Research methods Flashcards
What are ethics
Moral code laid down to achieve certain standards of behaviour
Why where the ethical guidelines put in place?
To protect health and well-being of participants
What are the ethic guidelines
Confidentiality
informed consent
debrief
deception
right to withdraw
protection from harm
what’s a correlation
measure the extent of which two variables are related
(association)
pros and cons of correlations
pros: quick and easy
cons: correlation does not equal causation
what’s an extraneous variable
factors that affect the dv if not controlled
what are confounding variables
Factors that may have already influenced the dv
eg) personality
demand characteristics
any cue from researcher that the participant interprets and therefore changes their behaviour
what is standardisation
using the same procedure and instructions for each participant
what are the four types of experiments?
Laboratory
Field
Natural
Quasi
what are the features of a laboratory experiment
Controlled conditions
Researcher manipulates iv
Control over extraneous variables
Participants randomly allocated
what are the features of a field experiment?
Everyday setting
Researcher manipulates iv
Some control over extraneous variables
Participants cannot be randomly allocated
what are the features of a natural experiment?
Artificial or natural setting
Iv is pre-existing, it’s a naturally occurring event
High control over extraneous variables
Participants cannot be randomly assigned
what are the features of a quasi experiment?
Controlled conditions
Iv is based on pre-existing difference in people
High control over extraneous variables
Participants cannot be randomly assigned
Pros and cons of Laboratory experiments
Pros: High internal validity
Cons: lacks generalisability, low external validity as it lacks realism
What are the three types of experimental design?
Independent group design
Repeated measures
Matched pair design
What is independent group design?
and evaluate plz
Two separate groups of participants experience two conditions
Pros : order effect is not an issue, participants less likely to guess the aim
Cons: Less economical, participants are not the same which effects the iv
what is repeated measures?
and evaluate pls
All participants experience both conditions
Pros: less participant variables and less people needed
Cons: order effect can create boredom or fatigue (counterbalancing)
What is matched pairs?
and evaluate pls
Participants paired on similar variables. One from each pair is allocated to a condition
Pros: no order effect
Cons: time consuming and expensive
what is a hypothesis?
clear, precise statement that need to be investigated
what is an aim?
General statement of the intent to investigate
What’s a null hypothesis?
when the independent variable does not affect the dependent variable
What is a questionnaire?
A research instrument consisting of a. series of questions for the purpose of gathering information
pros and cons of closed questions
pros: quantitative data, questions are standardised (can be easily replicated), can be economical
cons: lack detail
pros and cons of open questions
pros: rich qualitative data, time consuming, hard to analyse, not suitable for everyone
what are interviews?
a live encounter where one person asks questions to another to asses their thoughts
pros and cons of a structured interview
pros: easy to do, easy to replicate
cons: not flexible, lacks detail
pros and cons of unstructured interview
pros: more in-depth answers, more flexible, increased validity
cons: may lie for social desirability, expensive for training, time consuming
pros and cons of a case study
pros: rich data, ecological validity
cons: little control over extraneous variables, small sample isn’t generalisable, researcher can get bias
what are the5 sampling methods
Random
Systematic
Stratified
Volunteer
Opportunity
What is systemic sampling?
when every nth member is elected from target population
what is stratified sampling
Composition reflects population,
broken down into starta to ensure % is the same in the sample
what is a covert observation
Participants behaviour is watched without their knowledge and consent
what is a overt observation
Participants behaviour is recorded with their knowledge and consent.
What is participant observation
researcher becomes a member of the group they are watching
what is a naturalist observation
watching behaviour in a setting which it would naturally occur
