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AQA A Level Psychology > research methods > Flashcards

research methods Flashcards

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1
Q

strengths/weaknesses of lab experiment

A

strengths:
- high level of control leading to high internal validity
- high level of control leads to greater reliability and easier replication

Weaknesses:
- artificial setting lacking generalisability and ecological validity
- demand characteristics

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2
Q

strengths/weaknesses of field experiment

A

Strengths:
- higher mundane realism and ecological validity
- reduction in demand characteristics

Weaknesses:
- less control of extraneous variables (lower internal validity)
- lower replicability and generalisability

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3
Q

strengths/weaknesses of natural experiment

A

strengths:
- higher ecological validity
- reduction in demand Characteristics

Weaknesses:
- confounding variables leading to low internal validity
- difficult to replicate

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4
Q

strengths/weaknesses of Quasi-experiment

A

strengths:
- allows investigation in areas where manipulation of variables would be unethical/impossible
- comparisons can be made between people

Weaknesses:
- Participants are not randomly allocated
- Causal relationships not demonstrated

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5
Q

What is a correlational analysis and what are the strengths/weaknesses?

A
  • a statistical technique to analyse data to measure the strength of the relationship between two variables resulting in a number between +1 and -1
  • neither variable is manipulated by the experimenter

strengths:
- identifies relationships between variables and the strength and direction of this
- can use secondary data so no collection of data involved

Weaknesses:
- can’t be used to establish cause and effect
- cannot be used to study non-linear/curvilinear relationships

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6
Q

What is an interview?

A
  • a self-report technique involving a live encounter where a researcher askes a series of questions to assess an individual’s thoughts and experiences
  • can be structured or unstructured
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7
Q

What is a questionnaire and what are the strengths/weaknesses?

A
  • a self-report technique where a set of written questions/statements is used to assess a person’s thoughts/experiences

Strength:
- allows collection of large amounts of data (cost-effective)
- reduced investigator effects

Weaknesses:
- social desirability bias
- response bias

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8
Q

What is content analysis and what are the strengths/weaknesses?

A
  • a research technique that enables the indirect study of behaviour by examining communications that people produce
  • the aim is to summarise and describe the communication so that conclusions can be drawn
  • coding: categorising the information - produces quantitative data
  • thematic analysis: identifying explicit or implicit ideas that recur in the information - produces qualitative data

Strengths:
- can produce both sets of data
- circumvents ethical issues because information is already public

Weaknesses:
- material analysed out of context
- lack of objectivity

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9
Q

Strengths/weaknesses of closed questions

A

Strengths:
- easier to analyse

Weaknesses:
- responses are restricted

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10
Q

Strengths/weaknesses of open questions

A
  • responses aren’t restricted
  • difficult to analyse
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11
Q

process of designing interviews

A
  • interview schedule
  • quiet room
  • Rapport
  • Ethics
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12
Q

what is a pilot study?

A
  • small-scale trial run of a research design using a small number of participants
  • aims to find out if certain things don’t work so you can correct them before spending time and money on the real thing
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13
Q

Strengths/weaknesses of Qualitative data

A
  • richness in detail
  • difficult to analyse
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14
Q

Strengths/weaknesses of Quantitative data

A
  • easier to analyse
  • narrower in meaning
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15
Q

Strengths/weaknesses of primary data

A
  • directly relevant
  • requires time and effort
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16
Q

Strengths/weaknesses of secondary data

A
  • cheaper
  • quality may be poor
17
Q

What is a meta-analysis and what are its Strengths/weaknesses

A
  • a type of secondary data that involves combining data from a large number of studies
  • increases validity of conclusions
  • publication bias
18
Q

Strengths/weaknesses of using the mean

A
  • sensitive measure
  • may be unrepresentative
19
Q

Strengths/weaknesses of using the median

A
  • less affected by extreme scores
  • less sensitive than the mean
20
Q

Strengths/weaknesses of using the mode

A
  • relevant to categorical data
  • an overly simple measure
21
Q

Strengths/weaknesses of using the range

A
  • easy to calculate
  • does not account for the distribution of the scores
22
Q

Strengths/weaknesses of using standard deviation

A
  • more precise than the range
  • it may be misleading
23
Q

what are the aims of peer review

A
  • funding: allocate research funding
  • validation of the quality and relevance of research
  • improvements and amendments are suggested
24
Q

Strengths/weaknesses of peer review

A
  • protects quality of published research
  • Anonymity may be used to criticise rival research
  • Publication bias
  • Ground-breaking research may be buried
25
Q

What are correlations?

A

A mathematical technique in which a researcher investigates an association between two variables, called co-variables

26
Q

Strengths and weaknesses of case studies

A
  • offers rich and detailed data
  • contributes to understanding of normal functioning
  • lacks generalisability
  • Lacks internal validity
27
Q

What are the ways in assessing reliability?

A
  • test-retest
  • inter observer
28
Q

What is ecological validity?

A

The extent to which findings from a research study can be generalised to other settings and situations

29
Q

What is temporal validity?

A

The extent to which findings can be generalised to other times and eras

30
Q

What is face validity?

A

A measure is scrutinised to determine whether it appears to measure what it’s supposed to

31
Q

What is concurrent validity?

A

The extent to which a psychological measure relates to an existing similar measure

32
Q

How to choose a statistical test?

A
  1. Difference or correlation
  2. What experimental design
  3. The level of measurement
33
Q

What are the levels of measurement?

A

Nominal - categories

Ordinal - order and ranks

Interval - numerical scales

34
Q

What is a type 1 error?

A

The incorrect rejection of a true null hypothesis (false positive)

35
Q

What is a type II error?

A

The failure to reject a false null hypothesis (false negative)

36
Q

What’s included in an abstract?

A
  • aims and hypotheses
  • method/procedure
  • results and conclusions
37
Q

What’s included in an introduction?

A

AQA A Level Psychology (10 decks)

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