Research Methods Flashcards
Generalisablilty
Whether the study is representative of the target population based on:
- Age
- Gender
- Ethnicity
- Social Class
- Sampling Amount
Reliability
How trustworthy the study is and if it was controlled enough
- Laboratory or Field experiment?
- Was it well controlled?
- Were there any extraneous variables?
- Were there standardised procedures?
- Is it easy to replicate?
Applications
How useful is it in the real world?
- Can it be used to explain a real life phenomenon?
- Can it be used to support other theories?
Validity
How closely does it resemble real life?
- High or low ecological validity?
Ethics
Did the researcher stick to the ethical guidelines and ensure no participants were harmed emotionally or physically?
- informed consent
- right to withdraw during and after
- debrief the participants after
- to not deceive participants during the study
deceive
Lying to the participants of the study
Debrief
To explain the study to the participants and bring them back to the state from before the experiment
High Ecological Validity
The study was carried out in a natural setting in the real world
Low Ecological Validity
The study was carried out in an artificial setting like a laboratory
Theory
An idea to be tested
GRAVE
- Generalisability
- Reliability
- Applications
- Validity
- Ethics
Zimbardo
Stanford Prison Experiment (1971)
Independent Variable
- A thing that can be changed and controlled that looks at the cause of something
- It can impact the DV
Dependent Variable
- A thing that is measured that can depend on the IV to look at the effect of something (results)
Theory
A general idea. It can be used to explain, understand and make predictions about a concept
Study
Is used to ‘prove’ or ‘disprove’ a theory. It includes researching the theory by recruiting participants and coming to a conclusion.
Hypothesis
A formal and testable statement whether there is a relationship between two variables. This is then tested through experimentation and the researcher decides if it is supported or not.
Null Hypothesis
There is a relationship between two variables and no difference in behaviour. A variable does not affect the other.
- What you watch before bed will have no affect on how you sleep.
Alternative Hypothesis
There is a relationship between two variables that are tested. One variable will affect the other. Needs to be measurable.
- The presence of
Independent Measures
Repeated Measures
Matched Pairs
Experimental Methods
- Laboratory
- Field
- Natural
Experimental Designs
- Independent Measures
- Repeated Measures
- Matched Pairs
