Research Methods Flashcards
What are the 4 types of experimental methods?
- Labatory
- Quasi
- Natural
- Field
What are the 3 types of experimental designs?
- Matched pairs
- Independant
- Repeated measures
What are 4 issues when making an experiment?
- Confounding variables
- Extraneous variables
- Demand characteristics
- Investigator effects
What are the 5 sample types? ROSSV
- Random
- Opportunity
- Systematic
- Stratified
- Volunteer
What are 2 ways to limit research issues?
- Randomisation
- Standardisation
What are 4 key ethical issues?
- Informed consent
- Protection from harm
- Deception
- Privacy and confidentiality
What is the aim of a pilot study?
To identify whether they need any modifications to the design.
What is a pilot study?
A small-scale investigation conducted before the research
What is the difference between a covert and overt observation?
Covert means that participants are unaware they are being observed whilst overt know they are being watched and have given informed consent before hand.
What is the difference between a naturalistic and controlled observation?
Naturalistic refers to observing behaviour in a setting that it would normally occur in whilst controlled is in a structured environment.
What is the difference between a participant and non-participant observation?
Participant becomes part of the group that they are observing whilst non-participant is when they observe from a far.
What are the three types of interviews?
- Structured
- Unstructured
- Semi-structured
What are the three types of questionnaire designs?
- Likert scales
- Rating scales
- Fixed-choice option
What is the difference between primary and secondary data?
Primary data is first hand specifically for the research study whilst secondary data has been collected from an external source.
What are 3 measures of central tendency?
- Mean
- Median
- Mode
What are 2 measures of dispersion?
- Range
- Standard deviation
What is standard deviation?
A single score that tells us how far scores deviate from the mean
What is test-retest
Giving the same test to the same person but on a different occasion
What are the 3 types of data?
Nominal, Ordinal, Interval
What are the 3 types of designs in statistical testing?
Unrelated, related, Association
What are the types of tests in order for statistical testing?
(Carrots should come mashed with sausages under roast potatoes)
Chi- squared
Sign test
Chi - squared
Mann Whitney
Spearmans
Unrelated
Related
Pearsons
Carrots should come mashed with sausages under roast potatoes
Chi- squared
Sign test
Chi - squared
Mann Whitney
Wilcoxon
Spearmans
Unrelated
Related
Pearsons
What is the acronym for statistical testing?
Carrots should come mashed with sausages under roast potatoes
What is temporal validity?
Whether the findings of a particular theory hold true overtime
What are the 3 types of graphing?
Bar, Histogram and Scattergram
What are 2 strengths and a limitations of using secondary data?
Strength
- Inexpensive
- Easy access
Limitation
- out of data information
- False information
What are 2 strength of using correlations?
Can study relationships between variables that occur naturally
Relatively quick and economical to carry out
What are 2 strengths and a limitations of using Primary data?
Strengths
- Authenticity
- Fits the job
Limitations
- Time consuming to collect
- More effort and potentially more costly
What are 2 limitations of using correlations?
Can only tell us how but not why there is this pattern
There may also be another untested variable involved (intervening variable)
what are 3 key things needed to write good questions for a questionnaire?
Avoid overuse of jargon
Emotive language / Leading questions
Double negative questions
What are 2 strength of a structured interview?
Easy to replicate
Limits investigator effects
What are 2 limitation of an unstructured interview?
More chance of investigator bias
Lots of unnecessary information to sort through (Time-consuming)
What is a strength of an unstructured interview?
More flexible with follow up questions (More info discovered)
What are 2 limitation of a structured interview?
Limits richness in data
Limit unexpected information
What are 4 strength of a questionnaire?
- Cost effective
- Quick to occur (investigator does not need to be present)
- Information straight to analyse
- Easy to form graphs and charts from
What are the 2 limitations of questionnaires?
- Demand characteristic - Social desirability bias
- Acquiescence bias
What does the term ‘Acquiescence bias’ mean?
Just continuously agreeing/disagreeing on the terms of the questionnaire regardless of the question.
What does the term ‘Social desirability bias’ mean?
Responders may not always tell the truth because they would rather appear in a positive light therefore changing their answers
what does it mean by objectivity?
minimalisation of any personal bias so that it doesnt influence/distort the research process
RPTFO
What are the five features of science?
- Replicability
- Paradigms
- Theory construction
- Falsibility
- Objectivity and the Empirical method
What is a paradigm?
A set of shared assumptions and agreed methods within a scientific discipline
What is a paradigm shift?
