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Psychology Paper 2 > Research Methods > Flashcards

Research Methods Flashcards

1
Q

What is an aim

A

A statement which indicates the researcher’s intentions

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2
Q

What is the structure of an aim
Give the music example
Give the Loftus and palmer example

A

To investigate the impact of —– on ——
To investigate the impact of different genres of music on students performance on a maths test
To investigate the impact of leading questions on recall accuracy

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3
Q

What is an independent variable
Give an example of IV in music and Loftus and Palmer

A

A variable that is manipulated during an experiment
Genre of music either Jazz/Pop
Verb used either smashed/collided/contacted/hit/bumped

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4
Q

What is a dependent variable
Give an example of DV for music and Loftus and Palmer

A

Variable that is measured in an experiment
Students marks on a math test out of 100
Estimated speed in mph given by participants

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5
Q

What is an extraneous variable
Give examples of extraneous variables for music

A

A variable aside from the IV which cab impact the DV and its impact does not systematically change with conditions(affects all conditions)
Individual differences/Volume/Time/Quality of resources

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6
Q

What is a confounding variable
Give an example

A

A variable aside from the IV that can have an impact on DV and its impact does systematically change with conditions(affects some conditions)
In one room, there are loud kids outside, in the other room it is quiet outside

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7
Q

What is the template for hypothesis
Give an example for music and Loftus and Palmer

A

There will be a significant increase/decrease/difference in the DV when IV1 compared to IV2
-There will be a significant increase in the participants mark out of 100 on a maths test when participants revise for maths listening to jazz music compared to pop music
-There will be a significant increase in the estimated speed in mph given by the participant when the verb used in the question is smashed compared to when the verb is contacted

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8
Q

Define operationalisation(dv defenition)
Why do we operisationalise the DV

A

When you make a behaviour or a trait measurable numerically and specifically
-Allows you to do a statistical analysis with the results
-Allows you to compare conditions

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9
Q

Why are two types of hypothesis

A

Null(no significant difference) and Alternate(Increase/Decrease/Difference)

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10
Q

Give an example for null hypothesis and alternate hypothesis for music

A

NULL There is no significant difference in the participants marks out of 100 on a maths test when they listened to jazz music compared to pop music
ALTERNATE There is a significant increase in the participants marks out of 100 on a maths test when they listened to jazz music compared to pop music

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11
Q

What are two types of alternate hypothesis

A

Directional hypothesis(Increase/Decrease)
Nondirectional hypothesis(Difference)

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12
Q

Give an example of a directional hypothesis and non directional hypothesis for music

A

DIRECRIONAL There will be a significant increase in participants marks out of 100 on a maths test when they listened to jazz music compared to pop music
NONDIRECTIONAL There will be a significant increase in participants marks out of 100 on a maths test when they listened to jazz music compared to pop music

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13
Q

When do you give a directional hypothesis
When so you give a non directional hypothesis

A

DIRECTIONAL When previous researchers suggest a direction of change
NONDIRECTIONAL When there is no previous research
If there is contradictory research

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14
Q

What is an experiement

A

A scientific study to investigate behavior
Involves manipulation of the IV to measure the effects on the DV

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15
Q

What are the 4 types of experiments

A

Laboratory experiments
Field experiments
Natural experiments
Quasi experiments

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16
Q

Laboratory experiments
Strengths
Weaknesses

A

THE RESEARCHER MANIPULATES THE IV+HIGH LEVELS OF CONTROL(ARTIFICIAL)+TAKES PLACE IN AN ARTIIFICIAL SETTING
STRENGTHS: High replicability - high levels of control over variables - establish standardised procedures - replicated by other researchers to check is findings are consistent
High levels of control - Researched can manipulate the method to eliminate extraneous variables - Stronger cause and effect relationship between IV and DV - confident that it is the IV that leads to the DV
WEAKNESSES: low ecological validity - takes place in an artifical setting with high levels of control - the setting will not be reflective of participants everyday environment - behaviour showed by participants will not be reflective of everyday life - reduces validity

