Research Methods Flashcards
What is the aim of a study
A statement of the study’s purpose
What is a directional hypothesis with example
States the directions of the differences or relationship
E.g. more/ less, higher/ lower, faster/ slower
E.g: People who drink red bull become more hyperactive than people who do not
When would you use a directional hypothesis
When there is research that is already published that supports your aim
What is a non directional hypothesis with example
States there is a difference between the conditionals or groups but the nature of the difference is not specific
E.g: There will be a difference between males and females in a test
When would you use a non directional hypothesis
When there is no research that is already published that supports your aim
What is a null hypothesis with example
Is what you’re going to assume is true during the study
Any data you collect will either back this assumption up or not
If the data does not support your null hypothesis -you reject it and go with your alternative hypothesis
E.g: There will be no differences between the variables
What is the independent variable
The thing that is manipulated/ changed e.g. the different groups, the different conditions
Dependant variable
The thing that is measured/ will be affected by the changes
What does operationalisation mean with an example
This means how we are going to measure our variables
We must define how we intend to measure IV and DV
E.g: E.g. after drinking 300ml of red bull, ppts say more words in the next five minutes than ppts who drink 300ml of water
Example of counterbalancing
E.g. half of the participants participate in condition A before condition B and vice versa
This means that the first and second condition is not the same for every participant
Example of randomisation
Participants are assigned to condition A or B first by tossing a coin or picking out a name
What are extraneous variables
Anything that impacts the dependent variable that is not the independent variable
What are confounding variables
Anything other than the IV which has influenced your results which has not been accounted for before the experiment begins
What is informed consent in relation to ethics
Knowing aims and giving your permission to take part in the study
What is deception in relation to ethics and when can it be used
Deliberately misleading or withholding information
The BPS state that deception is only acceptable if there is a strong scientific justification for the research and there are no alternative procedures available
What is the right to withdraw in relation to ethics
Being able to leave when desired
What is the confidentiality in relation to ethics
Details should be kept private
What is the protection from harm in relation to ethics
No more harm than daily life
What is debriefing
Debriefing: returning the ppt to the state they were in before the research
What is the independent groups design
There are two separate groups of participants
One group takes part in condition A, the other takes part in condition B
Advantages of independent groups design
Fewer demand characteristics - participants may only know their condition
No order effects - only take part in one condition, so don’t get bored or practiced
Disadvantages of independent groups design
Individual differences as the people taking part in each condition are different - one group might simply be better at that task
More participants needed
What is the repeated measures design
There is only one group of participants
This group takes part in both conditions
Advantages of repeated measures design
No individual differences as the same person does both conditions
Smaller group sizes
Weaknesses of repeated measures design
Order effects - either boredom, or practice, can be helped by counter balancing
Demand characteristics - ppts know what the experimenters are expecting and may perform to meet that expectation
What is the matched pairs design
Involves the use of independent measures, but each participant in group A is paired with one in group B
This is done by finding participants who can be matched on key characteristics, e.g. IQ, memory ability, gender and so on
Advantages of matched pairs design
No order effects
Controls for individual differences
More sure the DV is caused by the IV and not differences between the 2 groups
Disadvantages of matched pairs design
Can be difficult to make perfect matches and is costly on money and time
Use of field experiments
These take place outside of the lab, in a natural environment but the basic scientific procedures are still followed as far as possible
The independent variable is manipulated
The effect on the dependent variable is measured
Example of a field experiment that we have studied
Bickman and Bushman
Advantages of field experiment
Less artificial than a lab but still an experiment (high mundane realism)
Represents reality
Can be completed in natural environments
Avoid ppt effect (if they are not aware of the study) therefore it should produce behaviour which is more natural and valid
Less demand characteristics
Weaknesses of field experiments
Extraneous variables less easy to control therefore less able to show cause and effect
Ethical issues - ppts unlikely to know they are being studied
Use of laboratory experiments
Controlled artificial environment
Independent variable is manipulated
Advantages of laboratory experiments
Controlled environment
Minimises problems with extraneous variables
Can be easily replicated to check same results
High in reliability
Disadvantages of laboratory experiments
Artificial environment (low mundane realism)
Ppt may behave differently to normal or be effected by the environment (demand characteristics)
It therefore may lack generalisability (low external validity)
What is a confederate
Somebody actively involved in the research
