research methods Flashcards
what is a lab experiment
an experiment that is conducted in a controlled environment, such as a laboratory.
what are the advantages of a lab experiment
easier to control for extraneous variables
what are the disadvantages ion a lab experiment
low ecological validity because they are conducted in an artificial study that does not reflect a real-life setting.
what is a field experiment
a scientific study that is conducted outside of a controlled laboratory setting, in a real-world environment
what are the advantages of a field experiment
more likely to reflect real life because of its natural setting, i.e., higher ecological validity than a lab experiment.
Demand characteristics are less likely to affect the results, as participants may not know they are being studied.
what are the disadvantages of a field experiment
Researchers have less control over extraneous/confounding variables, reducing confidence in establishing causal relationships
what is a natural experiment
the study of a naturally occurring situation as it unfolds in the real world.
what are the advantages of a natural experiment
gives greater insight into normal social behaviour than other forms of observation.
what are the disadvantages of a natural experiment
Lack of control – natural experiments have no control over the environment & other extraneous variables which means that the researcher cannot always accurately assess the effects of the I.V, so it has low internal validity.
what is a quasi experiment
a type of research design that attempts to establish a cause-and-effect relationship. The main difference between this and a true experiment is that the groups are not randomly assigned.
what are the advantages of a quasi experiment
they can mimic an experiment and provide a high level of evidence without randomisation.
what are the disadvantages of a quasi experiment
you cannot rule out that other factors out of your control caused the results of your evaluation, although you can minimise this risk.
choosing an appropriate comparison group can be difficult.
what is a naturalistic experiment
the study of a naturally occurring situation as it unfolds in the real world. The researcher simply observes individuals and circumstances, comparing the current condition to some other condition.
what is a controlled experiment
a scientific test done under controlled conditions
what does it mean for there to be a participant in an experiments observation
a person who voluntarily participates in human subject research after giving informed consent to be the subject of the research.
what does it mean for there to be a non-participant observation
observing participants without actively participating.
what is a covert observation
participants unaware that they are being watched
reduces demand characteristics, but ethical issues
what is an overt observation
participants are aware that they are being watched
no ethical issues
what are behavioural categories
table of behaviours that are pre-determined. need o be as objective as possible
what is inter rate reliability
multiple observers have to agree on what they see and carry out the same procedures
what is a structured self report interview
the researcher asks a simple list of questions and notes down the responses.
what is an unstructured self report interview
more like an everyday conversation. The interviewer may begin with certain planned questions, but is able to follow these up or ask other questions spontaneously, depending on the participant’s responses.
what are the advantages of self report interviews
they give you the person’s own perspective
what are the disadvantages of self repot interviews
that there are potential validity problems (i.e., people may deceive themselves or others).
what are open questions in a questionnaire
questions that require a participant to answer in their own words.
answers can be at a deeper level
what are closed questions in a questionnaire
ask respondents to choose from a predefined set of responses, typically one-word answers such as “yes/no”, “true/false”, or a set of multiple-choice questions.
what is a content analysis
method used to analyse QUALITATIVE data (non-numerical data).
