Research Methods

Question 1

Define experimental method

Answer 1

The experimental method concerns the manipulation of an independent variable (IV) to have an effect on the dependent variable (DV) which is measured and stated in results.

Question 2

What is the difference between a directional and non-directional hypothesis?

Answer 2

A directional hypothesis states the direction of the impact of independent variable (IV) on the dependent variable (DV) whereas non-directional does not state the direction of the relationship between the IV and the DV.

Question 3

Identify 5 types of sampling methods

Answer 3

-Opportunity sampling
-Random sampling
-Systematic sampling
-Stratified sampling
-Volunteer sampling

Question 4

Outline how you would take a stratified sample

Answer 4

1. Identify the strata
2. Calculate the required proportion for each stratum based on the size of the target population.
3. Select the sample at random for each stratum.
4. To do this, you can use a random selection method e.g. using a computer

Question 5

Explain one advantage of using a stratified sample

Answer 5

The sample is able to be more representative of the target population compared to other types of sampling

Question 6

Explain what is meant by operationalisation

Answer 6

Operationalisation is the process by which a researcher defines how a concept is measured, observed, or manipulated within a particular study e.g. social anxiety can be operationally defined in terms of self-rating scores, behavioural avoidance of crowded places, or physical anxiety symptoms in social situations.

Question 7

What is the difference between the independent variable and the dependent variable?

Answer 7

IV is the variable that is manipulated to observe its effect on the DV whereas the DV is the variable that is being measured and is affected by the IV.

Question 8

What is a solution to the problem of order effects caused by a repeated measures design?

Answer 8

A solution would be counterbalancing. This is when half of the participants are made to do conditions in one order and the other half in the opposite order. This eliminates order effects.

Question 9

Explain the difference between the aim and the hypothesis

Answer 9

The aim of the study tells us what the study is investigating whereas the hypothesis is a statement that predicts the relationship between the IV and the DV.

Question 10

Identify the four types of experiments

Answer 10

-Laboratory
-Field
-Quasi
-Natural

Question 11

Describe the purpose of carrying out a peer review

Answer 11

-To allocate research funding to projects that is worthwhile.
-To make sure the research is of good quality and is relevant.
-To be able to suggest improvements so that fault or incorrect data is not released to the public.

Question 12

Define the two types of skewed distributions

Answer 12

-Positive skew - when plotted on a graph, the data has a long tail on the right.
-Negative skew - when plotted on a graph, the data has a long til on the left.

Question 13

Give two strengths of conducting a content analysis

Answer 13

-It has high mundane realism and external validity as what is being studied is already out there in the real world.
-Produces a large data set of both qualitative and quantitative data that is easy to analyse.

Question 14

Give two limitations of a content analysis

Answer 14

-Causuality cannot be established as it merely describes the data.
-As it only describes the data it cannot extract any deeper meaning or explanation for the data patterns arising.

Question 15

Give three limitations of conducting a case study.

Answer 15

-As it only concerns one person it is not really generalisable to wider populations.
-Rerospective studies may rely on memory which can be unreliable.
-They are time consuming.

Question 16

Define reliability

Answer 16

It is a measure of consistency e.g. if a particular measurement is replicable then that measurement is described as being reliable.

Question 17

Explain two ways of assessing the validity of research

Answer 17

-Face validity: A measure is scrutinised to determine whether it appears to measur what it is supposed to.
-Concurrent validity: Checking the extent to which a psychological measure relates to an existing and well-established similar one e.g. if you are measuring depression using a new scale, you would want to have a portion of your participants also use an established depression measurement or scale, e.g. the Beck Depression Inventory. If there is a strong positive correlation between scores on your scale and scores on the established scale, there is good concurrent validity.

Question 18

What are three factors that help you decide which inferential statistical test to use?

Answer 18

-The level of data was collected.
-Whether the design of the study is related or unrelated.
-Whether a difference or correlation is being measured.

Question 19

Identify the three levels of measurement

Answer 19

-Nominal data
-Interval data
-Ordinal data

Question 20

Describe nominal data and give an example

Answer 20

Data that describes characteristics or groups e.g. ethnicity, car brand, place of birth. There’s no ranking or natural order.

Question 21

Describe ordinal data and give an example

Answer 21

Data that, like nominal data, describes characteristics or groups e.g political orientation or income level. Unlike nominal data, it can be ordered or ranked e.g. left-of-centre -> centre -> right-of-centre, or low income, middle income and high income.

Question 22

Describe interval data and give an example

Answer 22

Numerical data such as credit ratings, temperature, IQ. Numerical data doesn’t have a meaningful zero point e.g, the temperature can be 0C but that doesn’t mean there’s no temperature or heat.

Question 23

Describe the difference between a single-blind procedure and a double-blind procedure

Answer 23

In a double-blind procedure, neither the researcher nor the participant are aware of the aims, procedures and conditions of the study. In a single-blind procedure it’s only the participant who isn’t aware of them - the researcher is.

Question 24

Describe the difference between unstructured and structured observation

Answer 24

And unstructured observation consists of continuous recording where everything the researcher sees is written down, whereas structured observation has a predetermined list of behaviours and sampling methods with which the researcher quantifies their observation with (e.g. notes the number of times a participant crosses their arms).

Question 25

Describe how correlations differ from experiments

Answer 25

Firstly, with correlations variables are simply measure not manipulated. Secondly, there is not cause and effect relationship found, only an association is found.

Question 26

Identify three measures of central tendency

Answer 26

-Mode
-Median
-Mean

Question 27

Describe 5e difference between primary and secondary data

Answer 27

Primary data is obtained firsthand by the researcher whereas secondary data has already been collected by someone else other than the researcher.

Question 28

Outline three things a researcher should think about when constructing a questionnaire

Answer 28

-Clarity - the researcher should make sure it is clear what each of the questions are asking.
-Analysis - the questionnaire should be written in a way that can be easily analysed.
-Sequencing questions - the researcher should think about the order of questions, maybe easy ones first then harder ones last to build up the confidence of the participants.

Question 29

Give two strengths of conducting an unstructured interview

Answer 29

-Lots of data is collected which has more depth and detail.
-It can be tailored to individuals giving more insight into the subjective experience of the person being interviewed.

Question 30

Identify various types of observation

Answer 30

-Naturalistic
-Controlled
-Overt
-Covert
-Participant
-Non-participant

Question 31

What are different ethical issues that research may represent?

Answer 31

-Informed consent
-Deception
-Protection from harm
-Privacy and confidentiality