Research methods Flashcards
(200 cards)
What are 3 characteristics of scientific research?
Objective, independent of beliefs or opinions
What did Popper (1969) argue about scienfic theories?
That they should be falsifiable, in every experiment there should be an attempt to falsify it
How can psychological research affect the economy?
People with untreated mental health disorders may need more time off work research into treatment can help reduce this, and research into sleep behaviours can help shift workers
What is a Laboratory experiment?
Aim is to control all relevant variables except one key variable which is altered to see what the effect is (IV) always conducted in an artificial setting
standardised procedures
What are the advantages of lab experiments?
Effects of cofounding variables are minimised easy to replicate and its possible to establish a cause and effect relationship, low ecological validity
high internal validity (what measured is true)
What are the disadvantages of lab experiments?
Its artificial so doesn’t measure real-life behaviour, there’s the chance of demand characteristics and there often an element of deception used making informed consent hard
lack mundane realism
What is a field experiment?
Conducted outside of the lab, behaviour is measured in a natural environment and a key variable is altered to its effect can be measured
What are the advantages of field experiments?
Can establish a cause and effect relationship, there’s high ecological validity and demand characteristics can be avoided
mundane realism
What are the disadvantages of field experiments?
There’s no control over extraneous variables and element of deception used, participants normally don’t give consent to be observed sometimes causing distress
can’t randomly assign participants (participant variable can effect)
What is a natural experiment?
When the researcher looks at an IV which isn’t manipulated by the researcher and now it effects DV, IV isn’t manipulated because its and event which occurs naturally
What are the advantages of natural experiments?
It is possible to study variables what would otherwise be unethical as its naturally occurring, demand characteristics can be avoided and high ecological validity
What are the disadvantages of natural experiments?
Can’t identify cause and effect relationship as your not the one manipulating the IV, other variables may effect it and deception is often used making informed consent difficult
What is a Quasi experiment?
Researcher isn’t able to use random allocation to put participants into groups, as the IV is a particular feature of participants such as gender
What are the advantages of quasi experiments?
Carried out under controlled conditions, resulting in high ecological validity
only way to experimentally study factors that are pre-existing
What are the disadvantages of quasi experiments?
Can’t randomly allocate participants to a conditions meaning there’s no control over those variables (cofounding variables) making it hard to establish cause and effect relationships
What is a peer review
Process used to ensure the integrity of published scientific work
Before publication the work is sent to experts in the field to assess the quality of the work
What’s good about peer reviews
They help keep the scientists honest, if they set up their experiments it won’t pass peer review
Helps to validate conclusions
What’s bad about peer review
Sometimes mistakes are made and bad science is published
Peers may not publish work as its close to their own work/proves their work wrong
What have our currently accepted theories survived to be published
‘Trial by evidence’ meaning results are there to back them up
What is a paradigm
A set of principles, methods or techniques which define a scientific discipline
What did Kuhn (1970) say something must have to be a science
A paradigm
What is the paradigm shift
Some believe that psychology has a paradigm, it was initially behaviourism but then it underwent a change to cognitive psychology, this change is a paradigm shift
What is a naturalistic observation
Involved observing subjects in their natural environment
Researchers take great care not to interfere in any way with the subjects their studying
What are the strengths of a naturalistic observation
High ecogical validity, the RPS behaviour is natural and no demand characteristics
Useful in theory development