RESEARCH METHODS

Question 1

QUALITATIVE DATA

Answer 1

EXPRESSED IN WORDS AND NON-NUMERICAL

Question 2

QUANTITATIVE DATA

Answer 2

CAN BE COUNTED, USUALLY GIVEN AS NUMBERS

Question 3

INDEPENDENT VARIABLE (IV)

Answer 3

VARIABLE THAT IS MANIPULATED BY RESEARCHER (OR CHANGES NATURALLY) SO EFFECT ON DV CAN BE MEASURED

Question 4

DEPENDENT VARIABLE (DV)

Answer 4

VARIABLE THAT IS MEASURED BY THE RESEARCHER
ANY EFFECT ON DV SHOULD BE CAUSED BY CHANGE IN IV

Question 5

INTERNAL VALIDITY

Answer 5

CONTROL OF VARIABLES TO ENSURE CHANGE IN DV SOLELY DUE TO CHANGE IN IV

Question 6

EXTERNAL VALIDITY

Answer 6

DEGREE TO WHICH RESEARCH FINDINGS CAN BE GENERALISED

Question 7

ECOLOGICAL VALIDITY

Answer 7

GENERALISED TO OTHER SETTINGS

Question 8

POPULATION VALIDITY

Answer 8

GENERALISED TO OTHER GROUPS OF PEOPLE

Question 9

TEMPORAL VALIDITY

Answer 9

GENERALISED OVER TIME

Question 10

RELIABILITY

Answer 10

HOW CONSISTENT A MEASURING DEVICE IS - INCLUDES PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS OR OBSERVATIONS

Question 11

DEMAND CHARACTERISTICS

Answer 11

PARTICIPANT THINKS THEY FIGURE OUT WHAT THE STUDY IS FOR SO ACT IN A WAY THEY THINK IS APPROPRIATE

Question 12

RESEARCH QUESTION

Answer 12

A QUESTION THAT THE RESEARCH ENDEAVOURS TO ANSWER

Question 13

AIM

Answer 13

GENERAL STATEMENT OF WHAT RESEARCHER INTENDS TO INVESTIGATE (PURPOSE OF STUDY)
ALWAYS BEGINS ‘TO INVESTIGATE’

Question 14

HYPOTHESIS

Answer 14

CLEAR TESTABLE PREDICTION THAT STATES RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VARIABLES BEING INVESTIGATES

Question 15

DIRECTIONAL HYPOTHESIS (ONE-TAILED)

Answer 15

IDENTIFIES DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LEVELS OF IV
USUALLY BASED ON PRIOR RESEARCH

Question 16

NON-DIRECTIONAL HYPOTHESIS (TWO-TAILED)

Answer 16

STATES DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LEVELS OF IV BUT DOESN’T SPECIFY NATURE OF DIFFERENCES

Question 17

NULL HYPOTHESIS

Answer 17

STATES THERE WILL BE NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE IV AND DV

Question 18

OPERATIONALISATION

Answer 18

HOW RESEARCHER DEFINES VARIABLES IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO MEASURE

Question 19

CONTROL VARIABLES - EXTRANEOUS

Answer 19

ANY VARIABLE THAT DOES NOT VARY SYSTEMATICALLY WITH IV, THEREFORE DOESN’T ACT AS ALTERNATIVE IV, BUT MAY HAVE EFFECT ON DV
NUISANCE VARIABLE

Question 19

CONTROL VARIABLES - CONFOUNDING

Answer 19

DOES VARY SYSTEMATICALLY WITH IV, MEANING CHANGES IN DV MAY BE DUE TO CF
CONFOUNDS CAUSE AND EFFECT RELATIONSHIP

Question 20

CONTROL VARIABLES - PARTICIPANT

Answer 20

CENTRED AROUND PARTICIPANTS USED, COULD CONFOUND RESULTS IF NOT CONTROLLED

Question 20

INTERNAL VALIDITY

Answer 20

EXTENT TO WHICH RESEARCHER CAN BE CONFIDENT THEIR RESEARCH IS MEASURING EFFECT OF IV ON DV AND CAN ESTABLISH CAUSE AND EFFECT RELATIONSHIP

Question 20

EXTERNAL VALIDITY

Answer 20

EXTENT TO WHICH RESULTS CAN BE GENERALISED TO OTHER SETTINGS, POPULATIONS AND OVER TIME

Question 20

ECOLOGICAL VALIDITY (EXTERNAL)

Answer 20

GENERALISABLE TO OTHER SETTINGS

Question 20

POPULATION VALIDITY (EXTERNAL)

Answer 20

GENERALISABLE TO OTHER POPULATIONS

Question 21

TEMPORAL VALIDITY (EXTERNAL)

Answer 21

GENERALISABLE OVER TIME

Question 22

TYPES OF EXPERIMENT

Answer 22

• LAB
• FIELD
• NATURAL
• QUASI

Question 23

LAB EXPERIMENT

Answer 23

• CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT
• MANIPULATE IV, RECORD EFFECT ON DV, STRICT CONTROL OF EXTRANEOUS VARIABLES

Question 24

LAB EXPERIMENT STRENGTHS

Answer 24

• HIGH CONTROL - MORE CERTAINTY OVER CAUSE + EFFECT RELATIONSHIP -> HIGH INTERNAL VALIDITY
• HIGHLY REPLICABLE - RELIABLE PROCEDURE

Question 25

lab experiment limitations

Answer 25

• artificial environment - lack of generalisability - low external validity
• low mundane realism
• risk of demand characteristics

Question 26

field experiment

Answer 26

• takes place in natural setting
• manipulates IV and records DV

Question 27

field experiment strengths

Answer 27

• higher mundane realisms (but not always)
• more authentic behaviour - high external validity

Question 27

field experiment limitations

Answer 27

• less control over EVs and CVs - difficult to establish c + e, difficult to replicate
• ethical issues like consent and privacy

Question 28

natural experiment

Answer 28

• change in IV not directly manipulated, naturally occurs in environment
• records effect on chosen DV

Question 28

natural experiment strengths

Answer 28

• opportunities for research that would otherwise be unethical to manipulate
• real world environment - high external validity, generalisability

Question 28

natural experiment limitations

Answer 28

• naturally occurring IV so difficult to replicate
• limits generalisability
• participants not randomly allocated
• lab setting sometimes used

Question 29

quasi experiment

Answer 29

(technically not experiment)
- IV naturally occurs in participants - ie autism

Question 30

quasi experiment strengths

Answer 30

• controlled conditions
• highly replicable procedure

Question 31

quasi experiment limitations

Answer 31

• cannot be randomly allocated - risk of confounding variables
• IV not deliberately changed - difficult to confirm c + e relationship