Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

aqa a level psychology > research methods > Flashcards

research methods Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
Psychology 101 flashcards AP® Psychology flashcards
1
Q

Experimental method

A

manipulating the IV to have an effect on the DV

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what is levels of the IV?

A

-testing the effect of the IV using different experimental levels i.e a control condition and an experimental condition

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What is operationalising?

A

-ensuring that both the IV and DV are measurable and clear

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

what is an aim?

A

area of psychology that the experimenter is looking into
-developed from theories and similar research
-i.e to investigate whether…

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what is a hypothesis?

A

-testable statement which clearly states the relationship between variables and is developed from past research
-must be operationalised

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Directional hypothesis

A

-predicts a specific direction of the effect between the variables
-i.e there will be an increase/decrease in…

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Non-directional hypothesis

A

-non specific relationship between the variables
-i.e there would be a difference between…

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Null hypothesis

A

-no effect on the variables

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Control of variables

A

-any variable interfering with the IV and DV should be removed or well controlled.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Extraneous variables

A
  • a ‘nuisance’ variable which is not the IV but affects the DV
    -do not vary systematically with the IV
    -make results harder to detect and should be removed before study.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

situational variables

A

-factors in the environment which impact the study
-i.e weather, time
-extraneous

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

participant variables

A

-individual differences between participants which affect the study
-i.e gender, age
-extraneous

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Confounding variables

A

-does change systematically with the IV
-becomes difficult for the researcher to be sure of what impacted the DV
-turns into a second unintended IV

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Demand characteristics

A

-ppt may guess the aim due to cues from the researcher or situation.
-extraneous variable

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Social desirability

A

participants automatically try to respond in ways that make them seem likeable in a study, even if it means misrepresenting how they truly feel.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

‘please-U’ effect

A

-ppt may act in a over-way they think is expected or wanted from the researcher to fulfil hypothesis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

‘screw-U’ effect

A

-ppt may deliberately under-perform to sabotage the results of the study

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Investigator effects

A

-when a researcher influences the outcome of any research they are conducting
conscious or unconscious
-i.e leading question, selection of ppts.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Order effects

A

when participants’ responses in the conditions are affected by the order of conditions to which they were exposed

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Randomisation

A

-use of chance methods wherever possible to reduce the effect of bias from investigator effects
- minimises impact of confounding/extraneous variables.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Standardisation

A

all ppts should be subject to the same environment, info and experience
-i.e standardised instructions read to each ppt
-means that non-standardised changes in procedure do not act as extraneous variables

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Experimental designs

A
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Independent groups

A

-different ppts complete different levels of the IV/conditions.
-groups are randomly allocated to prevent bias

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Advantages +Disadvantages of Independent groups

A

-demand characteristics are minimised.
-no order effects
HOWEVER
-extraneous variables i.e differences between ppts due to random allocation may impact results
-requires more ppts so less economical(time/money)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Repeated measures

A

-same ppts take part in all conditions/levels of the IV.
- produces related data, can compare how ppts did in both conditions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Advantages+ Disadvantages of Repeated measures

A

-needs less ppts so more economical
- higher validity as ppt variables will not affect results as much
HOWEVER
order effects:
-may create boredom or fatigue(important in skill-based tasks)
-practice effects
-first condition may have an effect on the other one

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

How can you control the order effects in a repeated measures design

A

Counterbalancing

  • this uses an ABBA format
  • Half the ppts complete condition A then B
  • other half complete condition B then A
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

Matched pairs

A

-pairs of ppts are matched in terms of key variables i.e age
-one member of each pair is placed in two different conditions
-minimises ppt variables but does not eliminate them
-avoids order effects
-time consuming, expensive as may require pre-test

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

What is reliability?

A

-how consistent results are, whether research can be repeated with those results

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

What is validity?

A

-accurately measuring what you are claiming to measure

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

Internal validity

A

-whether the IV changed the DV without influence of other factors.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

what affects internal validity?

A

particapant variables (demand charctertics, personality, age)
- Lack of control (order effects, investigator effects)
- situational variables (temp, room size)
- Researcher Bias (lack objectivity)
-face validity(claim to measure what its measuring)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

What is external validity?

