Research Methods Flashcards
What is a case study?
A case study is also known as ‘single subject’ research. It is an in depth investigation of a single participant.
What is a conclusion?
A conclusion in research refers to a statement of acceptance or rejection of the hypothesis tested
What is a control group?
The control group is the group in research which is not presented with the independent variable. The control group is used as a basis for comparison with the experimental group.
What is counterbalancing?
Counterbalancing process in a repeated measures design designed to eliminate order-effects. Conditions A, B and C would be presented in a different sequence to different groups of participants.
What is a dependent variable?
The dependent variable is the variable that is measured by the researcher to discover the effects of the independent variable
What is a double-blind procedure?
A double-blind procedure is an experimental design that ensures that neither researcher nor participants are aware of which participants are in the control group and which are in the experimental group. This eliminates both experimenter and participant expectations as possible confounding variables.
What are ethical principles?
Ethical principles are the code of ethics designed to protect participants from psychological and physiological harm. These include: confidentiality; debriefing; deception in research; informed consent; voluntary participation; withdrawal rights.
What is confidentiality?
The Confidentiality principle states that participants in research must not be identified in terms of test results, study involvement or confidential data
What is debriefing?
Debriefing occurs after the experiment where researchers inform participants of their findings and clear up any misunderstandings or questions and experimenters tell participants the true nature of the research
What is deception in research?
Deception is failing to give participants all the information. Deception should only be used if disclosure of the nature of the study will jeopardise the study and findings and if used, there must be adequate debriefing
What is informed consent?
Informed consent is the ethical basis for psychological treatment or experimentation, require that the subject (or client) is fully aware of all procedures and their likely and possible effects, and participates on a voluntary basis.
What is voluntary participation?
Voluntary participation is taking part in research without pressure or by deception
What are withdrawal rights?
Withdrawal rights is the right of participants to leave a study at any stage, including the right to withdraw their results after the study has been completed, regardless of the possible effects on the results
What is an experimental design?
An experimental design is the system of research being used: independent groups; matched participants; repeated measures
What are independent groups?
Independent groups allocates participants to E-group or C-group at random. Also known as between participants design.
What is matched participants?
Matched participants involves a subject selection procedure which attempts to eliminate confounding variables by ‘matching’, on key characteristics, each individual in the experimental group with an individual in the control group
What is repeated measures?
Repeated measures is a subject selection procedure where each participant is part of both the E-group and C-group. Also known as within participants design.
What is an experiment?
An experiment is a research that aims to find cause and effect relationships among variables
What is an experimental group?
An experimental group is the group of research participants which is exposed to the independent variable. The results are compared with the control group so that the effects of the independent variable can be determined
What is the experimenter effect?
Experimenter effect occurs when the outcome of an experiment being unintentionally influenced by the experimenter
What is generalisation?
A generalisation is a judgment about the extent to which the research findings can be applied to the population represented by the sample
What is an independent variable?
The independent variable is the variable that is manipulated by the experimenter who then measures resulting changes in the dependent variable
What are measures of central tendency?
Measures (mean, median and mode) that tell us how the data are clustered near the central point of the dataset.
What is a mean?
The mean is the average of all the scores, calculated by adding up all the scores and dividing that total by the number of scores
What is a median?
The median is the score that occurs exactly halfway between the lowest and the highest score
What is a mode?
The mode is the most commonly occurring score in the dataset
What are observational studies?
Observational studies are research in which there is no manipulation of the independent variable by the researcher
What is operationalisation of variables?
Operationalisation is the quantification of a variable
What is order effect?
Order effects are changes in results caused by the sequence of performing tasks in a test; often ascribed to practice- or boredom-effects
What is participant effect?
A participant effect is characteristics of the participants becoming a confounding variable and influencing the value of the dependent variable
What are participants’ rights?
Participants’ rights are ethical considerations including the right to informed consent, debriefing and withdrawal rights
What is a placebo?
A placebo is a variable other than the independent variable that causes a change in the value of the dependent variable due to he participant’s belief that it will have an effect
What is the placebo effect?
The placebo effect refers to the participants’ behaviour being influenced by their expectations of how they should behave, caused by the belief that they have received some treatment.
What is a population?
A population is the group of people about whom we wish to draw conclusions
What is a p-value?
The p-value is the likelihood that a result would be achieved by chance alone
What is qualitative data?
Qualitative data is descriptions of the characteristics of what is being studied
What is quantitative data?
Quantitative data is measurements (numerical information) about the variables being studied
What is a questionnaire?
A questionnaire is a form of self-report survey
What is random allocation?
Random allocation is a subject selection procedure where all participants who have been selected for an experiment have an equal chance of being in the E-group or C-group
What is a sample?
A sample is the members of the population that have been chosen to take part in the research in order to represent the population
What is a convenience sample?
Convenience sampling is the process of selecting participants who are easily obtainable
What is a random sample?
Random sampling is a sampling procedure in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected
What is a stratified random sample?
Stratified random sampling is a method of sampling that involves the division of a population into smaller groups known as strata, which are based in members’ shared attributes or characteristics
What is a stratified sample?
Stratified sampling is a sampling process by which the effects of a certain variable can be eliminated as a possible confound in an experiment
What is the scientific method?
The scientific method is the structured process that is used in all psychological research
What are self-reports?
S
What is a single-blind procedure?
A single-blind procedure is an experimental design in which either the participants or the researcher does not know which participants a in the experimental group
What are standardised instructions and procedures?
Standardised instructions and procedures are the system of using the same words, actions and materials despite being administered by different researchers. A process of eliminating possible confounds.
What is statistical significance?
A result is called statistical significant when the likelihood of a finding occurring by chance is less than 5 in 100
What are variables?
Variables are describable or quantifiable properties measured in research, they may be independent; dependent; confounding; controlled and extraneous
What is a confounding variable?
A confounding variable is a variable other than the independent that has a systematic effect on the value of the dependent variable (it acts like a second, unwanted, independent variable).
What is a controlled variable?
C
What is an extraneous variable?
An extraneous variable is any variable other than the IV or DV - these may be confounding, controlled or neutral variables.
