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Research Methods Flashcards

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1
Q

What are research methods?

A

Methods and techniques psychologists use to answer questions about human behavior.

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2
Q

What types of research methods are there? (5)

A

Experiments, observations, self-reports, correlations, case studies

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3
Q

What is an aim? And when is it used in an experiment?

A

An aim is a general statement of what you intend to do. It is ALWAYS used in an experiment.

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4
Q

What 2 words do you start an aim with?

A

TO INVESTIGATE

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5
Q

What is an independent variable?

A

A variable manipulated by a researcher or naturally changes to see whether the dependent variable can be measured.

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6
Q

What is a dependent variable?

A

The thing the researcher is measuring

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7
Q

What is a hypothesis?

A

A prediction

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8
Q

What are the 5 types of hypothesis?

A

Alternative, experimental, null, directional, non-directional

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9
Q

What is an alternative hypothesis?

A

Precise prediction of what is going to happen

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10
Q

What is an experimental hypothesis?

A

Predicts the effect of the IV on the DV

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11
Q

What is a directional hypothesis?

A

Predicts expected direction of the results

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12
Q

What is a non-directional hypothesis?

A

Predicts there will be an effect but does not predict the exact results

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13
Q

What does operationalise mean?

A

Being clear on how you are measuring your results (YOU MUST ALWAYS DO THIS IN YOUR HYPOTHESIS)

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14
Q

What is a null hypothesis?

A

Predicts there will be no affect and any difference on affect will be due to chance

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15
Q

What is a lab experiment?

A

Artificial environment under controlled conditions, IV is manipulated, effect on DV is measured.

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16
Q

What is a field experiment?

A

IV is manipulated, effect on DV is measured, natural place for the participant.

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17
Q

What is a natural experiment?

A

IV is NOT manipulated, effect on DV is measured, age and gender are not characteristics measured

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18
Q

What is a quasi experiment?

A

IV is not manipulated but age, gender etc is measured as a characteristic of the participant

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19
Q

What are extraneous variables?

A

Things that may influence your results other than the DV

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20
Q

What are confounding variables?

A

Things that may influence your results other than the IV

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21
Q

Why do you try to control extraneous variables?

A

To stop them becoming confounding variables

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22
Q

What do researchers want to establish?

A

Cause & effect

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23
Q

What does a confounding variable do?

A

Confuses the results

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24
Q

What are the 3 types of extraneous variables?

A

Participant variables, situational variables, demand characteristics and investigator effects

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25
Q

What are participant variables?

A

Characteristics and differences between participants that may affect the DV

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26
Q

What are situational variables?

A

Features of the environment that may affect the DV

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27
Q

What are demand characteristics?

A

Participants change their behavior due to perceived demands of the study

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28
Q

What is the hawthron effect/please you effect?

A

Participants trying to guess what the investigator wants and changing their behaviour

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29
Q

What is the screw-you effect?

A

Deliberately changing your behavior in an unexpected way to ‘mess’ with the investigation

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30
Q

What is social desirability?

A

Changing your behavior to what you think is socially acceptable

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31
Q

What is investigator effects?

A

The experimenter having an effect on your behavior

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32
Q

What is standardisation?

A

Extraneous variables are kept constant across conditions of the IV.

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33
Q

What is single blind experiments?

A

Participants have no idea what condition they are in

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34
Q

What are double blind experiments?

A

Researcher and participants have no idea what conditions they’re in

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35
Q

What is deception?

A

Lying to participants so they don’t know how to behave

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36
Q

What is randomisation?

A

2 different conditions and participants are randomly allocated

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37
Q

What are the 2 types of extraneous variables and what are they?

A

Participant - participant features (gender, age, motivation, intelligence)
Situational - situational features that may effect the experiment (time of day, noise, lighting)

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38
Q

What is independent groups?

A

Where there are 2 or more conditions but participants only take part in one

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39
Q

What is repeated measures?

A

Where all participants take part in all conditions

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40
Q

What are matched pairs?

A

Participants taking part in 1 condition but researchers matching them based on their characteristics and comparing results (i.e similar intelligence level)

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41
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of independent groups?

A

Advantages- order effects are not a problem

Disadvantages- participant variables could affect results

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42
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of repeated measures?

A

Opposite of independent groups

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43
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of matched pairs?

A

Advantages- Reduces participant variables as researcher has paired participants due to important characteristics and also avoids order affects
Disadvantages- Time consuming!! Impossible to match people exactly

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44
Q

What is the big problem with using people in 2 or more different groups?

A

Individual differences

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45
Q

What are order effects?

A

The order you do conditions in

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46
Q

Unethical experiments arise when…

A

A conflict exists between participants rights and researchers needs to gain valid results on natrual behaviour

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47
Q

Why may a researcher not reveal the real study to participants?

A

Because they want to minimize demand characteristics

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48
Q

When is it alright to lie in an experiment?

A

If it will benefit the public and get valuable results

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49
Q

What is the anagram for what you have to do to participants in an experiment?

A

Can Do Can’t Do With Participants

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50
Q

What does the anagram stand for?

