Research Methods

Question 1

Ppt Observation

Answer 1

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.

Question 2

Ppt observation strength

Answer 2

Ppts act naturally because they are unaware that they are being studied leads to less demand characteristics

Question 3

Ppt observation weakness

Answer 3

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

Question 4

Non ppt observation

Answer 4

Rschr is not part of the group being investigated. They simply observe bhvr as it happens

Question 5

Non ppt observation strength

Answer 5

Bhvr occurs naturally bc ppts don’t know they are being investigated leads to less demand characteristics

Question 6

Non ppt observation weakness

Answer 6

Observer bias Rschr may interpret bhvr differently to how it is intended

Question 7

Natural experiment

Answer 7

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.

Question 8

Natural experiment strength

Answer 8

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.

Question 9

Natural exp weaknesses

Answer 9

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.

Question 10

Lab exps

Answer 10

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.

Question 11

Lab exps strengths

Answer 11

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

Question 12

Lab exps weaknesses

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Case study

Answer 13

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.

Question 14

Case study strengths

Answer 14

Provides rich qualitative info that gives great detail on bhvr and may otherwise have been missed

Question 15

Case study weakness

Answer 15

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

Question 16

Correlation

Answer 16

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.

Question 17

Correlation strength

Answer 17

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

Question 18

Correlation weakness

Answer 18

You cannot determine cause and effect rship because it is difficult to say which variable caused the other to happen

Question 19

Field exp

Answer 19

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.

Question 20

Field exp strength

Answer 20

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.

Question 21

Field exp weakness

Answer 21

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

Question 22

Content analysis

Answer 22

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.

Question 23

Content analysis strength

Answer 23

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

Question 24

Content analysis weakness

Answer 24

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

Question 25

Questionnaires

Answer 25

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.

Question 26

Questionnaires strengths

Answer 26

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

Question 27

Questionnaire weaknes

Answer 27

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

Question 28

Interview

Answer 28

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).