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A-Level Psychology AQA > Research Methods > Flashcards

Research Methods Flashcards

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1
Q

types of experiments

A
  • laboratory
  • field
  • natural
  • quasi
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2
Q

laboratory experiments

A
  • takes place in highly controlled environments
  • does not have to be in a laboratory
  • researcher manipulates the IV & records the effect on the DV
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3
Q

laboratory experiments
strengths

A
  • high control over extraneous variables
  • high internal validity
  • replication is more possible
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4
Q

laboratory experiments
weaknesses

A
  • may lack generalisation
  • low external validity
  • demand characteristics
  • low mundane realism
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5
Q

field experiments

A
  • takes place in natural, everyday setting
  • participants usually aren’t aware they are participating in an experiement
  • researcher manipulates the IV & records the effect on the DV
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6
Q

field experiments
strengths

A
  • higher mundane realism
  • high external validity
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7
Q

field experiments
weaknesses

A
  • less control over extraneous variables
  • replication isn’t possible
  • ethical issues
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8
Q

natural experiments

A
  • researcher takes advantage of a pre-existing IV
  • IV would happen even if the reseacher wasn’t present
  • an event occurs on it’s own
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9
Q

natural experiments
strengths

A
  • high external validity
  • allows research to take place that might not be ethical otherwise
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10
Q

natural experiments
weaknesses

A
  • less generalising
  • participants might not be randomly allocated to experimental conditions
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11
Q

quasi experiments

A
  • the IV is based on an existing difference between people (age or gender)
  • no one manipulates the IV, it just exists
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12
Q

quasi experiments
strengths

A
  • often carried under controlled conditions
  • high internal validity
  • high control over extraneous variables
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13
Q

quasi experiments
weaknesses

A
  • cannot randomly allocate participants to experimental conditions
  • might be confounding variables
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14
Q

types of observation

A
  • naturalistic
  • controlled
  • covert
  • overt
  • participant
  • non-participant
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15
Q

naturalistic observation

A
  • observing people in their natural environment
  • behaviour is not controlled
  • researcher does not interfere, just observes
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16
Q

naturalistic observation
(strengths)

A
  • high ecological validity
  • no demand characteristics
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17
Q

naturalistic observation
(limitations)

A
  • room for confounding variables
  • not ethical, no consent
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18
Q

controlled observation

A
  • may take place in a laboratory
  • participants likely know they’re being watched
  • some variables are controlled by the researcher
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19
Q

controlled observation
(strengths)

A
  • control over extraneous variables
  • quantitative data obtained
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20
Q

controlled observation
(limtations)

A
  • lacks ecological validity
  • demand characteristics
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21
Q

covert observation

A
  • participants are unaware they are being observed
  • researcher is ‘undercover’
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22
Q

covert observation
(strengths)

A
  • high validity
  • high detailed data is obtained
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23
Q

covert observation
(limitations)

A
  • less ethical as no informed consent is recieved
  • decieves the participants
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24
Q

overt observation

A
  • participants are aware they are being observed
  • researcher is not ‘undercover’
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25
Q

overt observation
(strengths)

A
  • highly ethical as informed consent is given
  • easier to obtain data
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26
Q

overt observation
(limitations)

A
  • investigator effects
  • demand characteristics
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27
Q

participant observation

A
  • researcher takes part in the activity that is being observed
  • objectivity may be affected
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28
Q

participant observation
(strengths)

A
  • easier to obtain detailed data
  • most ethical form of observation
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29
Q

participant observation
(limitations)

A
  • researcher can alter the other participants’ behaviour
  • researcher may lose objectivity
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30
Q

non-participant observation

A
  • researchers do not actively become involved in the behaviour being studied
  • researcher simply observes and listens
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31
Q

non-participant observation
(strengths)

A
  • investigator effects are less likely to occur
  • more reliable and objective data is obtained
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32
Q

non-participant observation
(limitations)

A
  • researcher might overlook or miss certain behaviours
  • more difficult to distinguish the true meanings of behaviour
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33
Q

self report techniques

A
  • questionnaires
  • structured interview
  • unstructured interview
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34
Q

questionnaire

A
  • set of written questions - easy to collect
  • always pre-dertermined (structured)
  • can discover what people feel think or feel
  • provides either qualitative or quantitative data
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35
Q

questionnaire
(strengths)

A
  • respondents feel comfortable to reveal personal and confidential information
  • reduces experimental bias
  • no special training needed to hand them out
  • cheap and quick to use and distribute
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36
Q

questionnaire
(limitations)

A
  • sample can be biased due to who is filling it out
  • can take a lot of time to design
  • closed questions limits the responses
  • only people who can read and write can fill it out
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37
Q

structured interview

A
  • has pre-determined questions
  • there is no deviation from original questions
  • a questionnaires that is delivered face to face or over the phone
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38
Q

structured interview
(strengths)

A
  • can be easily repeated as the questions are standardised
  • answers are easier to analyse as they are predictable
  • different people can be compared
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39
Q

structured interview
(limitations)

A
  • interviewer bias
  • comparibility difficult if interviewer behaves differently or if there is a different interviewer
40
Q

unstructured interview

A
  • new questions are developed throughout the interview
  • sometimes called a clinical interview
  • may begin with some pre-determined questions
41
Q

unstructured interview
(strengths)

A
  • more detailed information can be obtained
  • very flexible
  • flows like a natural conversation
42
Q

unstructured interview
(limitations)