A

can you apply the findings to the public or day to day life (generalisability)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

Ecological validity

A

can generalise to a different place or setting

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

mundane realism

A

is the task similar to what we would do in real life

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

population validity

A

ability to generalise the findings to the wider population
-affected by androcentric / gynocentric

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

Historical validity

A

Can you generalise to a different century, or decade

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

How would we improve our external validity?

A

Using field study, natural observations etc

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
39
Q

Types of experiments

A
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
40
Q

Lab experiments

A

-conducted under controlled environment for conditions/lab

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
41
Q

strengths+limitations of lab experiments

A

-high internal validity= control of EVs and CVs mean cause and effect is certain
-high replicability because there is a standardised procedure
HOWEVER
-low external validity=cannot be generalised to un artificial contexts
-give rise to demand characteristics
-lack of mundane realism
-experimenter bias

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
42
Q

field experiments

A

-IV is manipulated in the ppt’s more natural,everyday setting

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
43
Q

strengths+limitations of field experiments

A

-High external validity which means you can generalise it to real life situations
-higher mundane realism
-less mundane realism as people show more naturalistic behaviours
HOWEVER
-loss of control of CVs and EVs —> difficult to establish cause and effect
-possible ethical issues about consent and privacy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
44
Q

natural experiments

A

-Change in IV has occurred naturally so not be manipulated by researchers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
45
Q

strengths+limitations of natural experiments

A
  • high external validity (changes happened in real life)
  • allow research in areas that could not happen due to ethical or cost reasons
    HOWEVER
    -may occur rarely and reduce research opportunities
    -may not be randomly allocated to experimental conditions so other factors may affect the DV
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
46
Q

Quasi-experiments

A

-IV based on an existing difference between ppts and un manipulated
-DV can either be naturally occurring or devised by experimenter

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
47
Q

Strengths and limitations of quasi-experiments

A

-same as lab due to controlled conditions
HOWEVER
-cannot randomly allocate ppts to conditions so may be confounding variables
-other ppt variables may come into play

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
48
Q

Population&target population

A

-large group of individuals that a researcher is interested in studying
-subset of general populations that research is specifically about

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
49
Q

sample

A

-ppts representative of the target population so results can be generalised

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
50
Q

Random sample

A

each person in target population has an equal chance of being chosen
1. have a list of the target population
2. enter names into hat, computer system
3. Place names into either conditions until there is an equal number of ppts in each condition(reference the number according to target population in the question)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
51
Q

Advantages+disadvantages of random sample

A

-avoids researcher bias, as researcher cannot choose ppts from sample
HOWEVER
-could proudce an underepresentative sample
- can be time consuming to get full list of target population

52
Q

systematic sample

A

-ppts chosen from list of target population and every nth ppts chosen to from sample
-process is repeated until sample required is chosen
-method is subjective

53
Q

advantages+disadvantages of systemic sample

A

-avoids researcher bias because researcher can’t choose who they want in sample
– quick method of chosing sample
HOWEVER
-could result in unrepresentative sample
-time consuming and ppts may refuse to take part
- if target population is too large full list difficult to obtain

54
Q

opportunity sample

A

-researcher directly asks members of the target audience if they are avaliable
-likley to be someone researcher has easy access to or familiar with

55
Q

advantages+disadvantages of opportunity sample

A

-convenient as there is no need to divide the population into different strata
-less costly
HOWEVER
-researcher bias as researcher asks who they want to take part in the study, may choose those who they prefer
- unlikley to be representative (for example research conducted in Unis is likley to have young undergrad students so cannot be generalised

56
Q

volunteer sample

A

-ppts offer to take part study after seeing an ad in a newspaper or online

57
Q

advantages+disadvantages of volunteer sample

A

-easy, minimal input from researcher
-less time consuming
-ppt ends up more engaged and willing to participate
HOWEVER
-may not be generalisable to target population becuase of volunteer bias (more likely attract a certain profile i.e more curious and helpful)

58
Q

BPS CODE OF CONDUCT (6 points)

A

Informed consent: ppts must be told about research before taking part and their right to withdraw

Deception: deliberately misleading or withholding info from ppts at any stage of research.

protection from harm: ppts should not be exposed to psychological/physical harm more than expected in day to day life

Confidentiality: right to have all personal info protected under the data protection act away from publications

privacy: right to control info about themselves.

