Research Methods

Question 1

name the different types of experimental method

Answer 1

lab experiment
field experiment
natural experiment
quasi experiment

Question 2

what is typically involved in a lab experiment?

Answer 2

• empirical, observable measurements are made
• highly controlled setting where the independent variable is manipulated and the dependent variable is measured

Question 3

what is an extraneous variable

Answer 3

a variable other than the independent variable that may affect the dependent variable, and the results of the study, and their validity

Question 4

what are the strengths of lab experiments?

Answer 4

• they are highly controlled, so cause and effect can be established between the independent variable and the dependent variable
• they use a standardised procedure, which allows the experiment to be easily replicated by others to check the reliability of the findings

Question 5

what are the weaknesses of lab experiments?

Answer 5

• participants can respond to demand characteristics and so exhibit behaviour that is not typical of their normal behaviour
• low ecological validity as the environment is highly artificial so findings cannot be generalised to everyday situations.

Question 6

what are demand characteristics?

Answer 6

when participants change their natural behaviour to act in line with their interpretation of the aims of the study

Question 7

what is ecological validity?

Answer 7

the extent to which findings can be generalised to a real life setting

Question 8

what is validity?

Answer 8

whether a measure actually measures what it claims to be measuring

Question 9

what is reliability?

Answer 9

a measure of whether findings are consistent with studies carried out previously

Question 10

what are confounding variables?

Answer 10

a type of extraneous variable that varies systematically with the independent variable and so is difficult to control for

Question 11

what is a field experiment?

Answer 11

an experiment that takes place in a natural everyday setting, but the IV is still manipulated and the DV is still measured

Question 12

what are the strengths of a field experiment?

Answer 12

• have a higher ecological validity than lab experiments due to the natural environment - findings are easier to generalise to real life
• participants are less likely to respond to demand characteristics as they are often unaware they are participating in a field experiment

Question 13

what is a natural experiment?

Answer 13

• an experiment that takes place in a natural setting, but the IV is not manipulated - it already exists (researcher collects data from something that would have happened anyway)

Question 14

what are the strengths of natural experiments?

Answer 14

• have high ecological validity as they take place in natural settings
• participants are less likely to respond to demand characteristics as they are unaware they are participating in the study

Question 15

what are the weaknesses of natural experiments?

Answer 15

• its not possible to control for or eliminate extraneous variables that may have an impact on the DV - so more difficult to establish cause and effect between the IV and the DV
• difficult to replicate as there is a lack of control over the extraneous variables

Question 16

what is a quasi experiment?

Answer 16

experiments that have an IV based on existing differences between people - the IV is not manipulated, it simply exists

Question 17

what are the strengths of quasi experiments?

Answer 17

• often carried out under controlled conditions and so have the same strengths as lab experiments
• sometimes carried out in more natural environments and so have the same strengths as field and natural experiments

Question 18

what are the weaknesses of quasi experiements?

Answer 18

• the two groups being tested may differ in more important ways than the difference being measured - other confounding variables may be present
• if experiment takes place in a lab we can say the participants are prone to demand characteristics

Question 19

what is internal validity?

Answer 19

the way in which the experiment is conducted, and how it may affect the results - if the experiment measured what it was supposed to - if not then we say the experiment has low internal validity

Question 20

what is external validity?
what are the two types of external validity?

Answer 20

the extent to which findings can be generalised to the real world
there are two types : ecological validity and population validity

Question 21

what is population validity?

Answer 21

the extent to which findings can be generalised to other populations.

Question 22

what are the 3 different types of non-experimental method?

Answer 22

observations
self report methods
correlations

Question 23

what are the different types of observation?

Answer 23

• naturalistic and controlled
• covert and overt
• participant and non-participant

Question 24

what is a naturalistic observation?

Answer 24

an observation carried out in a natural setting, in the participants own environment, and interference is kept to a minimum

Question 25

what are the strengths of naturalistic experiments?

Answer 25

• high ecological validity as it takes place in a natural environment, so findings can be generalised to other real life settings
• allows researcher to study behaviour that cannot be manipulated in a lab due to ethical concerns

Question 26

what are the weaknesses