research methods 2

Question 1

Outline one weakness of using a case study as a method of investigation.

Answer 1

• the findings cannot be generalised easily to others.
• as the info gathered is often based on retrospective data which may not be accurate.

Question 2

what is meant by a case study?

Answer 2

an in depth study of one person or a group pf people over time that gathers lots of detail.

Question 3

how could a psychologist maintain confidentiality when reporting a case study?

Answer 3

by ensuring individuals are not identifiable when reporting a case study e.g using a different name for the individual.

Question 4

Outline one technique which the psychologist could use in this case study.

Answer 4

they could observe the child’s behaviour in different situations to see how his interaction in different places is affected.

Question 5

Apart from ethical issues, explain one or more limitations of using case studies (4)

Answer 5

• the results cannot be generalised to others as each individual and their experience is unique.
• researchers may get to know the individual well and get attached to them which can lead to reduced objectivity - this can also lead to investigator bias.

Question 6

Referring to this investigation, explain the difference between primary and secondary data (4)

Answer 6

• primary data is data collected directly by the researcher from the participants and is specific to the aims of the study whereas secondary data is data that has been previously collected by someone else for another purpose, which is then used by the researcher.
• in this study, the interview recordings are primary data and the school records are secondary data.

Question 7

Explain how the researcher could have used content analysis to analyse what the mothers had written in their diaries (4)

Answer 7

• content analysis is a way of analysing qualitative data using coding units such as themes.
• could create a checklist with categories of different types of behaviour noticed and noted down e.g aggression, crying.
• read through mothers diary and count the behaviours and tally
• compare the before and after behaviours.

Question 8

Explain one or more possible limitations of this investigation (4)

Answer 8

• there could be demand characteristics which means mothers know what the researcher is looking for in the child’s behaviour which influences/affects what they write in their diaries, this reduces internal validity.
• mothers could drop out of the study which wastes time, effort and money and this also leads to the study as having less accuracy as behaviours from a wider group of children cant be judged and compared.

Question 9

what is meant by content analysis?

Answer 9

a method for analysing qualitative data according to themes or categories.

Question 10

Explain how the psychologist might have carried out content analysis to analyse these drawings (3)

Answer 10

• psychologist would identify the number of categories or themes to sort each drawing into.
• categories could include the type of food, size of food etc.
• he would count examples of each category to provide quantitative data.
• compare drawings to see changes over the time period.

Question 11

what would a consent form contain?

Answer 11

• purpose of the study
• time needed from participants
• their right to withdraw
• details about the study
• reassurance about confidentiality of the data
• reassurance about protection from harm

Question 12

what is meant by an overt observation?

Answer 12

an observation where the observer is visible and the participants are aware they are being observed and have given full consent.

Question 13

Briefly discuss how observational research might be improved by conducting observations in a controlled environment (4)

Answer 13

• can control extraneous variables which helps see the reliability and effect of confounding variable.
• exclusion of extraneous variables means researcher can replicate observation to check for reliability of the effect.
• examples of extraneous variables and how they affect the outcome if not controlled.

Question 14

Give one advantage of using observation in psychological research (2)

Answer 14

the researcher is able to look at the way people really behave, especially if people are unaware that they are being watched which excluded demand characteristics.

Question 15

Explain one strength of
primary data (3)

Answer 15

• the data collected is more likely to be specific to the aims of the study.
• there is less irrelevant info involved.
• primary data can be controlled whereas secondary data cant be.

Question 16

Briefly explain one reason why it is important for research to be replicated.

Answer 16

effects that occur are more likely to be reliable if they occur in a repeat of the study, therefore replication increases reliability.

Question 17

Explain two strengths of using questionnaires in research (4)

Answer 17

• they can be given to a large sample of people meaning it can collect large amounts of data quickly and cheaply.
• participants can answer the questionnaire freely without the investigator having to be present, this means their answers are more likely to have internal validity and it reduces investigator bias.

Question 18

Outline what is meant by the term peer review in psychological research.

Answer 18

the process by which psychological research papers, before publication, go through as assessment by others in the same field who consider the validity, originality and significance of the research.

Question 19

Explain why peer review is important in psychological research (5)

Answer 19

• it prevents incorrect data entering the public domain.
• it provides a way of checking the validity of the research as well as its significance and originality before publication.
• they can make recommendations for any altering to the research to better it before publication.

Question 20

Outline what is involved in self-report (3)

Answer 20

• where the participant gives info to the researcher of their own thoughts/feelings.
• involves responding to questions during an interview.
• may be through a structured or unstructured interview.

Question 21

Explain one limitation of a self-report technique.

Answer 21

• people may not be truthful with their answer in a socially desirable way (increases social desirability bias)
• people may not know hoe they actually feel which lacks validity.

Question 22

Explain one limitation of asking parents to rate their own children.

Answer 22

it lacks objectivity as it involves questions about their own child which could bring in emotions and is subjective.