59
Q

how we deal with informed consent issue

A

Prior general consent: ppts can sign a consent form

presumptive consent details explained to a similar representative group and ask if they would agree to conditions

retrospective consent: ppts asked to give consent after the study

60
Q

how is protection from harm and deception dealt with?

A

a debrief where:
1) you thank them for taking part
2)a full explanation of the study is offered(aim, hypothesis) and further psychological support
3) right to confidentiality and right to withdraw info is given

61
Q

how do we deal with confidentiality?

A

-try and maintain anonymity through giving ppts numbers or using initials in a case study.
-remind ppts before and after study that data will be protected

62
Q

psychological realism

A

thought processes that participants use in the study may be quite common in the real world

63
Q

costs and benefits of ethics issues

A

:( harmful for ppts, time consuming, invasion of privacy, can be upsetting, lead to harmful conclusions
:) ppts get paid for their time, researchers can develop theories from it

64
Q

Explain the role of ethics committees

A

-researcher must write a proposal outlining how the researcher will meet ethical guidelines+ justification for any breaches
-all research must be approved by the committee
-made up of lay people+independent staff members
-if a researcher behaves unethically, they are barred from practicing as a psychologist

65
Q

What is the ‘measures of central tendency’?

A

‘averages’ which give us information about the most typical values in a set of data

66
Q

What are descriptive statistics?

A

the use of graphs, tables and summary statistics to identify trends and analyse sets of data

67
Q

The mean(the average)

A

-most sensitive of the measures of central tendency as it includes all of the scores/values in the data set within the calculation= most representative
-harder to calculate than other measures
-cannot be used for categorised data
-can be affected by extreme values

68
Q

What is categorised data?

A

can be divided into different categories but cannot be ordered/measured
can be nominal i.e hair colour, binary i.e has a pet or doesn’t and ordinal i.e ranking things 1st,2nd and 3rd

69
Q

The median(middle value when scores are ordered highest to lowest)

A

-easily identified (just find the middle of the 2 medians in an even number of values)
-easier to calculate than the mean
-unaffected by extremes
-less representatives as it doesn’t not use all scores and ignores the actual highest/lowest values

70
Q

The mode(most frequent score)

A

-very easy to calculate
-data is often multi-modal so doesn’t show much
-unrepresentative as it doesn’t use all scores
-sometimes the only method that can be used

71
Q

What are measures of dispersion?

A

based on the spread of scores: how far they vary from one another

72
Q

What is range?

A

-taking the lowest score from the highest and (usually) +1
-adding 1 that allows for the fact that raw scores are usually rounded when recorded

73
Q

Evaluation of range

A

-shows the overall spread of data in a set
-easy to calculate
-may not be representative of the data if there are extreme values at the top/bottom of the dataset

74
Q

Standard deviation

A

-calculate mean, subtract it from each score to get the deviation, square the deviation, find the total of the squared deviations, divide that by the number of scores in the set minus 1, find the square root of this
-answer is how many values away scores lie from the mean

75
Q

evaluating SD

A

-provides an accurate measure of data spread as it takes all into account
-provides useful information about how individual scores relate to each other and to the mean
-gives a measure of the spread of the data as lower SD mean there was little variations between the scores
-it is harder to calculate than the range

76
Q

Bar charts

A

-used when data is divided into categories(discrete data)
-difference in mean value can be easily seen
-bars are separate to show different conditions
-frequency is plotted on y axis and condition is plotted on x axis

77
Q

Histograms

A

-data is continuous not discrete(bars touch each other)
-x axis is equal sized intervals of a single categories
-y axis represents the frequency within each interval

78
Q

Scattergrams

A

-depict associations between co variables
-either co variable occupies the x axis and y axis and each point on the graph corresponds to the x and y position of the covariables

79
Q

What is qualitative data?