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17
Q

Natural experiments
Strengths
Weaknesses

A

TAKES PLACE IN A REAL LIFE SETTING+NO CONTROL OVER VARIABLES+IV PCCURS NATURALLY+RESEARCHER HAS NO CONTROL OVER IV
STRENGTHS: High ecological validity - takes place in an real life setting with no control - setting will be reflective of participants everyday environment - behaviour showed by participants will be reflective of everyday life - reduces validity
WEAKNESSES: Low replicability -
No control over variables - can’t establish standardised procedures - can’t be replicated by other researchers to check is findings are consistent
No control over variables - Researchers can’t manipulate the method so no extraneous variables are eliminated- weaker cause and effect relationship between IV and DV - can’t be confident that it is the IV that leads to the DV

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18
Q

Field experiments
Strengths(Comparing field to lab)
Weaknesses(Comparing field to lab)

A

RESEARCHER MANIPULATES IV+TAKES PLACE IN A NATURAL ENVIRONMENT+SOME CONTROL OVER VARIABLES
Strengths: Field experiments have a higher ecological validity than lab experiments - field experiments take place in a more natural setting - setting will be more reflective of participants everyday environment than lab experiments - behaviour shown by participants will be more reflective of their everyday lives than lab experiments - field experiments are more valid than lab experiments
Weaknesses
Field experiments have a lower replicablity than lab experiments- field experiments have lower levels of control over variables in comparison to lab experiments- cannot establish standardised procedures as well as lab experiments - method cannot be replicated by other researchers as well as lab experiments - less likely to check reliability
Field experiments gave lower levels of control compared to lab experiments - less able to manipulate method so less extraneous variables are eliminated than lab experiments - field experiments have a weaker cause and effect relationship between the IV and DV than lab experiments- less confident that it is the IV that causes the DV - field experiments are less valid than lab experiments

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19
Q

Quasi experiments
Strengths(example)
Weaknesses

A

NO CONTROL OVER IV+IV OCCURS NATURALLY+IV IS BASED ON PARTICIPANTS CHARECTERISTICS
STRENGTHS: Allows the researcher to investigate sharecteristics and abnormal behaviour that would be difficult or unethical to induce as an IV within an experimental setting
(E.g. if someone already has anorexia, it it ethical to investigate them howver if you make someone develop anorexia for the sake of your experiment, that is unethical as it is causing harm to participants)
WEAKNESSES: Not possible to randomly allocated participants to conditions as participant traits determine what condition they will be a part of so it is difficult to balance out any other individual differences across both conditions which can impact the findings, can’t be confident that it is the IV affecting the DV and not other individual differences

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20
Q

What is reliability
How do you test reliability
How do you improve reliability

A

-Reliability is when results in an experiment remain consistent Overtime
-Get all your participants data using a method, after a period of time, use the same method on the same participants and gather a second set of data, compare the results of the 1st and 2nd time using the method for each participant using a correlation analysis, if there is a strong positive correlation between the 1st and 2nd time using the method and the correlation coefficient is greater than 0.8, there is high reliability
-You can improve reliability by operationalising the DV, reducing the EV, high control allows you to recreate the environmental setting and variables exactly how they occurred so other researchers can repeat the method to check for similar findings which increases reliability, standardised procedures

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21
Q

What is internal validity
Explain using examples

A

Internal validity is when the experiment measures what it intends to measure
For example, in an experiment if you intend to measure the effects of the IV on DV and there are EVs that you don’t realise are present, you will be measuring the impact of EV aswell on your DV so it has low internal validity

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22
Q

What is external validity
Explain the 3 examples of external validity

A

How well the findings can be applied beyond the experiment
1) Ecological validity- How well findings can be applied to real life behaviour
2) Population validity- How well findings can be applied to everyday member of the target population
3) Temporal validity- How well findings can be applied to a different time