Scientific revolution that results in a significant shift in beliefs.
Name a type of external validity?
Ecological validity
What is ecological validity?
Generalising findings from a study to other settings (real-life applications in every day life)
What is face validity?
Measuring ‘on the face of it’
What is a concurrent validity?
When results of a study closely match another recognised/well-established test.
What are 2 ways of assessing reliability?
Test-retest
Inter-observer reliability
What does it mean by Inter-observer reliability?
The extent to which at least 2 observers are in agreement of a studies results.
What is the way to improve reliability within questionnaires?
The test retest method
What is the way to improve reliability within interviews?
Use the same interviewer each time
keep them trained to avoid leading questions
structured interview to avoid bias
What is the way to improve reliability within observations?
Operationalise the behaviour categories
What is the way to improve reliability within experiments?
standardisation
What are the 3 main aims of peer review?
(FAV)
Funding allocation
Validate the quality/relevance of the research
Amendments suggestions
What are the 3 evaluation points on peer review?
- Anonymity (can be used negatively due to rivalry)
- Publication bias
- Personal peer biases
What are the 2 implications of psychology in the economy?
Attachment research into the role of the father
Development of treatments for mental disorders
What are the 2 types of distributions?
Normal and skewed
What shape is a normal distribution?
A bell shaped curve
What shape is a skewed distribution?
Distributions that lean to one side more than the other
What is a strength of using correlations?
- Often used as a starting point to assess patterns
- Quick to carry out
What is a limitation of using correlations?
- Does not demonstrate the ‘cause and effect’
- External variables
What are 3 issues with observational designs?
- Ways of recording data
- Behavioural categories
- Sampling methods
What is the difference between event and time sampling?
Event is how often a particular behaviour occurs in a person/group
Time is how many times a behaviour occurs in a time frame
Type 1 error meaning?
When the Null hypothesis is rejected and alternative hypothesis is accepted
Type 2 error meaning?
When the null hypothesis is accepted and alternative hypothesis is rejected
What is a null hypothesis?
Suggests that there is no difference
What is an alternative hypothesis?
Suggests the hypothesis is either directional or non-directional
When do we use a one tailed test?
When hypothesis is directional
When do we use a two tailed test?
when hypothesis is non-directional
What is content-analysis?
A type of observational research where people are indirectly studied via the communications they have produced
What is thematic analysis?
A type of content analysis where you identify the themes/recurrent patterns
What is a strength and limitation of content-analysis?
Strength -Can circumnavigate many ethical issues associated with psychological research
No permission needed so high external validity
Produced both types of data depending on research aims
Limitation - As it is indirect, communications are analysed outside the context within which occurred.
also lack of objective validity
6 features of a scientific report?
Abstract
Introduction
Method
Results
Discussion
Referencing
Whos research does not have falsibility?
Freud
What are the 2 economic implications?
Employment and NHS
What are the 2 measure of dispersion?
Range and standard deviation
What are strengths of covert observations?
Removes demand characteristics allowing an increase in validity
What is a weakness of covert observations?
Ethics, rights to privacy
What are strengths of naturalistic observations?
High external ability, can be generalised to real world settings.
What is content analysis?
A method of quantifying qualitative content vie categorisation/coding
What is ecological validity?
How far findings from a study can be related to another setting
What is the best way to incooperate validity into a questionnaire? (2)
Lie scale/detector
Assure participants of anonymity
What goes 1st in a reference?
Author (surname first)
What goes 2nd in a reference?
Year
What goes 3rd in a reference?
Book name
What goes 4th in a reference?
Location
Define validity
Th extent to which a test measures what it claims to measure and the extent to which findings can be generalised
Define internal validity
The extent to which findings are due to the manipulation of the IV
The extent to which the researched has measured what they intended to measure
Define external validity
The extent to which an observed effect can be generlaised
2 types of internal validity
Face and concurrent
2 types of external validity
Ecological and temporal
3 ways to improve internal validity
Pilot studies
Single blind techniques
Double blind techniques
What is the purpose of peer review?
Ensure high quality and relevant research
Ensure accuracy in findings
To evaluate proposed designs for research findings
List 4 parts of the peer review process
Independent scrutiny by other researchers in the same field
Make revisions and ask for re-submits
Research proposals are submitted to a panel and assessed for merit
Editors make final decision on whether to accept or reject a research report based on the reviewers comments
What 3 factors are considered in peer review
Validity, significance, originality
