Research Methods Flashcards
Ppt Observation
The Rschr becomes part of the group. So they have firsthand experience of the bhvr being tested. The rschr is unknown to ppts bc they are unaware they are being studied.
Ppt observation strength
Ppts act naturally because they are unaware that they are being studied leads to less demand characteristics
Ppt observation weakness
It is unethical bc no consent or right to withdraw is given
Or
It can be open to observer bias bc the Rschr may develop positive or negative rship with the group which could effect results
Non ppt observation
Rschr is not part of the group being investigated. They simply observe bhvr as it happens
Non ppt observation strength
Bhvr occurs naturally bc ppts don’t know they are being investigated leads to less demand characteristics
Non ppt observation weakness
Observer bias Rschr may interpret bhvr differently to how it is intended
Natural experiment
An exp carried out in a natural environment however, the Rschr has no control over the IV. The IV is the actual event and the DV is the situation before and after the event.
Natural experiment strength
Low chance of demand characteristics bc ppts are unaware they are being studied and bc there is no control of a naturally occurring event, they will not know the rsch is taking place.
Natural exp weaknesses
Due to lack of control, cause and effect rships cannot be established. It can never be clear whether the naturally occurring event caused bhvr or whether it was extraneous variables.
Lab exps
An experiment that takes place in a controlled, artificial setting. The IV is manipulated by the Rschr to see the effect on the DV so a cause and effect rship can be established.
Lab exps strengths
Due to high levels of control cause and effect rships can be established. Therefore it is clear that the IV caused the DV and extraneous variables were not responsible
Lab exps weaknesses
High chance of demand characteristics bc ppts are aware they are being studied and as there are high levels of control in an artificial setting they will know the rsch is taking place
Case study
An in depth and detailed study of an individual or very small group of people who have certain characteristics that the Rschr wants to investigate. They are longitudinal and informative, providing qualitative info about the ppts.
Case study strengths
Provides rich qualitative info that gives great detail on bhvr and may otherwise have been missed
Case study weakness
Social desirability may occur as the ppts may want to look good to the Rschr so may lie in their answers which makes the rsch unreliable
Correlation
Used to test the strength of a relationship between two variables. Correlations can be positive, negative and in some cases there is no correlation between variables. Correlations are always represented on a scatter graph and are measured by a correlation coefficient.
Correlation strength
They can be used for a preliminary experimental method to give Rschrs an idea of what their results might be therefore hypothesis can be more focused and confidently written
Correlation weakness
You cannot determine cause and effect rship because it is difficult to say which variable caused the other to happen
Field exp
A rsch method which takes place in a natural setting, the Rschr still manipulates the IV but cannot control extraneous variables and therefore cannot be sure the IV causes the DV to happen.
Field exp strength
Low chance of demand characteristics as ppts are unaware that they are taking part in the investigation and therefore will not alter their bhvr in response to the Rschr resulting in more ecologically valid findings.
Field exp weakness
Due to lack of control it is difficult to establish cause and effect rships between the IV and the DV as a result of extraneous variables that occur and potentially influence rsch confounding results
Content analysis
Indirect observation where artefacts people have produced rather than bhvr is observed e.g. Soap operas, adverts etc. The Rschr looks for patterns, themes or trends in the artefacts.
Content analysis strength
High in Eco val as it is based on observations of what people do and focuses on real communications so results can be easily generalised to the TP
Content analysis weakness
Observer bias may occur as Rschrs may interpret something from the artefact to agree with their hypothesis therefore findings from the rsch would not be valid due a lack of objectivity
Questionnaires
Used to ask q’s of the target group. Questionnaires can be open (qualitative) or closed (quantitative). They consist of questions on a topic that the Rschr aims to discover more about. Open questions allow ppts to answer more freely but closed questions force the ppt to choose an option from a list or ranking scale provided by the Rschr.
Questionnaires strengths
Easy to replicate be the same questions can be photocopied and used an different occasions which inc the reliability the findings if similar results are found
Questionnaire weaknes
Social desirability bias may occur as ppts may want to look good to the Rschr and therefore lie in their answers which makes rsch unreliable
Interview
Interviews involve the Rschr or one of their confederates asking questions face to face to the ppt. Unstructured interviews are similar to an informal chat. The Rschr will start off with one topic that they will ask ppts about but will allow the ppts to then talk about whatever they wish (qualitative). Structured interview are similar to a job interview where there are set questions that have to be asked and the Rschr is not able to explore any other details that may be brought up when asking questions (quantitative).