A

-meaningful data produced in a natural setting
-expressed in words and may be a written description of thoughts, feelings and opinions
-relies on interpretation of language

80
Q

Evaluating qualitative data

A

-HIGH EXTERNAL VALIDITY= more rich in detail as it broader in scope and allows ppts to go in depth about thoughts, feelings and opinions
-difficult to analyse as it tends not to be summarised statistically
-may rely on subjective interpretations, vulnerable to bias

81
Q

What is quantitative data?

A

-collected and expressed numerically(normally via individual scores)
-aim to produce results that can be compared and analysed i.e graphs/charts
-i.e questionnaires, experiments

82
Q

Evaluating quantitative data

A

-easy to analyse so comparisons can be drawn
-can be replicated easily
-more objective and less vulnerable to bias
-produces more narrow, oversimplified data = may not represent real life

83
Q

Define primary data and evaluate it

A

-researcher generates their own data to answer a specific research question i.e experiment, questionnaire, interview, observation

D:its time consuming, and its expensive
A: Has authentic data that answers that question

84
Q

Define secondary data and evaluate it

A

-researcher uses data collected by others that were created to answer another research question (reports, government statics, content analysis), and significance is known due to prior statistical testing

D: less valid as data wasn’t collected to answer that research question i.e outdated and incomplete
A: data is collected easier as its cheaper and less time consuming

85
Q

What is meta analysis?

A

-a statistical technique used to gather data from lots of studies with the same aim/hypothesis and combine them to see the overall effect in the conclusion(secondary data)
A: large number of ppts, so results can be generalised across populations(validity)
D: studies vary, with different methods, aims etc
-publication bias = researcher may choose to ignore studies with negative/ non significant results

86
Q

Name 2 self report techniques

A

-Questionnaires
-Interviews

87
Q

What are questionnaires and how are they designed?

A

-pre set list of written questions where ppts are assessed on how they think/feel or the DV is assessed

Likert scale= indicates agreement with usually 5 points
Rating scales= gets ppt to identify a value to represent strength of feeling towards something
Fixed choice option= list of possible options and ppt has to ‘tick all those that apply’

88
Q

Evaluating questionnaires

A

A: -cost effective, easy to collect representative data, easy to analyse, less social desirability bias than interviews, fast + easily distributed
D: low response rate, unreliable responses as ppts are unmotivated, confusing questions leading to acquiesce bias, (closed) answers are restricted, bias sample(location/helpful people), cannot be used on young children or people who are illiterate,

89
Q

What is an open question

-advantages and disadvantages

A

-questions phrased in way that allows ppts to answer in a way they choose

Advantage
-freedom to choose what they say, can lead to more valid responses

disadvantage
-makes data analysis more difficult(qualitative data)

90
Q

What is a closed question

-advantages and disadvantages

A

question phrased in a way that limits ppts responses to a few options

Advantages
- allows easy data analysis of large number of responses(quantitative)
- easier to spot patterns

Disadvantages
-ppts responses are fixed so it lacks depth, which is less valid

91
Q

What does the researcher need to do when conducting a self-report

A
  • Avoid complex terminology: ppts may not understand or by too embarrassed to say they don’t, this can then result in inaccurate responses
  • Rewording questions: when a ppts doesn’t understand a skilled interviewer could reword it in way that doesn’t change the meaning of the question
  • Double barreled questions: ppts may agree with one part of the question but not the other, makes the question confusing (CLARITY)
  • Leading questions: this can bias responses in a certain direction, to avoid this questions should be written in a way that doesn’t suggest a correct way (BIAS)
    -Must be written in a way that they are easy to analyse
92
Q

How can a researcher test whether their self-report study has issues

A

run a pilot study
small scale study, which helps the interviewer or researcher identify problems like confusing questions, make sure questions don’t give away the aim, or to check if they don’t produce a meaningful and detailed response
- this allows for things to be changed

93
Q

Why are filler questions used in self-report studies

A

Questionnaire: to stop ppts from finding out the aim

Interviews: to ease the ppts in, to make them feel more comfortable

94
Q

Designing an interview

A

-most include interview schedule, with questions they intent to cover(reduces interviewer bias)
-group interviews common in clinical settings
-one to ones should be done in a private, quiet room to illicit vulnerability
-neutral questions to establish rapport
-interviewees should be reminded that answers will be treated in the strictest confidence

