Research Methods Flashcards
set of assumptions, rules, and procedures scientists use to conduct research.
Scientific Method
the specific method a researcher uses to collect, analyze, and interpret data. psychologists use 3 major types: descriptive, correlational, and experimental.
Research Design
research that describes what is occurring at a particular point in time.
Descriptive Research
research designed to discover relationships among variables and to allow the prediction of future events from present knowledge.
Correlational Research
research in which a researcher manipulates one or more variables to see their effects.
Experimental Research
(Descriptive Research)
descriptive records of a small set of individuals (one person/single small grp)—their experiences and behavior.
Adv: conducted for people with unusual/abnormal experiences.
Disadv: time-consuming & expensive, not every exp is transferrable to other individuals in similar situations.
Case Study
(Descriptive Research)
observation and recording of behavior that occurs in everyday settings. (researcher has no control over the environment.
Naturalistic Observation
(Descriptive Research)
conducted in a setting created by the researcher. (researcher can manipulate the aspects of the situation. however, participants are aware they are being watched meaning their behavior has no guarantee of being generalized to the real world.
Laboratory Observation
(Descriptive Research)
measure administered thru verbal or written questionnaire to get a picture of the beliefs or behaviors or a sample of people.
Survey
People chosen to participate in a study
Sample
All the people the research is based on
Population
Problem when respondents lie to make themselves look good to other people.
Social Desirability
includes the same percentage of males, females, age groups, ethnic groups, and socio-economic groups as the larger population
Representative Sample
(Descriptive Research)
directly questioning the participants.
adv: this solves the problem of misinterpreting the questions posed on surveys. the questions can be explained as well as the responses.
disadv: time consuming and expensive, participants can also lie
Interviews
(Descriptive Research)
record of psychophysiological data: heart rate, hormone levels, or brain activity) to help explain development.
Psychophysiological Assessment
(Descriptive Research)
analyzing existing info (has been collected) to uncover attitudes, practices, or preferences.
Secondary/Content Analysis
(Correlational Research)
symbolized by the letter r. most common statistical measure of the strength of linear relationships among variables.
Pearson Correlation Coefficient
Variable A Increases - Variable B Increases (vice-versa)
Positive Correlation
Variable A Decreases - Variable B Increases (vice-versa)
Negative Correlation
variable that is not part of the research hypothesis but produces the observed correlation between them (not included but could have affected the conclusion)
Third Variable
specific statements about the relationships between variables
Hypotheses
anything that changes in value
Variable
variable that is manipulated by researcher
Independent Variable
measured variable that is affected by the experimental manipulation
Dependent Variable
group the receives the treatment under investigation
Experimental Group
group that does not receive treatment, used as comparison.
Control Group
variables that are not part of the experiment but could accidentally affect the groups along with the results.
Extraneous Variables
