Research methods Flashcards
What is quantitative data
This is data collected as numbers
What is qualititative data
Data that is collected as descriptions
What is an Independent vatiable
Variable that is changed or manipulated between experimental conditions
What is an Dependent variable
This is the effect of the IV or what is measured in the experiment
What is a laboratory experiment
Method of research where researcher control all the variable, expect for the IV which they are manipulating in order to get a result (DV)
What are the strengths of a lab experiment
- High level of control therefore the variables effecting the IV or the DV is mimised
- Lab experiments can be replicated and repeated in a simillar experiment or same to check for validity
What are the weaknesses of lab experiments
- May not measure how people act in their every day life
- The P’s can change their way they behave to suite the experiment (demand characteristics) and can lead to invalid results
What is a field experiment
This is a way of conducting research in an everyday environment where one or more IV are manipulated by the experimenter and the effects on the DV is measured
settings/control?
What is the difference between lab and field experiement
More natural setting in field experiment but the level of control is decreases for field compared to lab
Define reliability
This means how consistent something is
What are the strengths of a field experiment
- Allow a measure of how people act on a everyday basis
- Manipulation of IV and some level of control makes it possible to measure the effect
- If P’s don’t know they are being observed then it can decrease demand characteristics
What are the weaknesses of a field experiment
- Not always possible to control the extraneous variables
- Hard to replicate and therefore it can reduce reliability
- It may breach ethical guidlines as there is no informed consent
What is a nautural (quasi) experiment
Instead of it being manipulated by the researcher the IV can be studied naturally
What are some examples of natural (quasi) experiment
- Gender
- Age
- Ethnicity
What are the strengths of a Natural (quasi) expriment
- Allows psychologist to study affect of IV that could be unethical to manipulate
- P’s are unaware if the experiment (high internal validity)
What are the weaknesses of a natural (quasi) experiment
- P’s can’t be allocated between conditions therefore it is possibe random variables (individual differences) affect the DV
- Hard to replicate
Natural, controlled, overt, covert, P’s, Non P’s
Explain the different types of observation techniques
- Naturalistic observation - People or animals are observed in their natural environment without intervention of variables without their knowledge
- Controlled observations - Researcher may manitpulate behaviour of observers and allows for a greater control of confoudning variables
- Overt observations - P’s know they are being observed this reduces ethical issues but increase demand characteristics
- Covert observation - P’s don’t know they are being observed (ethical issues) but increases validity by reducing demand characteristics
- P’s observation - researcher gets involved with the group of P’s they are observing
- Non p’s observation - P’s are observed from a distance rather then researcher joining with the group
What are the strengths of observational methods
- Behaviour can be observed in nautural setting and generally no problem with demand characteristics
- Useful for studying children and animals
- Use way to gather data for a pilot study
What are the weaknesses of observational methods
- Observer can misinterpret or miss behaviour
- Observational studues are hard to replicate
time issue? replicability:?
Explain what a structured interview is and the positive + negatives
- P’s are asked the same questions in the same order
- Can be replicated and used to compare people responses
- Can be time consuming and is factor to social desirability bias
What is social desirability bias
P’s answer questions in a way they are more socially accepted but not truthul
Alot of information, time? (issues)
What is unstructured interviews and positives + negatives
- P’s can discuss anything freely and the interviewer devises new questions on the bases of the previous question
- provide rich and detailed information
- Not replicable and is time consuming
What is a questionare and the positives + negatives
- Questionare are usually written but can be conducted face to face or online naid is simillar to structure interviews
- Pratical way to collect a lot of information can be replicated
- it can cause social desirability bias and it may include leading questions
Define correlation
Statistical technique used to quantify the strengths of relationships between two variables
