Research Methods Flashcards
Functionalism
A school of American psychology that focused on the utility of consciousness. Focussing on behaviour and its function rather than the underlying structure.
Structuralism
Developed by Wilhelm Wundt and his student Edward Titchner.
A school of American psychology that sought to describe the elements of conscious experience
British Psychological Society (BPS)
Governing body for psychology in the UK
founded in 1901
American Psychological Association (APA)
American governing body of psychology, world wide leader.
The APA style for referencing widely used in scientific journals.
Psychoanalysis
Credited to Freud
Analysis of the unconscious structures of the mind through psychotherapy
Behaviourism
The study of behaviour
Social Learning Theory
Suggests that social behaviour is learned by observing and imitating the behaviour of others. Developed by Albert Bandura.
Genetic Epistemology
The study of the development of knowledge, especially in children and they come to know their world. Developed by Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget.
Humanistic/positive psychology
Research on the potential of individuals and their growth and self-actualisation
Social Psychology
The study of the mind and behaviour in relation with other people
Psychometrics
Field of study in psychology concerned with the theory and technique of measurement, such as of intelligence and personality
Neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience
The study of the link between the brain and behaviour.
Cognitive Psychology
the study of mental processes
Eugenics
(pseudoscience)
the practice of selective breeding to promote desired traits
Replication Crisis
The lack of replicability, that is the reproduction of results from previous studies, within psychological research
Null hypothesis H0
Alternative hypothesis H1
H0: there is no relationship between the two variables
H1: there is a relationship between the two variables
One tailed/directional hypothesis
Specifies the direction of the hypothesis, e.g. alcohol will increase/decrease reaction time
Two-tailed/non-directional hypothesis
Leaves the direction of the hypothesis open, e.g. alcohol will have an effect on reaction time
Scientific theory
A comprehensive explanation supported by a vast body of evidence
Qualitive design
Research through observation, interviews, focus groups etc.
Quantitative research
research strategy focussed on quantifying the collection and analysis of data
Experimental design
Experimental designs have variables that can be manipulated or measured
Observational design
Research through observation, e.g. Study. The observation and measurement of variables
Independent variable (IV)
the thing that you manipulate/change
Dependent variable (DV)
The thing that you measure
Control variable
The thing that you keep constant
Within-subject / repeated measures
All participants are exposed to all levels/conditions of the independent variable.
Between-subjects / independent design
Different participants are exposed to different levels/conditions of the independent variable
Counter-balancing
Technique used to deal with order effects when using a repeated measures design. Half of the sample complete the first condition first and the second condition afterwards and the other half of the sample, the second condition first and then the first condition.
Order effects
Participants responses to various conditions are affected by the order of the conditions to which they are exposed
Experimenter bias
The unintentional influence of the experimenter’s expectations, beliefs or preconceived notions on the outcome of a study or research experiment.
Participant bias
The conscious or unconscious effort of the participant to appeal to the researcher in a study rather than responding naturally.