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23
Q

What are the 3 types of experimental designs

A

Independent groups
Repeated measures
Matched Pairs design

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24
Q

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
What is an independent group
Strengths
Weaknesses

A

Each participant only takes part in one condition
A strength of independent measures is it is less prone to demand characteristics as participants only take part in one condition, less likely to work out aim of the experiment, less likely to show unnatural behaviour to fit the aim or impress the researcher, can be confident that the manipulation of the IV causes the DV, not the EV, increases validity of the findings

A strength of independent measures is the findings are not affected by order effect as each participant only takes parts in one condition so less likely to be affected by boredom or tiredness as they would be if this was a repeated measure so we can be confident that it is the manipulation of the IV causes the DV, not the EV, increases validity of the findings

A weakness of independent measures is the findings can be affected by individual differences because two different groups of people are being compared in each condition and it is possible that one group of people is naturally better at the task than the other group so we can not be confident that it is the manipulation of the IV causes the DV, not the EV individual differences, decreasing validity of the findings

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25
Q

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS
What is repeated measures
Strengths
Weaknesses

A

Every participant takes part in each condition
A strength of repeated measures is the findings are not affected by individual differences because the same groups of people are being compared in each condition so one condition can’t naturally be better at the task than another group so we can be confident that it is the manipulation of the IV causes the difference in the DV, not the EV individual differences, increasing validity of the findings

A weakness of repeated measures is it is more prone to demand characteristics as participants take part in all condition, more likely to work out aim of the experiment, more likely to show unnatural behaviour to fit the aim or impress the researcher, can not be confident that the manipulation of the IV causes the differences in DV, not the EV, decreases validity of the findings

A weakness of repeated measures is the findings are affected by order effect as each participant takes part in both conditions so so they might be bored or tored when going through the second condition so their performance will be worse so we can not be confident that it is the manipulation of the IV causes the differences in DV, not the EV, increases validity of the findings

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26
Q

Matched pairs design
Explain how you create the pairs
Strengths
Weaknesses

A

All participants take a pretest before the experiment on a variable related to the study
Rank participants based of the performance
1st and 2nd paired as they have a similar ability, 3rd and 4th paired and this continues until all the participants are in a pair
From each pair, one person is randomly allocated into condition 1, the other person gets randomly allocated to condition 2
STRENGTHS: It reduces individual differences as participants vave meen matched on their prior abilities and individual traits. Therefore, you can be confident that is the manipulation of the IV that leads to differences in the DV, not the EV
Findings are not affected by order effects as participants only take part in one condition so there are less likely to be affected by boredom or tiredness when going through the second condition, Therefore, you can be confident that is the manipulation of the IV that leads to differences in the DV, not the EV
Less prone to demand characteristics as participants only take part in one condition so are less likely to work out the aim of the experiment so are less likely to show unnatural behaviour to fit the aim or to impress the researched, Therefore, you can be confident that is the manipulation of the IV that leads to differences in the DV, not the EV
WEAKNESS: The process of testing participants ability prior to the experiment and then pairing them up can be time consuming so doing this takes longer than independent groups or repeated measures

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27
Q

What are the 4 methods of control

A

Counter balancing
Random allocation
Standardisation
Randomisation

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28
Q

How do we do counter balancing and why do we do it

A

Divide the sample into 2 subgroups of equal sizes. Subgroup 1 goes through condition A first and then condition B. Subgroup 2 goes through condition B first and then condition A.
This ensures we balance out the impact of order effects across both conditions so that both conditions are equally affected by the impact of order effects. As a result, we can be confident that it is the manipulation of the IV causing differences in the DV, not due to EV(Order effects)

