Research Methods Flashcards
what are the features of a science
-objectivity
-empirical method
-replicability
-falsifiability
-theory construction
-hypothesis testing
-paradigms
-paradigm shift
what are empirical methods
what are the benefits of adopting an emprical approach?
-idea that knowledge is gained from DIRECT experieinces in an objective,systematic, and controlled manner
-produces quantitative data
-theory must be empirically tested and verified
-reduces subjective opinion
objectivity as a feature of science
lab, natural, content analysis, observations
-not letting personal opinions, judgements or biases interfere
-lab is most objective, high levels of control
-natural can not exert control, less objective
-content analysis and observations have issues with objectivity as behavioural categories are decided at the discretion of the experimenter
replicability as a feature of science
-ability to repeat research and achieve consistent results
-using the same standardised procedure and produce similar findings
-findings can be truly valid and generalised
falsifiability as a feature of science
what it is
-idea that research hypothesis COULD be proved wrong
-scientific research can never be proven right only subjected to research attempts to prove it wrong
-null hypothesis suggest any difference/relationship is due to chance
-if falsification can not be acheived, therory can not be derived froma true scientific disciplin = ‘psuedoscience’
give an example of falsifiability within psychology
the psychodynamic approach casts doubt on the scientific rigour of psychology
-frued
theroy construction as a feature of science
-a theory is a set of principles that intent to explain certain behaviours/events
-evidence to support theory must be collected as empiraically it can not be based soley on belifes
what is the inductive process in theory contruction
-when a researcher suspects something to be true they must devise n eperiment to examine there ideas
-if they discover patterns/trends theory cn be constructed = inductive process
-‘bottom up’process
what is the deductive process in theory construction
-works from more general ideas to the more specific
-may begin with a theory relating to a topic of interest, which isthen narrowed down into a more specific hypothesis
hyptotheis testing as a feature of science
-it must be objective and measurable so clear conculsions can be drawn
-if findings support hypothesis, theory is strengthened
-if findings refute, theory will be altered accordingly
what is a paradigm
in relation to features of a science
-a set of shared assumptions and methods withtin a discipline
-Kuhn said this is what separates a scientific and non scientific discipline
-psychology could be best viewed as a pre-sceince as there is too much disagreement between various approaches
what is a paradigm shift and how does is happen
features of a science
-when a handfulof sceintists begin to challenege an existing paradigm
-over time the challenge becomes more popular with more research being added to support the contadiction
give an example of a paradigm shift within psychology
-from late 19th centuary psychoanalytic theory was at the forefront (role of the unconscious)
-from 1927 the work of pavlov and skinner emerged - behaviourist approach
-1960s another paradigm shift occured - the cognitive approach with the development of computers
what are the sections of a scientific report
6
-abstract
-intoduction
-method
-results
-discussion
-references
what format are psychological investigations reported in
why?
-American Psychological Association format is typically used
-some variations such as Harvard format
-easier to navigate when standardised, more user friendly
what is the abstract and what does it contain
psychological reports
-a short summary of the key points
-contains enough info to give a general overwiew
included within:
-aim and hypothesis
-participants
-method
-results
-data analysis and conclusions
what is an intoduction and what is the purpose of it
psychological reports
-section justifying the needs for research
-a literature review needs to be carried out in which a large concept containing previous research is narrowed down
-aims and hypothesis can be developed and stated at the end of the intoduction
-accounts for about a third of the report
what does the method section contain
psychological report
-often split into several sections
includes:
-design (technacalities of exp, IV/DV, covariables conditions)
-sample/participants(sampling, nature of ps)
-apparatus/materials (equipment used e.g anything used to present a stimuli, questionaires, diagrams)
-procedure (what happened start to end, standardised instructions,consent,debrief)
-ethics (any issues that arised and how they were addressed)
what is the results section of a psychological report
-presents the findings
-graphs and tables
-presented in chronological order
-expalation of how data was treated
-descriptive statistics, measures of central tendancy, inferential stats
-linked to original hypothesis (accpeted or rejected)
what is the discussion section of psychological reports
-allows findings to be interpreted
1. how findings compare to research questions and hypothesis
2. how it compares to other research
3. implications for future research
should reiterate findings and discuss what wasnt expected, what could be improved, what is the impact
what is the reference section of psychological reports
credits anything referenced/previous research/theory
what is a type 1 error
TORN
-null is rejected but should have been accepted
-researcher concluded results were significant when they wernt
-“false positive”
‘type one rejects null’
when is a type 1 error more likely to occur
-when the p-value is too leniant
-e.g using a p-value of 0.1 rather than 0.05
-results are more likely to seem significant
what is a type 2 error
TTRE
-when the null is accepted but should have been rejected
-when researcher thinks results were not significant but they were
-‘false negative’
-‘type two reject experimental’
when is a type 2 error likely to occur
-when the p-value is too strict
-e.g using 0.01 instead of 0.05
-results are less likley to appear significant
