Research Methods Flashcards
Define Aim
The researcher’s area of interest - what they are looking at
Define bar chart
A graph that shows the data in the form of categories that the researcher wishes to compare
What are behavioural categories
Key behaviours, or, collections of behaviour, that the researcher conducting the observation will pay key attention to and record
What is a case study
In-depth investigation of a single person, group or event, where data are gathered from a variety of sources and by using several methods (e.g.observation and interviews )
What are closed questions?
Questions where there are fixed choices of response e.g yes/ no. They generate quantitative data
What are co-variables?
The variables investigated in a correlation
What is concurrent validity?
Comparing a new test with another test of the same thing to see if they produce similar results. If they do then the new test has concurrent validity.
What is meant by confidentiality?
Unless agreed beforehand, participants have the right to expect that all data collected during the research study will remain confidential and anonymous.
What are confounding variables? I
Any extraneous variables that vary systematically with the IV so we cannot be sure of the true source of the change to the DV
What is content analysis ?
A technique used to analyse qualitative data which involves coding the written data into categories - converting qualitative data into quantitative data
What is a control group?
A group that is treated or ally and gives us a measure of how people behave when they are not exposed to the experimental treatment (e.g. allowed to sleep normally)
What is meant but a controlled observation?
An observational study where researchers control some variables - often takes place in laboratory settings
What is correlational analysis ?
A mathematical technique where the researcher looks to see whether scores for two covariables are related
What is counterbalancing?
A way of trying to control for order effect in a repeated measures design, e.g. half the participants do condition A followed by B and the other half do B followed by A
What is a covert observation?
Also known as an undisclosed observation as the participants do now know their behaviour is being observed
What is a critical value?
The value that a test statistic much reach in order for the hypothesis to be accepted
What is meant by debriefing? And what is its aim?
After completing the research, the true aim is revealed to the participants. Aim of debriefing = to return the person to the state which he or she was in befor they took part.
Define deception
Involves misleading participants about the purpose of the study
What is meant by demand characteristics?
Occur when participants try to make sense of the research situation they are in and try to guess the aim of the research or try to present themselves in a good way
What is a dependent variables?
The variable that is measured to tell you the outcome
What are descriptive statistics?
Analysis of data that helps describe, show or summarise data in a meaningful way
What is a directional hypothesis?
A one-tailed hypothesis that states the direction of the difference or relationship (e.g boys are more helpful than girls)
What are measures of dispersion?
A dispersion measure shows how a set of data is spread out, examples are the range and the standard deviation
What is a double blind closed experiment
Participants are not told the true purpose of the research and the experimenter is also blind to at least some aspects of the research design
What is ecological validity?
The extent to which the finding of a research study are able to be generalised to real-life settings
What is meant by ethnically guidelines?
These are provided by the BPS- they are the ‘rules’ by which all psychologist should operate, including those carrying out research
Give examples of ethical issues
There are 3 main ethical issues that occur in psychological research - deception, lack of informed consent and lack of protection of participants.
What is evaluation apprehension?
Participants behaviour is distorted as they fear being judged by observers
What is event sampling?
A target behaviour is identified and the observer records it every time it occurs
What group is the experimental group?
The group that received the experimental treatment (e.g. sleep deprivation)
What is meant by external validity?
Whether it is possible to generalise the results beyond the experimental setting
What are extraneous variables
Variables that if not controlled may affect the DV and provide a false impression that an IV has produced changes when it hasen’t
What is Face validity
Simple way of assessing whether a test measures what it claims to measure which is concerned with face value e,g does an IQ test look like it tests intelligence
What is a field experiment?
An experiment that takes place in a natural setting where the experimenter manipulates the IV and measures the DV
What is histogram?
A graph that is used for continuous data (e.g. test scores). There should be no space between the bars, because the data is continuous.
What is a hypothesis
This is a formal statement or prediction of what the researcher expects to find. It needs to be testable.
What is a independent group design
An experimental design where each participants only takes part in one condition of the IV
What is an independent variable?
The variable that the experimenter manipulates (changes).
What are inferential statistics?
Inferential statistics are ways of analyzing data using statistical tests that allow the researcher to make conclusions about whether a hypothesis was supported by the results.
What is meant by informed consent?
Psychologists should ensure that all participants are helped to understand fully all aspects of the research before they agree (give consent) to take part
What is inter-observer reliability?
The extent to which two or more observers are observing and recording behaviour in the same way
What is meant by internal validity
In relation to experiments, whether the results were due to the manipulation of the IV rather than other factors such as extraneous variables or demand characteristics.
What is interval level data?
Data measured in fixed units with equal distance between points on the scale
What are investigator effects
These result from the effects of a researcher’s behaviour and characteristics on an investigation.
what is a lab experiment?
An experiment that takes place in a controlled environment where the experimenter manipulates the IV and measures the DV