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29
Q

How do we do random allocation and ehy do we do it

A

Put the names of all participants in your sample in individual pieces of paper and put them all in a hat. Given there are 50 ppt, pick 25 names and they will all go to condition A. Pick 25 names and they will all go to condition B. OR Put 25 individual pieces of paper with A and 25 individual pieces of paper with B in the same hat. Participants pick paper themselves and if they pick A, they go to condition A, if they pick B, they go to condition B.
To ensure ppt of a particular type do not all end up systematically in the same condition, therefore individual traits or characteristics are spread across both conditions
To ensure the researchers don’t knowingly allocate participants of a particular type to one condition in order to prove their hypothesis to be true

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30
Q

How do we do randomisation and why do we do it

A

Put all the words that participants are going to see on individual pieces of paper in a hat. Pick out words put of the hat one by one. The order in which words are pulled out of the hat will be the order in which participants see the information
To ensure that participants do not see words/images in an order that has been systematically changed to elicit a particular response (e.g. not all the happy words at the beginning of the list and sad words at the end of the list)

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31
Q

Define standardisation
How do we do standardisation and why do we do it

A

To ensure all participants are treated the same in an experiment and everything is kept the same apart from the IV
Ensure amount of time given same, difficulty of task is same, treatment same(e.g. same neutral tone with everyone), Interviewer is same sex as interviewee, everyone given same resources
-To ensure all participants recieve the same fair treatment and to prevent one condition from having an unfair advantage over the other condition which can lead to innacurate results which reduces the validity

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32
Q

What is investigator effects
Explain one way we can reduce investigator effects

A

Researcher unknowingly or unknowingly demonstrates a behaviour or through their charecteristics, will influence the participants behaviour, this impacts the findings of the study

Double blind research: Researcher and participant do not know which condition the participant is in, this reduces the investigator effect so the Researcher can’t knowingly or unknowingly change their behaviour to influence their participants behaviour in order to prove their hypothesis to be true

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33
Q

What is a target population
What is a sample
What is a representative sample
What are 5 types of sampling

A

TARGET POPULATION Group of people the researcher wants to study and apply their findings to
SAMPLE Group of people taken from the target population who will take part in the research
REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE The sample is a good reflection of the target population so you can apply the findings to the target population
Opportunity sampling
Volunteer sampling
Random sampling
Systematic sampling
Stratified sampling

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34
Q

What is Opportunity sampling
Strengths
Weaknesses

A

Researcher goes to members of public who are the TP and ask if they want to take part in the research. If they are willing to take part and able to take part, they become part of the sample for this investigation
STRENGTHS
-Quick and convenient way of gathering sample compared to other sampling methods like stratified sampling and lots of ppts can be gathered in a short amount of time
WEAKNESSES
-Sample will be unrepresentative of tp a sample will only reflect members of tp who are in the vicinity of the researcher or those who the researcher has access to-can’t generalise findings to tp - reduces population validity
-Sample will be biased as researcher has full control over the members of tp so they will go up to people who they prefer (friends) or people who they believe will prove their hypothesis to be true - This increases researcher bias and reduces validity of the findings

35
Q

What is volunteer sampling
Strengths
Weaknesses

A

The researcher advertises the study on relevant websites/newspapers/appropriate locations, advert medium has to be tailored to the TP. After seeing the advert, participants will respond to the researcher if they are interested, those who contact the researcher will be part of the sample
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
Sample not representative of tp as it may attract atypical repsondents(people who take part in the study as they are interested in the aim of the study) - this means they will try hard and put in effort into the study - leads to atypical behaviour and results that can’t be applied to tp - reduces population validity
Also based on where the researcher chose to advertise, they are more likely to attract ppts who have access to that medium (e.g. local newspaper) - can’t generalise findings to tp - reduces population validity

36
Q

What is random sampling
Strengths
Weaknesses

A

Researcher aquire names of all members of TP and puts them on individual pieces of paper in a hat. Researcher picks out as many names from the hat as needed to form the sample. All the names that are picked from the hat will be part of the sample
STRENGTHS
No researcher bias as participants are ppts by chance as researcher as no control over who is randomly picked so they cannot choose to pick members of the tp who they prefer (friends) or those who they believe will prove their hypothesis to be true - this reduces investigator effects and increases validity of findings
WEAKNESSES
-It is time consuming as gathering the names of all members of tp requires a lot of time and effort and can be inconvenient
-May be unrepresentative of the tp, it is possible that by chance every person picked out of a hat has similar traits - can’t generalise findings to tp - reduces population validity

