Research methods Flashcards
what is informed consent
process where researchers working with participants describe their research project and get the participants consent
what is confidentiality
keeping the information private unless the information will harm you or someone else
what is the right to withdraw
allows a research participant to drop out of a study at any time without penalty
what is a debrief
the process or an instance of disclosing information after an experiment in order to inform a subject of the purpose and reasons for any deception or manipulation
what is protection from harm
Researchers must ensure that those taking part in research will not be caused distress. They must be protected from physical and mental harm
what is deception
when a researcher gives false information to subjects or intentionally misleads them about some key aspect of the research
what are the 5 different sampling methods
1)random
2)opportunity
3)volunteer
4)systematic
5)stratified
what is random sampling
a subset of individuals randomly selected by researchers who all have an equal chance of being picked
what is opportunity sampling
the researcher selecting anyone who is available and willing to take part in the study
what is volunteer sampling
a sampling technique where participants self-select to become part of a study because they volunteer when asked, or respond to an advert
what is systematic sampling
a sampling technique that uses a predetermined system to select the participants from a target group
what is stratified sampling
when the population is divided into specific groups and then randomly sampled from those
what are extraneous variables
any variable that you’re not investigating that can potentially affect the outcomes of your research study
what are confounding variables
factors other than the independent variable that may cause a result
what are participant variables
individual differences between participants that may affect the dv
what are situational variables
features of the experimental situation that may affect the dv
what are demand characteristics
risk that the participants will change their natural behaviour in line with their interpretation of the aims of the study
what is randomisation
the process of assigning participants to treatment and control groups, assuming that each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to any group
what is standardisation
the process of making a test uniform, or setting it to a specific standard
what is operationalisation
turning abstract conceptual ideas into measurable observations
what is the investigator effect
occurs when a researcher unintentionally, or unconsciously influences the outcome of any research they are conducting
19/09/2023
remember this homie
what are directional hypothesis
hypothesis that states the direction
what are non-directional hypothesis
hypothesis that doesn’t state the direction
what is a research aim
general statement of what the researcher intends to investigate
what is a hypothesis
a clear, precise, testable statement that states the relationship between variables to be investigated
what is a null hypothesis
a statement of prediction that your research will not yield significant results
what is an experimental hypothesis
A prediction that your research will yield a significant difference or effect
what is a correlational hypothesis
A prediction that your research will yield a significant relationship
what is a one tailed hypothesis
states the direction of the difference or relationship
what is a two-tailed hypothesis
does not state the direction of difference or relationship
what is an alternative hypothesis
a statement of prediction that your research will yield significant results
what are the 4 types of experiment
-laboratory
-field
-quasi
-natural
explain laboratory experiment
conducted under controlled conditions, in which the researcher manipulates the independent variable to measure the effect on the dependent variable
explain field experiment
Takes place in natural, real-world settings. The researcher manipulates the independent variable to measure the effect on the dependent variable
explain quasi experiment
The independent variable naturally exists and the effect on the dependent variable is measured
explain natural experiment
In a natural environment and the independent variable is not brought about by the researcher. The dependant variable is decided by the researcher and measured
what is experimental design
the way participants are allocated to experimental groups of an investigation
what is independent groups design
two groups are exposed to different experimental conditions
what is repeated measures design
same participants take part in each condition of the experiment
what is matched pairs design
pairs of participants are matched in terms of key variables
what is random allocation
chooses individuals for treatment and control groups entirely by chance
what is counter balancing
technique used to del with order effects when using a repeated measures design
what is a single-blind procedure
a specific research procedure in which the researchers do not tell the participants if they are being given control treatments or test treatment
what is a double-blind procedure
where neither the participants or the researchers know the critical aspects of the experiment
give 2 strength and limitations of laboratory experiments
