RESEARCH METHODS Flashcards
An aim is…….?
What we want to investigate
What is a hypothesis?
A testable statement that sets out our prediction of what we expect to happen
The variable that is manipulated = ?
Independent
The variable that is measured = ?
Dependent
Operationalisation is…..?
Making each variable clear, precise and specific
A statement of no effect/relationship is called a ……….?
Null hypothesis
An extraneous variable is ……?
A variable other than the IV that can effect the DV. They must be controlled
An extraneous variable that is not controlled and effects the results is called….. ?
A confounding variable
Quanititative = ?
Data expressed in numbers
Qualitative = ?
Data expressed in words
The 3 types of experiment
Lab; Field; Natural
Which experiment am I?
+ High control
- Artificial methods
Laboratory experiment
Which experiment is it when the IV is not changed at all by the experimenter?
Natural experiment
Which type of experiment has ethical issues with informed consent?
Field experiment
The 3 types of experimental design = ?
- Independent groups
- Repeated measures
- Matched pairs
Which experimental design am I?
+ Not affected by participant variables
- Affected by order/practise effects
Repeated measures
How can you reduce order effects?
Counterbalancing
ABBA is used in …..?
Counterbalancing
The 5 types of sampling method?
- Random
- Volunteer
- Opportunity
- Systematic
- Stratified
Which sampling method is most representative?
Stratified
The group the researcher wants to study and selects their sample from is called ?
The target population
A weakness of opportunity, random, and volunteer samples?
Bias = not representative
Every nth person is which sampling method?
Systematic
Names out of a hat is which sampling method?
Random
DRIPPC stands for
Deception;
Right to withdraw;
Informed consent;
Protection from harm;
Privacy;
Confidentiality
Who monitors the ethical behaviour of psychologists in the UK?
British Psychological Society (BPS)
3 types of interview?
Structured; semi-structured; unstructured
What type of data will a closed question give?
Quantitative
What am I?
+ Gather lots of info quickly from lots of people
- People may lie
Questionnaire
An observation in a lab setting is called a c……………………….. observation
Controlled
Covert vs O…………. observation
Overt
When an observer joins in with the participant in the study it’s called …..?
A participant observation
Interobserver reliability is….?
The extent to which 2 or more observers agree
What is a correlational study?
Shows the relationship between 2 co-variables
What graph will a correlational study produce?
A scattergraph
A weakness of a correlational study?
- Can’t establish cause and effect
- a third variable could be causing the results
A strength of this method is that it’s a good starting point for research as it shows the relationship between 2 variables
Correlation
What is a case study?
An in-depth investigation of a single person, group or event
Name 2 strengths of a case study
+ Helps collect lots of in-depth qualitative research
+ Can inform future research
+ Usually less researcher bias as no set hypothesis
+ May be best way to study unusual behaviour
Name 2 weaknesses of case studies
- Relies on subjective interpretation of researcher
- Difficult to generalise the results to all
What is meant be reliability?
Consistency - same result every time
What is meant by validity?
Accuracy - the results are true!
What is secondary data?
Data collected by someone else other than the researcher before the current study
What is primary data?
Data collected first-hand by the researcher
Name a strength and weakness of secondary data?
+ Little effort as data already available
- Lacks control so data may not be fit for purpose
What are the 3 ways to represent the average?
Mean; mode; median
The spread of scores from top to bottom is known as …..?
The range
Which average is most representative?
The mean = all values in data set are included
Which average is most affected by extreme scores?
Mean
Which graph is a bell curve with the mean, mode, median together at the top of the bell?
Normal distribution
Which graph is used when data is in separate categories
Bar chart
‘There will be a difference…..’ starts which type of hypothesis?
Non-directional (2-tailed)
We use the formula IV - DV - IV when writing which hypothesis?
Directional