What is a double blind trial
Neither ppts or the researcher are aware of the aims of the investigation
Used in drug trials
What is a single blind trial
Ppts are not aware of the condition they are in
Used to control for the confounding effects of demand characteristics
What is a natural experiment
Natural environment
Independent variable not manipulated
Taking advantage of a natural occurring event
Advantages of natural experiments
High in ecological validity (represents real life experience) provides opportunities for for research which otherwise may not be available
Enables psychologists to study ‘real’ problems
Objective research method - little interference from researcher
Few ethical issues
Weaknesses of natural experiments
A naturally occurring event may happen very rarely which limits the opportunity to investigate this also limits generalisability
Many extraneous variables which are a threat to ‘cause - effect’ conclusion
Ppts are not randomly allocated to conditions which may mean that there is some bias in the sample
What are quasi experiments
In quasi experiments the IV is a naturally existing characteristic between people and has not been changed by anyone or anything
E.g. biological sex, eye colour, ethnicity, IQ
Advantages of quasi experiments
Often carried out under laboratory conditions so therefore high in controls
Enables psychologists to study ‘real’ problems
Disadvantages of quasi experiments
Like natural experiments ppts cannot be randomly allocated to conditions therefore there may be confounding variables
This means that we cannot say cause and effect
What are behavioural categories
Devising a set off component behaviours
What is event sampling
Counting the numbers of times a certain behaviour (or event) occurs in a target individual or individuals
What is time sampling
Recording behaviours in a given time frame
E.g. noting what an individual is doing every 30 seconds
What is a controlled observation
When the researcher has some measure of control over the environment
Strengths of controlled observations
Control over extraneous variables
Inter-observer reliability
Easy to replicate
Disadvantages of controlled observation
Low ecological validity
May be subjective towards what the researcher wants to see
What is naturalistic observation
Studying behaviour in a natural setting where everything has been left as it is normally
Advantages of naturalistic observations
High external validity
Natural environment- generalised to everyday life
Few demand characteristic
Disadvantages of naturalistic observations
Replication difficult - lack of control
Uncontrolled extraneous variables
What is a covert observation
The ppts are not aware that they are being observed
Strengths of covert observation
No demand characteristics
Weaknesses of covert observation
Ethical issues as they do not know they are being observed
What is an overt observation
The ppts are aware that they are being observed
Strengths of overt observation
Less ethical issues as they are not being deceived
Weaknesses of overt observation
There maybe demand characteristics as they know they are being observed
What is participant observation
The observer acts as part of the group being watched
Strengths of participant observation
Participants experience situation
Insight
Increased validity
Weaknesses of participant observation
Lose objectivity
Difficult in recording observation
Ethical issues
What is a non-participant observation
The experimenter does not become part of the group being observed
Strengths of non-participant observation
More ethical
More objective
Weaknesses of non participant observations
Less insight
Not experiencing the same things
Lower in validity
What is a structured observation
The researcher determines precisely what behaviours are to be observed and uses a standardised checklist to record the frequency with which they are observed within a specific time frame
Strengths of structured observation
It is easier to gather relevant data because you know what you are looking for
Weaknesses of structured observation
Interesting behaviours could go unrecorded because they weren’t pre-defined as important
What is an unstructured observation
The observer recalls all relevant behaviour but has no system
Strengths of an unstructured observation
Interesting behaviours do not go unrecorded because they are pre-defined as important
Weaknesses of an unstructured observation
It is harder to gather relevant data because you don’t know what you are looking for
What is inter rater reliability
The test should give consistent results, regardless of who is collecting the results
Can be assessed by correlating scores from both researchers and comparing
This should be an 80% agreement
What are investigator effects
Anything the researcher does that affects how the ppt behaves
Demand characteristics
Could lead to them asking leading questions
Ppts may react to the behaviour or appearance of a researcher and respond differently
What is researcher bias
The researchers expectations can influence how they design their study and how they behave towards the ppts
Expectations can effect measurement and analysis
Hypothesis might be false
May focus on answers that fit their expectations
What is qualitative data
Data expressed in words and is non-numerical
Advantages of qualitative data
Advantages: offers a rich insight and details of peoples thoughts and feelings
Disadvantages of qualitative data
Disadvantages: can be difficult to analyse and may be subject to researcher bias
Time consuming to analyse
What is quantitative data
Numerical data
Advantages of quantitative data
Advantages:
easy to analyse
Conclusions can be drawn easily
More objective and less open to bias
Disadvantages of quantitative data
Disadvantages:
Not as meaningful
May not represent real life (could be forced to choose answer they don’t agree with)