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Psychology > Research Methods > Flashcards

Research Methods Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 4 types of experiment?

A

Lab
Field
Natural
Quasi

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2
Q

Describe Lab experiment

A
  • Manipulated by researcher
  • Lab setting
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3
Q

Describe Field experiment

A
  • Manipulated by researcher
  • Real life setting
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4
Q

Describe Natural experiment

A
  • A naturally occurring event
  • Real life setting
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5
Q

Describe Quasi experiment

A
  • A variable that is set in people e.g gender
  • Lab setting
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6
Q

What are the 3 experimental designs?

A
  • Independent groups
  • Matched pairs
  • Repeated measures
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7
Q

Independent Groups

A

Different participants are used in each condition

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8
Q

Matched pairs

A

Different participants are used in each condition but they are methods on relevant characteristics e.g. age and gender

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9
Q

Repeated measures

A

Same participants are used in all conditions

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10
Q

What are the 4 types of observation?

A
  • Covert or overt
  • Participant or non participant
  • Naturalistic or controlled
  • Structured or unstructured
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11
Q

Covert

A

Researcher hidden

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12
Q

Overt

A

Participants aware of being observed

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13
Q

Participant

A

Researcher acts like a participant

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14
Q

Researcher

A

Researcher not involved

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15
Q

Naturalistic

A

Carried out in real life environment

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16
Q

Controlled

A

Artificial setting used

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17
Q

Structured

A

Using a tally sheet of behavioural categories

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18
Q

Unstructured

A

Recording all relevant info without a system

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19
Q

What are behavioural categories?

A

They serve the purpose of operationalising the variable being observed

for example if they are observing aggression
- Kicks
- Hits
- Bites
- Verbal

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20
Q

Why are behavioural categories good?

A
  • More objective
  • Easier to check interobserver reliability
  • Creates quantitative data
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21
Q

Reliability

A

Refers to consistency
- Following up studies
- Tests
- Questionaries’
- Between observers (Called observer reliability)

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22
Q

Validity

A

Refers to how true or accurate something
- Ecological
- Population
- Historical

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23
Q

What is a pilot study?

A

It is a preliminary study before the big study which is small scale and tests the original.

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24
Q

What are the advantages of a pilot study?

A
  • Gives insight into the work
  • Saves time, effort and money
  • Allows changes to be made
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25
What is a Self Report method?
A method which examines peoples opinions, feelings or own description of their behaviour.
26
What are some examples of Self Report?
- Questionnaires - Interviews
27
What are the 2 types of question?
Open and Closed
28
Whats a closed question?
Questions for which there is a fixed choice of response that were determined by the question setter
29
What is a structured interview?
Are pre set
30
What is a unstructured interview?
Develops as the interview goes along.
31
What is a Correlation?
Is a relationship between two co variables for example height/weather.
32
How are correlations represented?
A scatter graph
33
What is a Correlation Coefficient?
A numerical value gained from applying a statistical test to correlation data. It is a quantitative value between -1 and +1.
34
Whats a case study?
An in depth study that gathers a lot of detail about one person or a small group. It uses a range of resources and many techniques.
35
What is content analysis?
A form of observations but instead of people their communications are studied instead.
36
Quantitative content analysis?
behavioural categories
37
Qualitative content analysis?
thematic analysis
38
Name some ethical issues?
- Deception - Informed consent - Privacy - Confidentiality - Protection From Harm
39
Privacy
Not publishing work
40
Confidentiality
Participants should remain anonymous so that data cannot be identified as theirs
41
Sampling Methods?
- Self Selected - Systematic - Random - Stratified - Opportunity
42
Self Selected Sample
Placing an advert and waiting on participants to respond to take part
43
Systematic Sample
Creating a list of all target population members and then selecting every Nth on the list
44
Random Sample
Putting all target population names into a hat and then pulling out however many are required for the sample
45
Stratified Sampling
Selecting a sample that is proportional to the target population.
46
Opportunity Sample
Using whoever is available at the time of testing
47
Inter Reliability
The level of agreement in scores on a measure between different raters or observers rating the same target
48
Test Retest Reliability
The consistency of scores for the same person across two or more separate administrations of the same measurement.
49
How can we improve inter rater reliability?
- Train observers in the observation techniques - Ensuring behavioural categories
50
Concurrent Reliability
A way of ensuring validity by examining a measure to make sure that it appears to measure the thing it is claiming to measure
51
Face Validity
A way of ensuring validity by making sure that the test /measure of behaviour is as valid as another which measures the same thing
52
Population Validity
The extent to which findings and conclusions from experiments can be broadly applied to the population because the sample of participants is representative.
53
External Validity
Whether findings from the study can be generalised to other settings over time and to other people.
54
Ecological Validity
Whether the results cannot be generalised to any other settings because the experimental setting the participants had was too artificial and did not reflect real life
55
Temporal Validity
This is concerned with whether the results of an older study still apply today in modern times.
56
Internal Validity
Extent to which a test measures what it set out to test and is uninfluenced by outside variables.
57
Central Tendency
Averages
58
Mean
A measure of central tendency making use of all the data
59
Dispertion
A spread of data
60
Standard Deviation
Spread of data around the mean
61
Things that affect internal validity?
- Social desirability bias - Demand characteristics - Extraneous/confounding variables - Investigator effects
62
Social desirability bias
A tendency for respondents to answer questions in such a way that presents themselves in a better light
63
Demand characteristics
Any clue from the researcher or from the research situation that may be interpreted by participants as revealing the purpose of the investigation. This may lead to a participant changing their behaviour within the research situation
64
Extraneous/confounding variables
Any variable other than the independent variable that may have affected the dependent variable so we cannot be sure of the true source of changes to the dependent variable
65
Investigator effects
Any effect of the investigator's behaviour on the research outcomes. This may invade everything from the decision of the study to the selection of and interaction with participants during the research process.

Psychology (16 decks)

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