37
Q

What is systematic sampling
Strengths
Weaknesses

A

Researcher aquire names of all members of TP. Put names in a list in a specific order (e.g. alphabetical order). Generates a random number to act as the nth term. Pick every nth participant on the list until you have as many participants as needed
STRENGTHS
-No researched bias as participants are picked based on nth term so researcher has no control over who is picked so they cannot choose to pick members of the tp they prefer (friends) or those who they belive will prove their hypothesis to be true - reduces investigator effects and increases validity of findings
WEAKNESSES
- It can be time consuming as gathering names of all members of tp can require a lot of time and effort and can be inconvenient
-Sample may not be representative of tp, possible that by chance every nth ppt picked has similar traits - can’t generalise findings to tp - reducing population validity

38
Q

What is stratified sampling
Strengths
Weaknesses

A

After identifying a TP, calculate the proportions of subgroups that exist in the TP
Gather names of everyone in TP and separate them into different hats based on their subgroups
Based on the proportions identified, pick as many names from each hat so the proportion of each subgroup in your sample is the same as it is in the TP
Everyone who is picked forms the sample
STRENGTHS: Sample is representative of TP as all subgroups within TP are represented in the sample in the right proportion so findings can be applied to TP
-No researcher bias as r has no control over who is randomly picked so they cannot choose members of the TP who they prefer (friends) or those who they believe will prove their hypothesis to be true, increases validity of findings
Time consuming as you have to gather names of everyone in TP and work out proportions of subgroups within TP, can require a lot of time and effort so it is inconvenient compared to opportunity sampling

39
Q

What are pilot studies and what is a strength of it

A

A small scale version of a study done before the actual study to identify methodological errors within the study so that these errors can be rectified for the actual full scale research
It will help save a lot of time and resources when doing the real study

40
Q

What kind of things to pilot studies try to check

A

-Is the material accessible/appropriate (words in sme lang as ppts/images displayed on screen isn’t blurry)
-Right amount of material given to ppts(amount of time given appropriate)
-Instructions are clear for ppts

41
Q

What are 5 ethical guidelines

A

Protection from psychological and physical harm
Right to confidentiality
Right to withdraw
Informed consent
Deception

42
Q

Describe protection from psychological and physical harm and how to deal with it

A

-Ppts should not be physically or psychologically harmed and they should leave the research in the same state they arrived in
-Researchers must ensure their method does not willingly put ppts under the risk of harm, if harm is caused unknowingly, during the debrief ppts should be offered therapy to reduce the impact of the method, it ppts take this offer, follow up with them to ensure they have recovered from any harm caused by the method

43
Q

Describe right to confidentiality and explain how to deal with it

A

-Ppts personal details including the nature of their performance, should be kept confidential and cannot be released to the public under the name of the ppt
-Use an allias(fake name) or initials instead of ppts full name, release the info under this name
-Number the ppts in the experimental and refer to them as numbers

44
Q

Explain right to withdraw and how to deal with it

A

-All ppts have a right to withdraw from the study whenever they wish and cannot be coerced or manipulated to cary on taking part in the experiment if they wish to leave
-Remind ppt before/during/after he experiment that they have the right to withdraw whenever they wish
-If they would like to withdraw, let them without any manipulation or coercion to stay
-Delete their data after they withdraw from the research