A
  • interviewer bias
  • new questions may lack objectivity due to the quick nature of creating them
  • more expensive as experienced interviewer is required
43
Q

aim

A
  • a statement of what the researcher intends to find out in a study
  • identifies the purpose of the investigation
44
Q

hypothesis

A
  • a testable and predictable statement often generated from a theory
  • should be fully operationalised
45
Q

operationalised

A
  • to clearly state the variables and how they will be measured
46
Q

directional hypothesis
(one-tailed)

A
  • a hypothesis that states the direction of the predicted difference
47
Q

non-directional hypothesis
(two-tailed)

A
  • a hypotheis that predicts a difference between two conditions but does not specify what direction the difference will be
48
Q

null hypothesis (H0)

A
  • a hypothesis stating there will be no change or impact
49
Q

experimental hypothesis (H1)
(alternative)

A
  • a hypothesis that states there will be a change or difference
  • directional or non-directional
50
Q

population

A
  • a large group of people you are interested in studying
51
Q

sample

A
  • a smaller group that aims to be representative of the target population
52
Q

sampling techniques

A
  • random
  • systematic
  • stratified
  • opportunity
  • volunteer
53
Q

random sampling

A
  • every member has an equal chance of being selected
54
Q

random sampling
(strengths)

A
  • for very large samples, it provides the best chance of an unbiased representative sample
55
Q

random sampling
(limitations)

A
  • can be very time consuming for large samples
  • can still get unbiased sample
56
Q

systematic sampling

A
  • every nth member of the target population is selected
57
Q

systematic sampling
(strengths)

A
  • avoids researcher bias
  • is fairly representative
58
Q

systematic sampling
(limitations)

A
  • not strictly random as each person does not stand an equal chance of being selected
59
Q

stratified sampling

A
  • divide the target population into sub-groups (strata) and use the proportion of each sub group to randomly select
60
Q

stratified sampling
(strengths)

A
  • avoids researcher bias
  • representative sample obtained
  • generalisation of findings is possible
61
Q

stratified sampling
(limitations)

A
  • identified strata cannot reflect all the ways that people are different
  • complete representation of the target population is not possible
62
Q

opportunity sampling

A
  • simply selecting those that are available at the time
63
Q

opportunity sampling
(strengths)

A
  • quick, convenient and economical
  • most common type of sampling
64
Q

opportunity sampling
(limitations)

A
  • very unrepresentative / biased samples
  • often biased by researcher
  • not generalisable
65
Q

volunteer sampling

A
  • individuals who have chosen to be involved in a study
  • also called self selecting
66
Q

volunteer sampling
(strengths)

A
  • relatively convenient, quick and ethical
  • can be targeted specifically at a certain target population
67
Q

volunteer sampling
(limitations)

A
  • unrepresentative
  • only people who see the ad have to opportunity to take part
  • volunteer bias (more motivated)
  • not generalisable
68
Q

pilot study

A
  • a small scale ‘trial run’ of the investiagtion which takes places before the real one is conducted
69
Q

aims of pilot study

A
  • checks the procedure for any faults or modifications that are necessary
  • save money and time that could be wasted during the real thing
70
Q

experimental designs

A
  • repeated measures
  • independent groups
  • matched pairs
71
Q

repeated measures

A
  • same participants take part in each condition of the IV
  • each condition of the experiment includes the same group of participants
72
Q

repeated measures
(strengths)

A
  • no participant effects
  • less participants needed
73
Q

repeated measures
(limitations)

A
  • fatigue effects
  • order effects
  • practise effects
74
Q

independent groups

A
  • different participants are used in each condition of the IV
  • each condition of the IV includes a different group of participants
  • should be done by random allocation
75
Q

independent groups
(strengths)

A
  • avoids order effects
  • avoids fatigue effects
  • avoids practise effects
76
Q

independent groups
(limitations)

A
  • participant variables
  • needs more participants to obtain same amount of data in repeated measures
77
Q

matched pairs

A
  • participants are matched with another participant based on something relevant to the experiment
  • once paired, each person is assigned to a differnet condition of the IV
78
Q

matched pairs
(strengths)

A
  • no fatigue, order or practise effects
  • participant effects are dealt with (but not eliminated)
79
Q

matched pairs
(limitations)

A
  • very time consuming
  • more participants needed
80
Q

observational techniques

A
  • behavioural categories
  • event sampling
  • time sampling
81
Q

behavioural categories

A
  • participant’s potential behaviours are separated into more specific components
  • allows for operationalisation of the behaviour
  • observable and measurable
82
Q

behavioural categories
(strengths)

A
  • easier to record data
  • increased validity
83
Q

behavioural categories
(limitations)

A
  • observer bias may occur
  • likely to miss out on other important behaviours
84
Q

event sampling

A
  • recording the number of times a certain behaviour is presented
85
Q

event sampling
(strengths)

A
  • good for infrequent behaviours that would otherwise be missed in time sampling
86
Q

event sampling
(limitations)

A
  • important details of the behaviour may be overlooked
  • potential counting errors
  • difficult to judge the beginning and ending of certain behaviours
87
Q

time sampling

A
  • recording behaviours given in a certain time frame that has already been established
88
Q

time sampling
(strengths)

A
  • reduces the number of observations needed
  • less time consuming
89
Q

time sampling
(limitations)

A
  • small amount of data obtained
  • the data is unrepresentative of the observation as a whole
90
Q

correlation

A
  • mathematical technique that is used to investigate the relationship between two variables
91
Q

types of correlation

A
  • positive correlation
  • negative correlation
  • zero correlation
92
Q

how to deal with limitations of independent groups

A
  • random allocation
93
Q

how to deal with limitations of repeated measures

A
  • counterbalancing
  • (
94
Q
A
95
Q
A
96
Q
A

A-Level Psychology AQA (7 decks)

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