research methods

Question 1

when to use mann whitney u

Answer 1

independent groups
ordinal data

Question 2

what does N stand for in mann whitney u

Answer 2

N1 - sample size of group 1
N2 - sample size of group 2

Question 3

what does R1 stand for in mann whitney U

Answer 3

sum of ranks for group one/ the largest group

Question 4

how to calculate mann whitney U

Answer 4

• rank the scores of the entire sample together
• put back into separate groups and add up rank total
• larger = group 1
• plug into equation

Question 5

how to calculate U for the other group

Answer 5

Ub = (N1 x N2) - U

Question 6

what makes mann whitney u significant

Answer 6

less than or equal to the critical value

Question 7

what to include in hypothesis writing

Answer 7

• null or alternate (significant or not)
• operationalise IV (what changes)
• operationalise DV (how it’s measured)
• context

Question 8

strengths and weaknesses
opportunity sampling

Answer 8

strengths: convenient, fast, cheap
weaknesses: not representative or random - sampling bias

Question 9

✅❌
self selected sampling

Answer 9

✅ willing participants, can target specific people, easy and fast
❌ response bias (similar people) time consuming

Question 10

✅❌
random sampling (database)

Answer 10

✅ representational, equal chance of selection
❌ restricted access to databases, not as replicable, not everyone is in a database

Question 11

✅❌
snowball sampling

Answer 11

✅ find specific individuals
❌ time consuming, share common traits do not representative

Question 12

✅❌
stratified sampling (maths to work out subcategories)

Answer 12

✅ representative
❌ smaller samples and time consuming

Question 13

order of harvard referencing

Answer 13

last name first name
date
title
publisher
publisher place
page number

Question 14

bps guidelines for ethics (7)

Answer 14

consent
debrief
right to withdrawal
protection from harm/distress
deception
confidentiality
responsibility

Question 15

✅❌
questionnaires

Answer 15

✅ reliable (replicable and standardised), easy to administer, anonymous - willing to reveal, focused
❌ social desirability bias, sample bias (certain types of people)

Question 16

social desirability bias definition

Answer 16

answering in a way we believe is socially acceptable or desirable

Question 17

demand characteristics definition and examples x2

Answer 17

clues given to participants about aim of study - causing them to change behaviour
examples: leading questions, overt observations

Question 18

✅❌
structured interviews

Answer 18

✅ comparable (predictable and rigid) easy to administer
❌ social desirability bias, restricted data collection

Question 19

✅❌
semi/unstructured interviews

Answer 19

✅ more qualitative data and more detail, flexible
❌ required skilled interviewers, low inter rated reliability, harder to compare, more susceptible to interviewer bias (their expectations)

Question 20

✅❌
self report

Answer 20

✅ qualitative and quantitative data, easy analysis, convenient, ethical
❌ social desirability bias, low response rate, can be up to interpretation

Question 21

split half technique

Answer 21

measuring consistency by asking same question twice (flipped)
increases reliability

Question 22

test re-test

Answer 22

when participants take the same test again at a later date - consistent results = reliable

Question 23

importance of pilot studies

Answer 23

• increase validity - measuring what it’s supposed to
• identifies problems

Question 24

✅❌
rating scales

Answer 24

✅ replicable, more depth to answers, easy to score
❌ biased by social desirability, set responses

Question 25

when to use wilcoxon matched pairs

Answer 25

ordinal data and repeated measures

Question 26

answering 15 markers (4 steps)

Answer 26

1. choose RF
2. define the technique or concept
3. justify in context (link to strengths)
4. add own experience and link to context

Question 27

how to include own experience in 15 markers

Answer 27

include twice (or more)
1st mention - detailed hypothesis and relevant detail
2nd - reduce the hypothesis or aim and focus on procedural detail

Question 28

type 1 error

Answer 28

falsely accepting alternate hypothesis
false positive

Question 29

type 2 error

Answer 29

falsely rejecting alternate hypothesis
false negative

Question 30

degrees of freedom calculation

Answer 30

(number of rows-1) x (number of columns-1)

Question 31

when to use chi square

Answer 31

independent groups and nominal data

Question 32

when to use spearman’s rank

Answer 32

correlations and ordinal data

Question 33

when to use sign test

Answer 33

nominal data and repeated measures

Question 34

✅❌ structured observations

Answer 34

✅ naturalistic, high EV, less demand characteristics
❌ low control, hard to standardise, influence of external factors

Question 35

why use overt observation

Answer 35

more control, informed consent

Question 36

why use covert observation

Answer 36

won’t be subject to demand characteristics, more natural

Question 37

what is time sampling

Answer 37

researchers return to location and undertake observations at set intervals, less time but more representative

Question 38

what is event sampling

Answer 38

researchers focus on a type of behaviour and is more specific, less chance of behaviour of interest being missed

Question 39

how to improve reliability of observations

Answer 39

inter-rater - use multiple observers that are trained on a coding scheme

Question 40

how to improve validity of observations

Answer 40

covert - ecological
several observations at diff times

Question 41

✅❌ repeated measures

Answer 41

✅ less participants needed, participants variables restricted
❌ order effects such as boredom

Question 42

✅❌ independent measures

Answer 42

✅ no order effects, less demand characteristics as unlikely to guess aim
❌ participant variables and more participants needed

Question 43

✅❌ matched pairs

Answer 43

✅ less participant variables, less demand characteristics and order effects
❌ more participants needed and harder to obtain

Question 44

✅❌ correlation studies

Answer 44

✅ predictive validity - can predict pattern and shows strength and direction of relationship
❌ limited uses as correlation not causation, can be reductionist

Question 45

what is hypothesis testing

Answer 45

making predictions about the likely outcomes of a study using objective methods
- can be null or alternate

Question 46

what is manipulation of variables

Answer 46

to test hypotheses in a valid and reliable way, where the IV and DV must both be defined and operationalised

Question 47

extraneous variables definition

Answer 47

anything external
1. situational variables such as noise, lighting, instructions
2. participant - intelligence, eyesight, boredom
3. experimenter - may give unintentional cues
4. demand characteristics - figure out aim, change to conform

Question 48

induction definition

Answer 48

• start with data
• conclusions from data
• often qualitative

Question 49

deductive research definition

Answer 49

• start with theory
• confirm hypothesis with data
• often quantitative

Question 50

quantifiable measurements definition

Answer 50

be able to quantify to make sure the dv is objectively measured

Question 51

positive vs negative skew

Answer 51

positive - high left, tail right
negative - tail left, high right

Question 52

what are structured observations

Answer 52

has a coding scheme with categories, coding frames are the abbreviations

Question 53

how to work out expected values (chi)

Answer 53

(row total x column total) / table total

Question 54

what are expected values

Answer 54

the answers you would expect to see if the null hypothesis is true