45
Q

Explain informed consent and how to deal with it

A

Ensuring ppts have been well informed about tje research before they take part and give consent on basis of reasonable knowledge of what the research entails
-Ppt should be given a consent Farm containing all relevant info about the experiment, should be informed about all aspects of the study (aim, method and what they are required to do beforehand), they should then be asked if they would like to take part and will sign the form to provide consent
-If ppt is below 18, consent had to be gained from parent/guardian
- Presumptive content: Find a group of ppl similar to ppts and verbally inform then about the aim/method/any deception that may occur. Ask this group if they would be willing to take part in such a research, if they agree to take part, then you can assume your ppt would be willing to take part too, carry on with the experiment and get consent from your real ppt after the experiment

46
Q

Explain deception and how to deal with it

A

Misleading ppts deliberately about aspects of the method and research
-After the study debrief, researcher informs ppt about alla sprats of the study(real aim, full method, what happened in all conditions, clarify instances of deception)
-ppt given another opportunity to withdraw if not satisfied with reasons for deception, if they choose to withdraw, delete all information

47
Q

What is the acronym for consent form
What is the acronym for debrief

A

ALEQS
ALEQ

48
Q

What are the 5 steps to writing a consent form

A
  1. Inform ppts of the aim of the study
  2. Inform ppts of the method and what you require ppts to do
  3. Inform ppts of ethical issues - withdrawal and confidentiality
  4. Opportunity to contact you if you have any questions
  5. If they consent to experiment, sign the consent form
49
Q

What are the 4 steps to writing a debrief

A
  1. Inform participants about the actual aim of the study
  2. Inform ppts of the actual tasks what happened in all conditions not just theirs
  3. Offer withdrawal, assure confidentially, offer therapy if harmed
  4. Provide them with the opportunity to ask questions
50
Q

What is the structure of a consent form

A

Letter

51
Q

What is the structure of a debrief like

A

Speech

52
Q

How do you write standardised instructions

A

Write down everything you would need to know as a ppt
Give pot all info they need to take part in the task, what they need to do, how to use equipment, time given, at the end provide them a opportunity to ask any questions

53
Q

What are 6 types of observations

A

Naturalistic Controlled
Covert Overt
Participant Non participant

54
Q

What is naturalistic observations
What is controlled observations

A

Naturalistic: Takes place in a real life environment + no control over environment
Controlled: Takes place in an artifical setting + control over settings

55
Q

Why is controlled observations used

A

Remove the impact of extraneous factors on behaviour
Easy to observe behaviour that takes place

56
Q

Strengths and Weaknesses of Naturalistic observations

A

STRENGTHS: High ecological validity more likely to act how they would on real life
WEAKNESSES: Low replicability, no standardised procedures, can’t repeat to check for consistency In findings, reduces reliability

57
Q

Strengths and Weaknesses of Controlled observations

A

STRENGTHS: Replicable as it takes place in a controlled setting, establish standardised procedures, can repeat to check for consistency In findings increases reliability
WEAKNESSES: Low ecological validity, takes place in a highly controlled setting so less likely to show genuine behaviour

58
Q

Define covert observations
Define overt observations

A

Covert: Ppts do not know they are being observed
Overt: Ppts are aware they are being observed

59
Q

Strengths and Weaknesses of Covert observations

A

STRENGTHS: More likely to see ppts’ genuine behaviour as ppts are unaware they’re being observed, do not change behaviour to impress observer, increases validity
WEAKNESSES: Unethical as there is no informed consent, no permission to take part in study

60
Q

Strengths and Weaknesses of Overt observations

A

STRENGTHS: Ethical compared to covert o as they gain informed consent and ppts give permission to take part in the study and are aware they’re being observed
WEAKNESSES: ppts are aware they’re being observed, so they are less likely to show genuine behaviour and are more likely to change behaviour and show demand characteristics 6 the observer, decreases validity

61
Q

Define ppt observations
Define non ppt observations

A

Ppt: R takes part in tasks with ppts
Non ppt: R does not take part in task with ppts

