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Psychology > Research methods > Flashcards

Research methods Flashcards

1
Q

Operationalisation of variables

A

making the variable as measurable as possible

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2
Q

extraneous variables

A

any variables that could potentially interfere with the iv other than the dv

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3
Q

confounding variables

A

varies systematically with the IV maning that we can’t tell if the change in the dv is due to the iv or the confounding variable

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4
Q

investigator effect

A

effect of the investigator behavior that may be percieved as revealing the purpose of the investigation to the participant

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5
Q

standardisation

A

using exactly the same formalised procedures for all participants

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6
Q

experimental design

A

different ways in which participants can be organised in relation to the experimental conditions

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7
Q

independent groups

A

two separate groups of participants experience two different conditions and the results would then be compared

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8
Q

repeated measures

A

all participants experience both conditions of the experiment

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9
Q

matched pairs

A

participants are paired together on a variable or variables relevant to the experiment and both do one condition each

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10
Q

random allocation

A

an attempt to control for participant variables ensuring that each participant has the same chance of being put in either condition as the other

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11
Q

counterbalancing

A

control for the effect order in a repeated measures design : half experience in one order then the other half experience it the opposite way.

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12
Q

lab experiment s+w

A

+high control over extraneous variables creating high internal validity
+replication is more possible due to a high level of control creating a higher validity
-may lack generalisability as the environment may be artificial which could cause demand characteristics

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13
Q

field experiment

A

experiment which takes place in a natural setting within which the researcher manipulates the iv

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14
Q

field exp s+w

A

+higher mundane realism as environment is natural creating higher external validity
-loss of control of confounding and extraneous variables
-also ethical issues with privacy

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15
Q

natural experiment

A

experiment where the change of iv is not brought about by the researcher and is naturally occurring

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16
Q

natural exp s+w

A

+provide opportunities for research
+high external validity as they involve study of real-world issues
-naturally occurring event may only happen very rarely which limits the generalisability

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17
Q

quasi experiment

A

iv has an existing difference between people eg. age, gender and so iv cannot be changed

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18
Q

quasi exp s+w

A

+often carried out under controlled conditions therefore share some strengths of a lab experiment
-iv is not deliberately changed and therefore we cannot claim that the iv has caused any observed change.

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19
Q

population

A

a group of people who are the center of the researchers focus

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20
Q

sample

A

often representative of a target population

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21
Q

random sample

A

all members have an equal chance of being selected

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22
Q

systematic sample

A

when every nth member of the target population is selected

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23
Q

stratified sample

A

the composition of the sample reflects the proportions of people in certain subgroups within the target population

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24
Q

opportunity sample

A

selecting anyone who is available and willing

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25
Q

volunteer sample

A

selecting themselves to be part of the sample

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26
Q

s+w of random sample

A

+potentially unbiased which enhances internal validity
-difficult and time consuming to conduct and complete list of the target population may be hard to obtain

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27
Q

s+w of systematic sample

A

+objective
-method is time-consuming and participants may refuse to take part

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28
Q

s+w stratified sampling

A

+representative as its designed to represent and so generalization of findings may be possible
-cannot reflect all ways that people are different

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29
Q

s+w of opportunity sampling

A

+convenient and less costly
-unrepresentative of target population and and may involve researcher bias

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30
Q

s+w of volunteer sampling

A

+easy and requires minimal effort from researcher and so is less time consuming
-volunteer bias

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31
Q

informed consent

A

making participants aware of the aims of the research

32
Q

deception

A

deliberately withholding or misleading information from participants at any point of the experiment

33
Q

protection from harm

A

protection from physical and psychological harm

34
Q

privacy and confidentiality

A

participants have the right to control information about themselves

35
Q

BPS code of conduct

A

includes ethical guidelines

36
Q

dealing with informed consent

A

participants should be issued with a consent letter

37
Q

dealing with deception and protection from harm

A

participants should be given a full debrief where they understand the aims of the study and any details that they weren’t given during the study

38
Q

dealing with confidentiality

A

personal details must be protected

39
Q

pilot studies

A

small-scale version of the investigation that takes place before the real investigation making sure that the procedure works

40
Q

single-blind procedure

A

any info that might create expectations is not revealed until the end to control confounding and extraneous variables

41
Q

double blind procedure

A

neither participants or the researcher is aware of the aims of the investigation - often important in drug trials

42
Q

naturalistic and controlled observations

A

naturalistic observations take place in setting or context that target behavior would usually occur
controlled observation take place when there is control over variables

43
Q

covert and overt observation

A

covert - participants are unaware that they are the focus of the study and their behavior is observed in secret
overt - participants know that their behavior is being observed

44
Q

participant and non-participant observations

A

participant - observer becomes part of the group that they are observing
non-participant - researcher remains separate from those they are studying

45
Q

eval of observations

A

+useful as they give special insight into behavior
-observer bias as interpretation of situation may be affected by their expectations
-cannot demonstrate causal relationships

46
Q

eval of naturalistic and controlled observations

A

+tend to have high external validity as findings can be generalised to every day life
-lack of control over research situation could make a replication difficult with many uncontrolled confounding and extraneous variables

47
Q

eval on covert and overt observations

A

+covert obs removes chance of demand characteristics increasing the internal validity of the observation
-covert obs also creates ethical questioning as some people may not wish to be observed
+overt obs may be more socially acceptable but the knowledge that they are being watched may have a significant influence.