A

Consent, deception, confidentiality, debriefing, withdrawal & protection from harm

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51
Q

What is informed consent?

A

Where participants should be made aware of the aims, procedures, and right to withdraw.

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52
Q

What are the alternatives for consent?

A

Presumptive consent, prior general, retrospective consent

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53
Q

What is presumptive consent?

A

Taking a sample of the population and explaining the aim of the experiment, getting their consent and releasing the experiment would be ethical

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54
Q

What is prior general?

A

Obtaining prior consent to see if a participant would be willing to be in an experiment which involved deception, if yes then you can use them in the future

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55
Q

What is retrospective consent?

A

Getting consent after the experiment and letting participants have the right to withdraw data

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56
Q

What is a consent form?

A

Explaining aims, objectives etc in a study on paper. Have to say data can be withdrawn and make clear all data is confidential

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57
Q

What is a debrief form?

A

Saying the true aim of the study, any details that were not supplied in the study, should be told what data is sued for, option to withdraw their data

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58
Q

What is confidentiality?

A

Personal info being kept confidential, results can be published but not identify person (numbers, initials, pseudonyms) YOU MUST TELL THEM ABOUT THIS

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59
Q

What is deception?

A

Avoiding lying if will lead to harmful consequences, can lie if study is beneficial to society, if you don’t lie slightly you will get demand characteristics

60
Q

What is protection from harm?

A

Not putting participants at risk to any physical/psychological harm any more that they would be exposed to in every day life
Can be used if harm is short term & relatively minor

61
Q

What is the right to withdraw?

A

Make them aware they can leave during the experiment and tell them after their data can be removed if they want it to be

62
Q

What are 3 studies that caused harm and broke these 6 rules?

A

Zimbardo - prisoner & guard
Milgram - electric volts chair
David Reimer - boy with no penis

63
Q

What is the society that presented these 6 rules?

A

(BPS code) British Psychological Society

64
Q

What is a population?

A

Large group of people researchers are interested in

65
Q

What is a target population?

A

Sub group of the general population

66
Q

What is a sample?

A

Participants selected from target population to take parrt in research

67
Q

What does the sample drawn have to be?

A

Representative of the target popualtion

68
Q

What are the 5 sampling methods?

A

Opportunity, random, stratified, systematic, volenteer

69
Q

What is a opportunity sample?

A

People who are most convenient and around at the time (people on the street etc)

70
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of an opportunity sample?

A

Advantage - Easiest method, less time consuming
Disadvantage - Biased and unrepresentative of population (some numbers are unincluded - people who work in the day/ go to college)

71
Q

What is a random sample?

A

Each member of the public has an equal opportunity of being picked (wheel of numbers)

72
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of an random sample?

A

Advantage- not biased, increased chance of being representative
Disadvantage- time consuming & doesn’t guarantee unbiased sample as it is selected by chance

73
Q

What is a stratified sample?

A

Subgroups (strata) within a population are identified (males, females etc) random selection from each strata

74
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of an stratified sample?

A

Advantage - sample should be generalized and representative, usually best results
Disadvantage- Detailed knowledge about the participants may not be known, MOST TIME CONSUMING

75
Q

What is a systematic sample?

A

Predetermined system used to select participants (‘nth number of the phone book etc)

76
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of an systematic sample?

A

Advantage - unbiased, selected using an objective system therefore representative
Disadvantage - not truly unbiased (first person will never be picked etc)

77
Q

What is a volunteer sample?

A

Researcher advertising for participants

78
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of an volunteer sample?

A

Advantage - quick and easy for researcher, participants wanting to take part are likely to take research seriously
Disadvantage- sample would be unrepresentative as people who volunteer for things may have more confidence etc

79
Q

Which of the 5 samples can be influenced by a researcher?

A

Opportunity

80
Q

What are correlations?

A

Mathematical technique where a researcher investigates an association between 2 variables

81
Q

What is the other word for variables?

A

Co-variables

82
Q

What word should you always used when talking about experiments with correlations?

A

Relationship

83
Q

How do you plot correlations?

A

On a scatter gram

84
Q

What are the 3 types of correlations?

A

Positive, negative, no correlation

85
Q

What is a positive correlation?

A

Where both variables increase or decrease together

86
Q

What is a negative correlation?

A

Where one variable increases and the other decreases (visa versa)

87
Q

What does it mean by no correlation?

A

No relationship established between variables

88
Q

What is the main problem with correlations?

A

They do not establish a cause and effect

89
Q

What is the ‘third variable’ problem?

A

Where another variable changes both your variables and the two things appear to be related but are not at all (Facebook improves grades)

90
Q

What is the difference between a correlation and an experiment?

A

An experiment tries to establish a cause and effect, a correlation cannot do this

91
Q

Do you have to have a hypothesis in correlations?

A

Yes

92
Q

What are the advantages of a correlation? (2)

A

It can be used when experiments are unethical, they can easily show a relationship between 2 co-variables

93
Q

What are the disadvantages of a correlation? (3)

A

They cannot establish a cause and effect!!! Extraneous variables can affect the co-variables, correlations can only measure linear relationships (not on a curved line)

94
Q

What is an example of a positive correlation?