62
Q

Strengths and Weaknesses of participant observations

A

STRENGTHS: Better insight into ppt behaviour as R takes part in task alongside ppts, R can interact with ppt and understand the real reason for their behaviour, increases validity of findings
WEAKNESSES: R may get distracted by taking part in the actual task and may miss out on ppts behaviour, reduces validity
-Being part of ppt group so Overtime, R can form a bond with ppts which may lead to subjective interpretation of ppt behaviour which reduces validity of their findings

63
Q

Strengths and Weaknesses of non ppt observations

A

STRENGTHS: R u smore objective about findings as not part of ppt groups so are less likely to have formed a bond with ppts compared to participant observations where this might happen, increase validity
WEAKNESSES: Less insight on ppt behaviour as not taking part alongside ppts, R simply watching and observing behaviour, may miss out on reasons why ppts show their behaviour, reduces validity

64
Q

What are structured observations

A

Use predetermined categories of behaviour and when a parrticipanf demonstrates a behaviour related to the category, add a tally to the relevant category
Produces quantitative data

65
Q

What are behavioural categories

A

Specific actions which help measure a target behaviour in an observation

66
Q

What two ways can observations be carried out

A

Unstructured observations
Structured observations

67
Q

In order to have structured observation, we need…

A

Behavioural categories

68
Q

What is operationalisation of behavioural categories

A

When you give the target behaviour a specific measurement

69
Q

What should good behavioural categories be like

A

Relevant to target behaviour
Clear and distinct categories- can’t be broad
No categories overlap eachother
Do a pilot study to make sure you have good behavioural categories

70
Q

What are observation sampling procedures and give two examples

A

Different ways of obtaining and recording data
Event sampling and Time sampling

71
Q

How is event sampling done
Advantages
Disadvantages

A

-Establish a list of target actions(events) related to the behaviour, once the observation starts, R records every time they see that action occur within the ppts
ADVANTAGES R will not miss out on information/instances of behaviour as ppts are being observed for the whole time period
DISADVANTAGES More difficult to do as it requires the osberver to be vigilant the whole time, increases likelihood of mistakes due to fatigue, decreases validity of data

72
Q

How is time sampling done
Advantage
Disadvantage

A

-R decides a duration of observation, then splits duration into regular, appropriate intervals(generally between 30-60sec), on the stroke of each interval, the R observes the ppts and records behaviour that occurs during that moment, no info is recorded between intervals,carry on until all prerecorded intervals have been recorded
ADVANTAGES Easier to carry out compared to event sampling as R only focuses on the observation at the interval and not the whole duration- less likely to make mistakes due to fatigue- increases validity of data
DISADVANTAGES If a behaviour starts and stops in between intervals, that behaviour will not be recorded even though the behaviour may be valid - miss out on data

73
Q

Explain inter observer reliability

A

-Two observers observe the ppts and each are given their own copy of the recording sheet
-Before the observation, they agree on the predetermined behavioural categories
-After observation, they correlate their scores and calculate a correlation coefficient
-If the correlation coefficient is higher than 0.8, strong psotiive relationship, high inter observer reliability
-Observation takes place at the same time, same ppts, same duration and same location

74
Q

What are self report measures and give two examples

A

Research methods where ppts directly provide the info and data relevant to the investigation
Questionnaires
Interviews

75
Q

What are open questions
Strengths
Weaknesses

A

Ppts not given any fixed, optional responses to choose from and are free to elaborate to any level they like
STRENGTHS: Provides in depth info from ppts as they are not limited to foxed options so can elaborate on the reason for their behaviour which increases the validity
WEAKNESSES: No standardised, fixed options provided so ppts may provide a wide variety of responses which may be difficult to compare as it is difficult to generate wuesrion by question statistical analysis collectively

76
Q

What are closed questions
Strengths
Weaknesses

A

Have predetermined fixed, optional responses that ppts choose from tk answer questions
STRENGTHS: There are standardised, fixed options provided, ppts responses will be out of a fixed range of responses which will be easier to compare than open questions as you can generate a question by question statistical alanlusis collectively
WEAKNESSES: Provides less indepth info from opts and they are limited to fixed options so can elaborate on the reasons for their behaviour which decreases the validity