48
Q

eval of participant and non-participant observation

A

+researcher experiences the situation as the participants do giving them a better insight increasing the external validity
-however they may come to identify strongly with the group leading to objectivityi

49
Q

inter-observer reliability

A

to make data recording more objective, observations should be carried out by at least two researchers and then checked for consistency.

50
Q

ways of recording data

A

unstructured observation - writing down everything they see and tends to be reach with detail
structured observation - simplified targer behaviors which will become main focus of the investigation

51
Q

behavioral categories

A

structured record of what the researcher sees

52
Q

sampling methods

A

continuous recording - all instances of a target behavior is recorded
event sampling - counting the number of times a particular behavior occurs in a target individual or group
time sampling - recording behavior within a pre-established time frame

53
Q

eval of structured vs unstructured

A

structured
+quantitative data meaning that it easier to be processed
unstructured
-mostly qualitative making it more difficult to analyse
+richer and greater in detail

54
Q

eval of behavioral categories

A

+can make data more more structured and objective

55
Q

questionaires

A

a set of written questions used to assess a persons thoughts and or experiences
common type of self-report technique
open questions - does not have a fixed range of answers and so often produce more qualitative data
closed questions - offers a fixed number of responses
offers more qualitative data

56
Q

interviews

A

structured - pre-determined set of questions that are asked in a fixed order
unstructured - more like a conversation with no set questions
semi-structured - many interviews fall between the two types above, lists of questions but also free to deter from them.

57
Q

eval of questionaire

A

+cost-effective and can offer large amounts of data quickly
+can be filled out without the researcher being present which reduced the effort involved
-responses may not always be truthful through social desirability bias or demand characteristics
-often produce a response bias where participants always respond in a similar way due to filling out the form too quickly

58
Q

eval of interviews

A

structured interviews
+straightforward to replicate due to the standardized format
-not possible for interviewers to deviate from their questions which limits the richness of data collected as well as unexpected information
unstructured interview
+more flexibility and likelihood of gaining insight
-interviewer bias possible

59
Q

likert scale

A

respondent indicates their agreement or disagreement with a statement using a scale of usually 5 points with the scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree

60
Q

rating scales

A

respondents identify a value that represents their strength or feeling

61
Q

fixed-choice option

A

includes a list of possible options and respondents are required to indicate those that apply to them

62
Q

writing good questions

A

overuse of jargon - technical terms that are only familiar to those within a specialized field
emotive language and leading questions
double-barrelled questions and double negatives -

63
Q

correlation

A

a mathematical technique in which a researcher investigates an association between two variables, called co-variables

64
Q

co-variables

A

variables investigated within a correlation, for example height and weight
referred to as independent and dependent variables

65
Q

eval of correlations

A

+preliminary tool for research providing a quantifiable measure of how to variables are related
+relatively quick and economical to carry out
-cannot demonstrate cause and effect between variables meaning we don’t know which variable is causing the other to change
-

66
Q

qualitative data

A

expressed in words and is non-numerical

67
Q

quantitative data

A

expressed numerically

68
Q

primary data

A

information that has been obtained first-hand by a researcher for the purpose of the research project

69
Q

secondary data

A

info that has already been collected by someone else and so pre-dates the current research project

70
Q

eval of qualitative data

A

+offers much more richness and detail which often adds external validity
-often difficult to analyse and rely on subjective interpretations that may be subject to bias

71
Q

eval of quantitative data

A

+relatively simple to analyse therefore comparisons can easily be drawn
-much more narrow in meaning and may fail to represent real life.

72
Q

eval of primary data

A

+fits the job as the data is authentic
- requires time and effort on the part of the researcher

73
Q

eval of secondary data

A

+may be inexpensive and easily accessed
-substantial variation of quality and accuracy of the data which may lower the validity

74
Q

peer review

A

assessment of scientific work by others who are specialists in the same field

75
Q

eval of peer review

A

anonymity - honest appraisal
publication bias - prefer to publish positive results which could mean that research that doesn’t reach criteria is ignored or disregarded
burying groundbreaking research - may suppress opposition to mainstream theories

Psychology (7 decks)

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