Research methods

Question 1

What is the difference between an aim and a hypothesis?

Answer 1

aims are a statement of what the researcher tends to find out in a research study and a hypothesis is a states the relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable.

Question 2

What is an extraneous variable?

Answer 2

they do not vary systematically with the independent variable and therefore do not act as an alternative independent variable but may have an effect on the dependent variable

Question 3

What is a confounding variable?

Answer 3

a variable under study that is not the independent variable, but which varies systematically with the independent variable

Question 4

What is the difference between internal and external validity?

Answer 4

internal validity is the degree to which an observed effect was due to the experimental manipulation, rather than other factors such as confounding/extraneous variables

external validity is the degree to which a research finding can be generalised; to other settings (ecological validity); to other groups of people (population validity); over time (historical validity)

Question 5

What is mundane realism?

Answer 5

it refers to how a study mirrors the real world

Question 6

What is a confederate?

Answer 6

a individual in a study who is not a real participant and has been instructed how to behave by the investigator

Question 7

What is a directional hypothesis?

Answer 7

states the direction of the predicted difference between two conditions or two groups of participants

Question 8

What is a non-directional hypothesis?

Answer 8

predicts simply that there is a difference between two conditions or two groups of participants, without stating the direction of the difference

Question 9

What is a pilot study?

Answer 9

a small scale trial run of a study to test any aspects of the design, with a view to making improvements

Question 10

What are the three types of experimental design and what are they?

Answer 10

Independent groups design - each participant is only tested on one level of the independent variable

- participant variables not controlled
- need more participants
\+ can use random allocation

Matched pairs design - each participant is paired with another participant, each pair receives both levels of the independent variable

- matching takes time 

Repeated measures design - each participant is tested twice, to experience both levels of the independent variable

- the order of conditions may affect performance          (order effect)

Question 11

What is a field experiment and what are the strengths and weaknesses?

Answer 11

conducted outside of a laboratory

+ higher external validity (greater mundane realism)
+ participants are unaware that they are being studied, behaviour will be more natural
+ high ecological validity
- lower internal validity (more difficult to control extraneous and confounding variables)
- hard to control

Question 12

What is a laboratory experiment and what are the strengths and weaknesses?

Answer 12

an experiment carried out in a controlled setting

+ high internal validity, good control over all variables
+ can be easily replicated
- low ecological validity, as participants are unaware that they are being studied

Question 13

What is a natural experiment and what are the strengths and weaknesses?

Answer 13

a research method in which the experimenter has not manipulated the independent variable directly

+ high ecological validity, as the independent variable isn’t manipulated with
- hard to control

Question 14

What is a demand characteristic?

Answer 14

a cue that makes participants unconsciously aware of the aims of a study or helps participants work out what the researchers expects to find out

Question 15

What are the five types of sampling methods?

Answer 15

Opportunity sample - recruit those people who are most available
+ takes less time
-biases, sample drawn from a small number of the population

Random sample - everyone has an equal chance of being picked
+ unbiased, equal chance
- need a list of all members, the ones chosen have to be contacted, might take some time

Stratified sample - subgroups within a population, based on age, gender, etc.
+ more representative, as there is a more random selection
- time consuming

Systematic sample - selecting every nth person ( n= any number)
+ unbiased, objective system used
- not random unless you select a number using a random method
Volunteer sample - advertising in newspapers
+ access to a variety of participants
- participants more motivated with extra time

Question 16

What are the ethical issues?

Answer 16

Confidentiality
Deception - a participant is not told the true aims of the study
Informed consent
Privacy - a person’s right to control the flow of information about themselves
Protection from harm
Right to withdraw - participants can stop participating in a study if they are uncomfortable in any way

Question 17

What are the six types of observation?

Answer 17

Naturalistic observation - observation carried out in everyday settings
Controlled observation - behaviour is being observed under certain conditions
Overt observation - participants are aware that they are being studied
Covert observation - participants are not aware that they are being studied
Participant observation - observations made by someone who is also participating in the activity being observed
Non-participant observation - the observer is separate from the people being observed

Question 18

What is a strength and a weakness of a correlation?

Answer 18

+ can be repeated again, findings can be confirmed

- correlation may lack internal and external validity , methods used may be invalid

Question 19

What is a meta-analysis?

Answer 19

a researcher looks at the findings from a number of different studies and produces a statistic to represent the overall effect
+ increased validity, as the final answer is combined, from different studies
- putting many studies together, not appropriate, conclusions not always valid

Question 20

What is standard deviation?

Answer 20

the amount of variation in a data set, assesses the spread of data around the mean

Question 21

What’s the difference between a normal distribution and a skewed distribution?

Answer 21

normal distribution = a symmetrical bell shaped frequency distribution
skewed distribution = one tail longer than the other signifies that there is a number of extreme values to one side of the graph

Question 22

What is a sign test?

Answer 22

a statistical test to determine the significance of a sample of related items of data

Question 23

What is peer review?

Answer 23

the practise of using professional experts to assess the quality and validity of scientific research and academic reports.