A

Shoe size and height

95
Q

What is an example of a negative correlation?

A

The more caffeine you drink the less sleep you get

96
Q

What is a covert observation?

A

The participants are not aware they are being observed.

97
Q

What is a strength of a covert observation?

A

Ecological validity is high

98
Q

What is a weakness of a covert observation?

A

Ethical issues - lack of consent

99
Q

What is an overt observation?

A

Participants know their behavior is being observed

100
Q

What is a strength of an overt observation?

A

Ethically sound

101
Q

What is a weakness of an overt observation?

A

Demand characteristics

102
Q

What is a controlled observation?

A

Lab setting, researcher manipulates the enivronment

103
Q

What is a strength of a controlled observation?

A

High control, measurement of behavior is easier

104
Q

What is a weakness of a controlled observation?

A

Ecological validity is low

105
Q

What is a naturalistic observation?

A

Observation in a natural environment

106
Q

What is a strength of a naturalistic observation?

A

Ecological validity is high

107
Q

What is a weakness of a naturalistic observation?

A

Extraneous variables could affect results

108
Q

What is a participant observation?

A

Researcher becomes part of obsevation

109
Q

What is a strength of a participant observation?

A

Provides greater insight

110
Q

What is a weakness of a participant observation?

A

Observer could form own opinions which could affect interpretation of behavior

111
Q

What is a non-participant observation?

A

The researchers do not become part of the experiment

112
Q

What is a strength of a non-participant observation?

A

Greater objectivity when interpretating behavior

113
Q

What is a weakness of a non-participant observation?

A

Data lacks richness - such as feelings and motivations of participants

114
Q

What is a behavior category?

A

Catergories of types of behaviors you are looking for in your observation

115
Q

What is event sampling?

A

Recording how many times a behavior category occurs - i.e how many times a child kicks

116
Q

What is time sampling?

A

Count how many times behavioral categories occur in an order in a certain amount of time

117
Q

What is qualitative data?

A

Expressed in words - may take written description of thoughts of participants

118
Q

What is quantitative data?

A

Expressed numerically - usually data of individual scores

119
Q

What is a strength and a weakness of qualitative data?

A

Represents complexity of human behavior - more detailed

Difficult to draw conclusions and detect patterns

120
Q

What is a strength and a weakness of quantitative data?

A

Easy to draw conclusions

Can over simplify complex behavior

121
Q

What is primary data?

A

Information been obtained first hand by researcher

122
Q

What is secondary data?

A

Data already been subjected to statistical testing (found in journals, books, websites)

123
Q

What is a strength and weakness of primary data?

A

Authentic data direct from participants for a particular purpose
Requires a lot of time and planning

124
Q

What is a strength and weakness of secondary data?

A

Inexpensive and requires minimal effort

It can be outdated and accuracy could vary

125
Q

What are the 2 sub divisions of self report techniques?

A

Interviews and questionnaires

126
Q

What can a questionnaire have?

A

Opened and closed questions (fixed range of responses)

127
Q

What are some examples of questionnaire scales?

A

Rating scales, fixed choice options

128
Q

What are pilot studies?

A

Carrying out a smaller version of your study before the real thing - might ask opinions on ways to improve

129
Q

What can interviews be?

A

Structured (identical, pre-determined questions) or unstructured (discussion, exploring questions or semi-structured (mixture of both)

130
Q

What is an interviewer schedule?

A

List of questions interviewer wants to cover (should be standardized)

131
Q

What are 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses of questionnaires?

A

Provide honest data and reduces impact of investigator

Response rates can be poor, difficult to phrase questions that are not leading questions

132
Q

What are 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses of interviews?

A

Any misunderstood questions can be adapted and they are easily replicated
Interviewer effects!!! and may not collect meaningful data (unstructured)

133
Q

What is important to consider about an interviewer?

A

Who’s most appropriate, especially on sensitive topics they may need to be trained

134
Q

How do you work out a percentage?

A

Number your looking for divided by total number times 100

135
Q

What are the 3 measures of centeral tendency?

A

mean median and mode

136
Q

What are the 2 measures of dispersion?

A

Range and standard deviation

137
Q

Why is the range good and bad?

A

Easy to calculate but no indication of how data is distributed

138
Q

What is standard deviation?

A

Shows deviation of each score from the mean

139
Q

Why is standard deviation good and bad?

A

More precise measure but sooo hard to calculate

140
Q

What does a low standard deviation indicate?

A

participants responded in a similar way

141
Q

When do you present data in bar graphs?

A

If data has been divided into catergories

142
Q

When do you present data in scattergrams?

A

X and Y are obvious

143
Q

What are skewed distributions?

A

Distributions that appear to lean to one side

Positive skew - data leaning to left

144
Q

What are the 3 aims of peer reviews?

A

To allocate research finding
To validate quality and relevance of research
To suggest amendments or improvements

145
Q

What is a strength of peer review?

A

Usually remains anonymous so likely to produce honest appraisal

146
Q

What is a weakness of peer review?

A

Researchers prefer to publish data they agree with or is positive so other data could be ignored

Psychology AS (6 decks)

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