77
Q

Give a rating scale example closed question of canteen food

A

On a scale of 1 to 10, can you rate the pasta in the canteen, one being fbe worst, 10 being the best

78
Q

What is a questionarre
Strengths
Weaknesses

A

Method of gathering data where ppts have to give their responses to questions in writing
STRENGTHS: Quick and convenient method to gather data because you can gather a lot of data in a short duration as R doesn’t need to be present with the ppt when they fill out the questionnaire
(Only use when asked for 2 strengths)
Less likely to be affected by investigator effects like tone of voice when asking questions as R is not present when ppts fill out the questionarre sondara is less likely to be affected by r bias in questionnaires
WEAKNESSES: Ppts may lie about their thoughts and behaviours to make a positive impression on the R, this is called social desirability, reduces validity of data gathered
-If ppts do not understand a question, they may either leave it blank or answer inaccurately, which means invalid faulty data is being gathered, which leads to invalid conclusions, howver this may not happen in an interview as since the R is present and the ppt does not understand a questions, the R could clarify it

79
Q

What are unstructured observations

A

Observe things as they happens and this produced qualitative data

80
Q

What are structured interviews
Strengths
Weaknesses

A

All questions are predetermined and all ppts are asked same questions in same order and R can’t ask extra questions even if they want to
STRENGTHS: -More of a standardised procedure than unstructured interviews as same questions are are asked to all ppts in the same order, easier to replicate, easier to check reliability
-Easier to analyse, all ppts asked same questions so easier to do a question by question statistical analysis comparing all ppt responses to a particular question
-Do not require much questioning skills or training to conduct, R simply has to read the question out for ppts, do not have to think about the question being leading/effective compared to unstructured interviews where interbiewers have to be trained to ask good questions
WEAKNESS: Lack depth compared fo unstructured interviews as if ppts reveal relevant new details we cannot ask follow up questions to further probe into this new detail, therefore info gathered may present an incomplete picture

81
Q

What are unstructured interviews
Strengths
Weaknesses

A

Start the interview with a starting question/theme in mind
All following questions are based on the interviewees response so different ppts have different questions based on what they say
STRENGTHS
More depth compared to structured interviews as if ppts reveal relevant new details, we can ask follow up questions to further probe into this new detail. Therefore, info gathered may be a complete picture
WEAKNESSES: -less kf a standardised procedure than structured interviews as different questions asked to all ppts as they are based on responses to previous question, harder to replicate, harder to check reliability
-Harder to analyse as all ppts asked different questions based on responses to previous questions so harder to do question by question statistical analysis comparing all ppt responses to a particular question
-Requires quesrioning skills or training to conduct as R needs to be able to generate questions that are efficency at extracting valid info based on ppts responses, this training may require time and resources that won’t be required for a R to conduct structured interviews

82
Q

What must you make sure when designing an interview

A

-Questions have to be specific
-Do not use unnecessarily complex langauge in a question
-So not ask double questions

83
Q

Overall strength and weaknesses of interviews

A

STRENGTHS: If ppts do not understand a question, can directly ask the interviewing R for clarification and answer accordingly, therefore data gathered will be more valid than questionarres where R may not be present so cannot provide clarification for ppts tp answer accordingly
WEAKNESSES: - More likely to lie to make a psotiive impression on the interviewer, this is called social desirability, the data gategred will be invalid
-Time consuming method to gather data compared to questionnaires as the R has to directly communicate with ppt throughout interview, compared to Q where ppt can provide info in their own time
-Intevriewes more prone to investigator effects than questionarres, in an interveiw R asking questions may use differnt tones with diff ppts unknowingly, might influence how ppts repsond to questions, this may not happen in quesitonarres as R may not be present, less valid data

Psychology Paper 2 (2 decks)

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