research methods 2 (Ms taylor)

Question 1

what is a case study?

Answer 1

• In depth investigation, description and analysis into a person, group or event.
• They focus on something unusual.
• they use qualitative methods such as interviews or observations.
• They are longitudinal.

Question 2

strengths of case studies

Answer 2

• Produce rich and detailed data which gives a true insight
• they help influence future research

Question 3

limitations of case studies

Answer 3

• very small sample sizes
• difficult to make generalisations
• subjective as they are heavily influenced by the researcher

Question 4

what is content analysis?

Answer 4

• a type of observational research through the study of communications.
• this includes spoken and written.

Question 5

coding and quantitative data

Answer 5

• coding is when the researcher categorises information to help the researcher analyse the content.
• they will count how many times certain words or phrases occur which produces quantitative data
• e.g. how many times men and women are shown in stereotypical gender roles in a tv advert.

Question 6

thematic analysis and qualitative data

Answer 6

• after the researcher has caried out coding they will notice certain themes.
• e.g. women as mother and men as professionals.
• once themes are established they collect more data to test validity of themes

Question 7

strength of content analysis

Answer 7

+ avoids ethical issues. there is no issues with gaining consent as what they study is already publicly.

Question 8

limitation of content analysis

Answer 8

• research is indirect as it happens outside the place it happened which means its subjectively analysed which increases bias

Question 9

what is reliability?

Answer 9

• how consistent findings finding are or how consistent the measuring device is.
• its reliable if they produce the same results on a different day.

Question 10

how does test-retest assess reliability?

Answer 10

the same test is carried out on the same person at a different occasion. if it is reliable the results should be very similar.
- it should be not to near in time where they can remember answers but not too far where life changes have happened.

Question 11

how does inter-observer reliability assess reliability?

Answer 11

there will be two observers. before the study there will be a pilot study where observers check that researcher categorise behaviours in the same way. observers watch the event at the same time but record data separately. if results are similar then its reliable.

Question 12

what is validity?

Answer 12

whether a method is genuine and true to life.

Question 13

what is internal validity?

Answer 13

findings found in the study are due to manipulation of the independent variable (what is being tested) rather than other factors.

Question 14

what is external validity?

Answer 14

the ability to apply findings from a study to other situations or people.

Question 15

what is ecological validity?

Answer 15

the researcher can apply findings to real life situations.

Question 16

what is temporal validity?

Answer 16

whether a study’s findings are true across different time periods.

Question 17

what is face validity?

Answer 17

whether the test appears to measure what it is meant to.

Question 18

what is concurrent validity?

Answer 18

whether the measure or test the psychologist wants to use gives the same results as a more established test.

Question 19

what is the abstract in psychology write ups?

Answer 19

• first section
• a short summary which includes major elements of the research.
• e.g. hypothesis, method, results, conclusion.

Question 20

what is the introduction?

Answer 20

a review of the area of investigation which gives definitions, concepts and studies related to the topic of research.

Question 21

what is the method?

Answer 21

• very detailed to allow others to replicate research.

Question 22

what are the results?

Answer 22

a summary of the key findings that may take different forms depending on method.

Question 23

what is the discussion?

Answer 23

• summary of findings in verbal rather than statistical form.
• the researcher will discuss limitations and how to overcome these in future research.

Question 24

what is referencing?

Answer 24

full details of any source of material used.

Question 25

what are paradigms?

Answer 25

NOT SCIENCE
- a paradigm is a shared set of assumptions
- for something to be considered a science it must follow a paradigm and psychology does not as there is too much disagreement and conflict.

Question 26

what is theory construction and hypothesis testing?

Answer 26

SCIENCE
- a theory is set of laws that explain an event or behaviour.
- theory construction is when evidence is gathered to prove a theory.
- hypothesis testing is where a part of a theory can be scientifically tested.

Question 27

what is falsifiability?

Answer 27

SCIENCE
- POPPER argued that a key part of a scientific theory is whether it can hold up against falsifiability.
- a theory should be able to be challenged to be false but disprove.

Question 28

what is replicability?

Answer 28

SCIENCE
- for a theory to be trusted it should be tested across a number of different situations and contexts.

Question 29

what is objectivity and the empirical method?

Answer 29

NOT SCIENCE
- objectivity is key to ensure researchers don’t influence results. they must keep personal opinions private.
- the empirical method means a scientific approach is based on evidence through observations and experience.