strengths=
-high control over ev
-high control means more replicable
limitations=
-lacks ecological vadility
-increases the likelihood of demand characteristics
give 1 strength and limitation of field experiments
strengths=
-high ecological vadility
-demand characteristics re less likely
limitations=
-difficult to control the ev
-more ethical issues
give 1 strength and limitations of quasi experiments
strengths=
-control over the ev
limitations=
-may be Cv
give 1 strength and limitation of natural experiments
strengths=
-high external vadility
-provides opportunities to research variables we cant manipulate
limitations=
-naturally occuring events may be rare
-no control over ev
give 1 strength and limitations of independent groups design
strengths=
-order effects are not a problem
-less chance of demand characteristics
limitations=
-need to obtain more participants
-may be participant variables
give 1 strength and limitation of repeated measures design
strengths=
-participant variables are controlled
limitations=
-order effect
give 1 strength and limitations of matched pairs design
strengths=
-order effects arent a problem
limitations=
-more time consuming
explain what structured interviews are
where you gather information using a set of standardized and predetermined questions
explain what semi-structured interviews are
combines a set of pre-determined set of open questions so the interviewer can explore responses further
explain what unstructured interviews are
has no predetermined questions
what is a naturalistic observation
watching and recording behaviour in the setting in which it would normally occur
what is a controlled observation
watching and observing behavior within a structured environment
what is a covert observation
participant behaviour is watched and recorded without knowledge or consent
what is an overt observation
participants behaviour is watched and recorded with their knowledge or consent
what is a participant observation
researcher becomes a member of the group who they are watching
what is a non-participant observation
researcher remains outside of group they are watching
what are behavioral categories
breaking the target behaviour into components that can be observed and measured
give 1 strength and limitation of naturalistic observations
strengths=
-ecological vadility
-low risk of dc
limitations=
-lacks control
-replication is difficult
give 1 strength and limitation of controlled observations
strengths=
-easier to replicate
limitations=
-low ecological vadility
-dc
give 1 strength and limitation of overt observations
strengths=
-more ethical
limitations=
-high chance of DC
give 1 strength and limitation of covert observations
strengths=
-low chance of DC
-higher validity
limitations=
-unethical
give 1 strength and limitations of participant observations
strengths=
-low risk of DC
limitations=
-difficult to record behaviour
give 1 strength and limitations of non-participant observations
strengths=
-less deception
limitation=
-reduced validity
what is event sampling
counting the number of times a particular behaviour or event occurs in an individual or group
what is time sampling
recording the behaviour in a pre-established time frame
what is an unstructured observation
observe and record all relevant behavior so there is continuous recording
what is a structured observation
uses a predetermined system for recording the behavior. They need to be clearly defined
what are the 3 types of correlation
postiive
negative
no correlation
what are co-variables
the two variables that have the relationship
what are the 2 types of reliability and explain them
internal=
the internal consistency of a measure(everything should measure the same thing)
external=
the extent to which a measure is consistent again and again(if you want to replicate the study, would you get the same results?)
what are the two main types of validity and explain them
internal=
the degree of confidence that the causal relationship you are testing is not influenced by other factors or variables
external=
Whether data can be generalised to other contexts
explain temporal validity
extent to which results from one-time point can relate to another time point
explain ecological validity
extent to which data can be generalized to the real word
explain face validity
extent to which a test appears to measure what it intends to
explain concurrent validity
whether a measure is in agreement to another pre-existing measure that has been validated
explain construct validity
the extent to which your test or measure accurately assesses what it’s supposed to
explain population validity
extent to which results from a sample relate to the general population
what is a pilot study
the first step of the entire research protocol and is often a smaller-sized study assisting in planning and modification of the main study
why would a researcher conduct a pilot study
it provides necessary information not only for calculating the sample size but also all other main aspects of the study
what are the 3 main aims of peer review and explain them
-allocate research funding = wether or not to allocate funding for a proposed research project
-validate the quality = all elements of research are assessed for quality and accuracy
-suggest amendments or improvements = reviews may suggest improvements or conclude it is inappropriate