95
Q

What is a structured interview and what are the advantages and disadvantages

A

the interview asks a list of prepared questions in a set order

Advantages: interviews do not have to be highly trained
responses are easier to compare because same questions were used
easy to replicate

Disadvantages: responses can’t be followed up with additional questions to get ppts to elaborate

96
Q

What is an unstructured interview and what are the advantages and disadvantages

A

When there is not a setlist of questions, so its an open conversation about the topic

Advantages: interviewer can build a rapport, so ppts feels more comfortable answering questions
-responses can be followed up with questions to gain insight + receive unexpected info

Disadvantages: need a highly trained interviewer to think about questions
-every interview will be different so it’s hard to come up with comparisons
-interviewer bias

97
Q

What is a semi-structured interview and what are the advantages and disadvantages

A

combination of prepared questions and use of additional questions for elaboration

Advantages: easy to compare because same questions used
- interviewer can ask follow up questions for ppts to elaborate on ideas
- rapport can be built
Disadvantages
-highly trained interviewer

98
Q

Why are observations important?

A

-allow researchers to study what people do without having to ask them
-allows behaviours to be observed in natural or observed settings
-study complex interactions between variables

99
Q

What is naturalistic observation and what are the advantages and disadvantages

A

-In a real life setting i.e studying workers in a factory
Advantages
- high external validity likely to show more natural behaviour, as its easier to generalise
- fewer demand characteristics

Disadvantages
-low levels of control makes replication difficult confounding/extraneous variables contributing to behaviour

100
Q

What is a controlled observation and what are the advantages and disadvantages

A

Aspects of environment are controlled and some variables manipulated, to give ppts same experience, Often conducted in a lab (Ainsworth and Bandura)

Advantages
- high control reduces likelihood of confounding/extraneous variables which makes replication easy
- Results reliable as they used same standardised procedures

Disadvantages
-low external validity because environment is artificial, Behaviour may not be repeated in actual environment

101
Q

What is an overt observation and what are the advantages and disadvantages

A

Ppts know they are being observed

Advantages
-ethically correct as ppts gave informed consent to being observed

Disadvantages
-risk of demand characteristics and social desirability bias

102
Q

What is covert observation and what are the advantages and disadvantages

A

Ppts don’t know they are being observed and are unaware of the focus of the study

Advantages
-no demand characteristics and research has high validity

Disadvantages
-highly unethical

103
Q

What is participant observation and what are the advantages and disadvantages

A

Observer joins the group and takes part

Advantages
-builds a rapport, insight (you understand more about the situation through experience)

Disadvantages
-researcher bias (may start to take on opinions), may lose objectivity as they identify too strongly with their role

104
Q

What is non participant observation and what are the advantages and disadvantages

A

Observer is outside of the group and takes a separate role to the group

Advantages
-increases objectivity due to psychological distance from ppts

Disadvantages
-may miss details or insight because unable to build a rapport so behaviour less naturalistic

105
Q

What is an unstructured observation?

A

-when the behaviors of interest are not clearly specified in advance of the study; researcher might write down everything they see
-produce accounts of behavior that are rich in detail

106
Q

Evaluating unstructured observations

A

:) rich, detailed data
good for small scale level with ppts
:( greater risk of observer bias , due to lack of objective behavioral categories –> researcher may only record what ‘catches their eye’(may not be important/useful)

107
Q

What is a structured observation?

A

-the psychologist target certain behaviors which allows the researcher to quantify their observations using a predetermined list of target behaviors and sampling methods

108
Q

Evaluating structured observation

A

:) make recording of data easier and more systemic
quantitative data= easy to analyse + compare behavior observed
:( less rich data

109
Q

Behavioural categories

A

-breaking up target behaviours into categories that are precisely defined, observable and measurable
-made up of what the researcher sees+hears
A: -can make data more structured and objective(if follows 3 criteria)
D: -must ensure all possible forms of behaviour are included in checklist, no ‘dustbin’ category to dump behaviours
-categories should be exclusive and not overlap

110
Q

Event sampling

A

-tally the number of times a behaviour occurs in a target individual/group
-A: -if behaviour is on list, always will be recorded
-helps catch behaviours that might be missed
D: -miss detailed behaviour if event is too complex
-need lots of observers

111
Q

Time sampling

A

-record behaviours within a pre-established time frame
A: more flexible are able to record more unexpected behaviours
D: can miss behaviour that is not in time frame–} unrepresentative of behaviour as a whole

112
Q

Content analysis

A

-technique for analysing qualitative data of various kinds. Data
can be placed into categories and counted (quantitative) or can be analysed in
themes (qualitative)
-uses coding systems before analysing material(flagging certain info and counting how many times ‘code’ occurs)

113
Q

How do you do content analysis?

