Research methods 2 Flashcards
what is qualitative data?
data expressed in words
may be written description of thoughts, feelings etc
what is quantitative data?
data expressed numerically
what is secondary data?
data collected by someone other than the researcher carrying out the current research
what is primary data?
original data collected specificallty for the purose of the research
what are the steps involved in using a sign test to measure significance?
1.work out diff between the two conditions ( e.g condition A - CONDITION B )
2.if the scores is positive put + at end if negative -, if no diff cross put
3.count the no. of + and - the number that is SMALLER = calc value (s) of test
4.go to critcal values table ( should know calc value, tail hypothesis, level of significane and no. of p’s
TAKE AWAY THE NO DIFF FP’S FROM NO. OF P’S
5. calc value must be EQUAL TO OR LESS THAN THE critical value for signifcance
how is a significant diff answer written?
there is no significance this is because the cal value of .. is not eqaul to or less than the critical value of … at 0.05 level of significance for a ( type of test)
therefore we should accept the null hypothesis and reject the alternative
analyse qualitative data
what is a content analysis
identify coding categories
- converting qualitative data into quantitative data through recording the frequency of coding categories
1st researcher reads through the material
2nd identifies reccuring coding categories
3rd reads again- tallies how often these categories occur
this allows researcher to compare
analyse qualitative data
what is coding in a content analysis?
established by researcher after looking through the qualitative data
* simply counting how many times and word/phrase appears
analyse qualitative data
what is a thematic analysis?
identify themes and see how they relate to eachother
- data remains qualitative
- once data is transcribed it is reviewed repeatedly so that researcher can identify trends in the meaning conveyed by language
- identify particular themes,see how they relate to eachother and how they may influence the behaviour of intrest
what are case studies
in-depth study or investigation of a single person, group,event or community
qulitative research method
* data is gathered from a variety of sources using diff methods over a period of time maybe so processes and developments can be studied as they happen
what are two examples of case studies?
HM- underwent surgery as treatment for epilepsy part of his hippocampi removed= unable to form new long term memory but stm intact= support for msm of memory as it shows that the memory stores are seperate and independent
**little hans- ** a five year old boy who had a phobia of horses displaced his fear of his father onto horses (symbolic representation of his real fear being castrated by father) support for the oedipus complex
how findings are reported
what is the format of scientific reports in order ?
- abstract
- introduction
- methods
- results
- discussion
- references
how findings are reported
what are the things featured in the method sections
particpants
design
materials
procedure
ethics
why does it matter if research is accurate
dogy research from e.g andrew wakefield can have huge implications psychology needs a way of protecting itself and maintaining intergrity
what is peer review
a process that takes place before a study is published after research is conducted to ensure that the research is of high quality, contributes to the field of research and accurately presented
what is the purpose of peer reviews
• protect the integrity and credibility of psychology
• ensure only accurate scientific information is shared
• assess the originality of research
what is the process of peer reviews
• another researcher in the same field reviews the research
• check the method is valid and free from bias
• ensure appropriate data analysis and free from bias
• assess originality
•peer recommends its published, not published or can be re-submitted after revisions
• editor decides if its published
what are research proposals use
purpose- to evaluate proposed desgins for reserach funding
process- submitted to panel of peers, specialise in field, and assessed for merit
what are economical implications of research
positive or negative
e.g treatments for mh conditions- research reduces absences, early interference etc positive for the economy
features of science
what are the features of science?
- theory construction
- hypothesis testing
- Empirical evidence
- Paradigm (paradigm shifts Kuhn)
- Replicability (reliability)
- Objectivity
- Falsifiability (Popper)
design your own study
what should be involved in a design your own study question?
data analysis- descriptive (mean median mode, range standard deviation) and infrential analysis (statistical test)
* follow all bullet points
* how process and why ( justification)
what is a meta-analysis?
uses secondary data
* researcher identifies studies which have investigated the same aims/hypotheses
* all studies are combine them all together for analysis and draw an overall conclusion
what are descriptive stats and what are the two examples and those examples?
analyse data to help decribe,shows,summerise it in a meaningful way
1. measures of central tendency- mean meadian mode
2. measures of dispersion- range and standard deviation
central tendency
how is the mean calculated?
adding up all the scores and dividing it by the number of data points
can only be used when the data is interval level
central tendency
what is the median and how is it calculated?
middle score- put all in numerical order and cross of until get to middle
if there are two numbers in middle, use the half way pont between the two e.g 9 and 10 median is 9.5 OR add together divide by 2
ordinal level
central tendency
what is the mode?
most common number
nominal data
sometimes two = bimodal