research methods Flashcards
define ‘inter observer reliability’
this is when one action is being observed by different researchers, each with their own opinion
define ‘internal validity’
whether the design, conduct and analysis of a study all answer research questions without any bias
define ‘face validity’
a test which must seem to test what it is meant to
define ‘content validity’
the extent a test or measurement represents all aspects of the context area
define ‘concurrent validity’
compares an old test with a new one to see if they produce similar results
define ‘predictive validity’
this is when a test can predict a future outcome
define ‘external validity’
if findings from a study can be generalised to people with different characteristics
define ‘temporal validity’
when research findings successfully apply over time
define ‘inter-rater reliability’
the degree of agreement among independent observers who rate or assess the same thing
what is a laboratory experiment
experiments conducted in artificial surroundings.
what is a field experiment
experiments conducted in natural and normal environment for the ppts
what are the strengths of a lab experiment?
good control of variables, increasing validity.
casual relationships can be determined as only the iv should be affecting the dv
what are the weaknesses of a lab experiment?
artificial surroundings may make ppts behaviour unrepresentative, lowering ecological validity. ppts could respond to demand characteristics
what are the strengths of a field experiment?
ppts are likely to behave naturally so representative results. less chance of demand characteristics
what are the weaknesses of field experiments
control of variables is harder than in a laboratory experiment lowering reliability. there may be extraneous variables affecting DV. ppts may be unaware they are in an experiment, raising ethical issues
what are the 3 types of experimental designs
independent measures, repeated measures and matched pairs
what are the strengths of independent measures design
no order effects, less chance of demand characteristics, random allocation can help reduce effects of individual differences
what are the weaknesses of independent measures design
ppt variables can distort results
more ppts are needed
what are the strengths of repeated measures design
less chance of ppt variables. counterbalancing reduces order effects, uses fewer ppts.
what are the weaknesses of the repeated measures design
order effects could distort results, more prone to demand characteristics
what are the strengths of matched pairs design
less chance of demand characteristics. no order effects, ppt variables less likely.
what are the weaknesses of matched pairs design
harder to find ppts, matching criteria must be decided in advance
describe a non directional hypotheses
predicts there will be an effect but not specific
describe a directional hypotheses
states which condition will be best and the iv will affect the dv
what is informed consent
knowing enough about a study to decide whether you want to agree to participate
what is right to withdraw
a ppt should know that they can remove themselves and their data from a study at any time
what are the psychology rules about deception
ppts should not be deliberately misinformed. if unavoidable, the study should minimise the risk of distress
describe a self report
the ppt gives the researcher information about themselves directly
what are closed questions
closed questions are questions with a fixed set of possible responses
what are open questions?
questions that ask for descriptive answers in the ppts own words
what problem do open questions have?
if more than one researcher is involved, there may be a lack of inter-rater reliability. the people who reply to questionnaires may all be similar and this means there could be poor generalisability
ppts may lie because of social desirability bias
why are filler questions added to questionnaires
to avoid demand characteristics
what is a structured interview
an interview format using questions in a fixed order that may be scripted. Consistency might also be required for the interviewers posture etc so they are standardised
what is an unstructured interview
an interview format in which most questions depend on the respondents answers.
what is a semi structured interview
an interview format using a fixed list of open and closed questions
what are the strengths of qualitative data
uses objective measures, scales or questions are often more reliable. Data can be measured using central tendency and spread making it easy to compare
what are the weaknesses of quantitative data
data method often limits responses so the data are less valid
what are the strengths of qualitative data
data is often valid as ppts can express themselves exactly rather than being limited by fixed choices. Important but unusual responses are less likely to be ignored because of averaging.
what are the weaknesses of qualitative data
data is often subjective and findings may be invalid as interpretation or recording of data are biased. May not be generalisable
what experimental method involves the manipulated of an IV and is used to test cause and effect relationships
experimental method
what method is an in depth study of an individual or small group, used to determine a persons thoughts, feelings and behaviours
case study method
what method is used for observation of behaviour in a natural settinng
observation method
what is the independent variable
the factor under investigation in an experiment which is manipulated to create two or more conditions and is responsible for changes in the dependent variable
what is the dependent variable
the factor in an experiment that is being measured and is expected to change under the influence of the independent variable
what is an extraneous variable
a variable which acts randomly, affecting the dv on all levels of the IV or systematically, so can obscure the effect of the IV making results difficult to interpret
what is a strength of the repeated measures experimental condition
unlikely to distort the effect of the IV. Counterbalancing reduces order effects, fewer ppts needed
what is a weakness of the experimental condition
order effects may distort results
what is a strength of the independent measures experimental design
no order effects, ppts only see one level of the IV, reduced demand characteristics, reduced individual differences ( random allocation)
what is a weakness of the independent measures experimental design
ppt variables can effect results, more ppts needed, may be less ethical, less effective if a small sample
what is a strength of the matched pairs design
reduced demand characteristics, ppt variables are less likely, no order effects
