the reason
Closed questions: Yes/ no response

31
Q

What’s the Likert scale?

A

Respondents indicate their agreement with a statement using a 5-point scale.

32
Q

What’s a fixed-choice option?

A

This includes a list of possible options and respondents indicate those that apply to them.

33
Q

What are the strengths and weaknesses of closed questions?

A

+ Easier to analyse and display graphically.
- Can have a limited range of answers, leading to not selecting accurate answers.

34
Q

What are the strengths and weaknesses of open questions?

A

+ Can provide unexpected answers, allowing for a deep insight.
- Difficult to summarise as there’s a range of responses.

35
Q

What’s a correlation?

A

Refers to the measurement of a relationship between two or more co- variables.

36
Q

What’s a positive correlation?

A

As one variable increases, the other increases.

37
Q

What’s a negative correlation?

A

As one variable decreases, the other decreases.

38
Q

What’s a zero correlation?

A

No relationship exists between two variables.

39
Q

What type of data does correlational analysis depend upon?

A

Quantitative.

40
Q

What type of correlation is it above 0.5?

A

Strong

41
Q

What type of correlation is it below 0.5?

A

Weak

42
Q

What are the strengths of correlations?

A
  • Correlations are very useful as a preliminary research technique, allowing researchers to identify a link that can be further investigated through more controlled research.
  • Can be used to research topics that are sensitive/ otherwise would be unethical, as no deliberate manipulation of variables is required.
43
Q

What are the weaknesses of correlations?

A
  • Correlations only identify a link; they do not identify which variable causes which. There might be a third variable present which is influencing one of the co-variables, which is not considered.
44
Q

What are the differences between correlations and experiments?

A
  • The most fundamental difference between experiments and correlations is that experiments assess the effect of one variable, (I.V.) on another variable which is measured (D.V.).
  • This necessitates that data is discrete or separate and the effect of this on something else is being measured.
  • In contrast, correlations do not use discrete separate conditions, instead, they assess how much of a relationship exists between two co-occurring variables which are related.
45
Q

What is content analysis?

A

A research technique that enables the indirect study of behaviour by examining communications that people produce.

46
Q

What is the purpose of content analysis?

A
  • A method that analyses qualitative data.
  • In its most common form, it’s a technique that allows the researcher to take quantitative data.
  • Is usually carried out on secondary data.
  • Coding is the initial stage.
  • The information must be organised into meaningful units.
47
Q

What is the process of content analysis?

A
  • Research questions
  • First, we decide what categories to use.
  • Then we can count up the number in each category.
  • Next, we study the source and place the characters in it into categories we decided.
48
Q

What are advantages of content analysis?

A
  • Ethical issues are minimised – much secondary data for analysis is available to the public.
  • Flexible – can produce quantitative or qualitative data.
  • With clear categories, we can test reliability using other researchers (inter-rater reliability).
49
Q

What are the disadvantages of content analysis?

A
  • Studying out of context: People are studied in directly as part of content analysis outside of contacts within which may attribute opinions attitudes to the speaker.
  • Researcher biased – may suffer from lack of objectivity.
50
Q

What is a case study?

A
  • A detailed investigation of a single instance.
  • Usually just one person but can be a family/institution/group.
  • Data is collected in detail.
  • Longitudinal.
  • Mostly qualitative data but can produce quantitative data.
  • Often use triangulation.
51
Q

What are examples of case studies?

A
  • HM- Memory
  • Teenage gambling Addict (Mark Griffith 1993)
  • Freud (Little Hans) Oedipus complex
  • Phineas gage (1848)
52
Q

What are the advantages of case studies?

A
  • Gather lots of detailed information which other research methods can miss. This helps develop new theories
  • Have high ecological validity
  • Can provide information about unique cases or behaviours.
  • Sometimes is the only available way to analyse in such detail
53
Q

What are the disadvantages of case studies?

A

-Lacks generalisability as the sample is too small to be representative
-Difficult to replicate as they are usually based on a unique situation
- Can be time-consuming and expensive
- Low reliability as the results from one case study is unlikely to be repeated when studying another person or group
- Difficult/impossible to replicate
- Methods can be subjective which can affect findings. (e.g the interviewer may have certain expectations which could influence the interpretation of the results)

Psychology Ms Hixon (37 decks)

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