A

-Sampling: decide what kind of info will be used to analyse
-Pilot: familiarise with material(helps us decide what common themes occur)
-Highlight key common themes and create coding categories (specific, measurable things within theme) based on them
-Tally number of occurrences of coding categories(nominal data/quantitative figures)
-Researchers will compare different results to specify data + pick best data to back up hypothesis

114
Q

Cumberbatch and Gauntlett (2005)

A

-commissioned by OFCOM
-looked at how smoking, alcohol + drug abuse was shown in TV shows watched by 10-15 year olds
-looked at 246 programmes(76% soap operas) between Aug-Oct 2004 before 9pm watershed
found that there were:
-1.2 drug related incidences per hour(bad light)
-3.4 smoking incidences per hour(neutral/negative light)
-12 drinking incidences per hour(neutral/negative light)
-only 4% of shows tended not to show any of these(mostly game shows)

115
Q

Evaluating content analysis

A

A: -avoid ethical issues because it uses public data so no need to obtain permission
-high external validity because of real life data
-can produce qualitative AND quant data
D: - subjective as researcher needs to interpret data without context, may lead to researcher bias
data was not created for purpose of content analysis, so may lack internal validity(lack of objective categories)

116
Q

Correlations

A

-involves comparing data from same ppts
-test relationship between 2 variables
-alternative hypothesis = will be about relationship not difference between conditions
-have covariables(2 factors that compare to each other)

117
Q

Difference between correlations and experiments

A

-Correlations do not manipulate or have IV + DV whereas exps looks at effect of IV on DV
-difference between variables vs relationship/association between variables
-correlational designs are studies i.e observations, self report and exp use experimental design i.e matched pairs, ind groups, repeated measures

118
Q

Types of correlations

A

Positive: co-variables increases with the other co-variable

Negative: as one co variables increases the other co variable decreases

Zero: no relationships between co variables

119
Q

Correlation coefficient

A

shows us the numerical strength and direction of the relationship between co-variables as a number between -1(perfect negative correlation) and +1(perfect positive correlation)

If its higher than 0.8 it has a strong positive correlation
lower than -0.8 has a strong negative correlation

120
Q

Evaluate the use of correlations

A

A: -highlight potential causes and relationships between variables, which can be tested experimentally later –} may be unexpected, highlight pattern
-little manipulation of data so it is easier and more economical to carry out(secondary/existing data)
D: -correlation does not mean causation, even if a relationship exists(could be coincidence, unknown direction of causality)
-unknown co variable/3rd variable may cause relationship
-data is not operationalised so it may lack validity

121
Q

Case study

A

-in-depth, detailed investigations of one individual/group/event
-usually conducted since individuals are rare/unique
-used a range of RMs
-could happen over extended time period.
-RM originated in clinical medicine (i.e patients personal history)

122
Q

What is triangulation?

A

Use of different approaches to gather data to improve the credibility of the conclusions.
Increased validity of the case study

123
Q

Strengths of case studies

A

-rich and detailed qualitative data increase validity(higher mundane realism)
-allows for investigation of otherwise impractical/unethical situations
-triangulation helps make new hypotheses–} results drawn from many areas

124
Q

Limitations of case studies

A

-observer bias & subjective opinions i.e Freud + Little Hans
-based on one example so cannot generalise to other times, cultures, people places etc= unrepresentative
-cannot be replicated
-triangulation is time consuming

125
Q

Pilot studies

A

-small scale version of the actual investigation, used as a trial run.
-may include direct feedback from ppts
-adjustments can be made after
-can save time/money in the long run

aqa a level psychology (7 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions