Research Methods Flashcards
What is a Scientific study?
A process of developing an explanation of a question in the natural world by testing, investigating and collecting data that will either support or refute the original idea
What is a Non- Scientific study?
Does not use a systematic collection of evidence or one that tries to find answers to questions about things other than the natural world such as beliefs
What is an Experimental study?
A study that investigates a cause and effect relationship between two or more variables. Experimental design allows causes or reasons for behaviour to be identified
What is a Non-Experimental study?
Describes behaviour, but do not let us identify the cause or reasons for behaviour. Unlike experiments they don’t let us explain why the behaviour occurs
What does Sample refer to?
Refers to a subsection represent from a population of research interest, if too small can be a source of error
What does Population refer to?
Refers to the entire group of people belonging to a particular category. It is the larger group of people from which a sample is to be drawn.
What does Confidentiality refer to?
Participants, and the data gained from them must be kept anonymous at all times
What does Voluntary Participation refer to?
Participants must volunteer to take part in an experiment, without being forced or manipulated
What does Anonymity mean?
Data must be kept private at all times in terms of access, storage and disposal of data
What does Withdrawal Rights refer to?
Participants are able to withdraw from an experiment at any time without suffering any consequences or pressure to continue
What does Informed Consent refer to?
Participants must read an sign an informed consent letter before any data is obtained, if a person is under the age of 18 a parent or caregiver must also sign the document
What does Deception refer to?
Information is deliberately withheld from participants because prior knowledge could affect the results of the experiment
What does Debriefing mean?
Follows deception, participants are told true meaning/purpose of the experiment when experiment is complete
What are Extraneous Variables? List 3
Variables other than IV that causes a change in the results such as;
Participant variables - memory, mood, ability, personality
Experimental effect -how experiment treats participants
Situational variables -how the participants react to the experimental environment, weather
What is the cofounding effect?
Result of confounding / extraneous variables not controlled then these variables rather than the IV has had an effect on the results leading to incorrect assumptions about what affected the dependent variable
What does counterbalancing refer to?
Involves dividing the groups of participants in half arranging the order of the conditions so that each condition occurs equally as often in each position. e.g. half exposed to control then experimental condition and other half exposed to the experimental and then control condition
What does Artificiality mean?
Affects the variables due to the unnatural environment in which the experiment is conducted
What is the Experimenter effect?
Occurs when there is an unintentional change in the participants behaviour and hence effects results due to the experimenters influence e.g. body language, verbal cues
What is a Placebo?
A fake drug used to treatment that is used so that the participants un each group (control and experimental) do not know whether the are being exposed to the experimenter condition
What is the Placebo effect?
Occurs when there is a change in participants behaviour due to the participants expectations about the treatment to be received
What four elements must be in an operational hypothesis?
- A testable prediction about the direction of the interaction between variables
- The population from which the sample is drawn
- The independent variable: operationalised (meaning measurable terms)
- The dependent variable operationalised
What does the term Reliability mean?
Refers to the consistency of a research study or measuring test, test produces the same results each time
What does the term Validity mean?
A test is valid if it measures what it claims to measure, there are a few types of validity some include; external, content and contract reliability
What does the term ‘correlation coefficient’ refer to?
It is a number that describes the strength and direction of the correlation
What does Statistical Significance refer to?
Refers to the significance of the difference between two scores; whether we can attribute the results to the IV or to chance alone. This demonstrates the cause effect relationship
Explain the P-value
- A P-value <0.05 means that there is less than 5% results are due to chance, if it is less than 0.05 the results accept the research hypothesis and results are considered statistically significant, this shows that caffeine may be linked to increasing test scores
- A P-value of >0.05 means that more than 5% of results are due to chance and therefore the hypothesis is rejected, results would be due to extraneous variables, results are not considered statistically significant and more research needs to be done
If a study is said to be statistically significant what does this mean?
- Hypothesis is supported
- P-value is <0.05 –> results were due to IV
- Results can be generalised to the wider population
What are the 6 Ethical Principles?
- Confidentiality
- Voluntary Participation
- Withdrawal Rights
- Informed Consent
- Deception
- Debrief
What is a Double Blind Procedure?
Neither the participants or researcher knows who has been assigned the control group or experimental group
What is a Single Blind Procedure?
Participants do not know whether they have been assigned to the control and experimenter group
What are the types of Validity?
- External Validity - Does the study allow findings to be applied to the wider population?
- Construct Validity - are the instruments or research tools effectively assessing the content/theory we believe they are assessing?
- Content Validity - are the instruments or research tools assessing what they are supposed to assess?
- Criterion related Validity - are the findings of the study consistent with that of other pieces of psychological research
What are the types of Data Collection?
- Qualitative
- Quantitive
- Objective Quantitative
- Subjective Quantitative
What is Qualitative Data?
- Written, spoken or observation collection of detailed data
- Advantages: detailed varied information
- Disadvantages: time consuming, costly, relies on participant reliability, cannot be statistically analysed
e. g. Interviews, Open ended questions
What is Quantitative Data
- Data expressed in numerical form
- Advantages: can be statistically analysed, does not rely on participant honesty
- Disadvantages: lacks detail
e. g. Shoe Size, Height
What is Objective Quantitive Data?
- Physiological measures of collecting statistical data
- Advantages: quick, easy, does not rely on participant honesty, can be statistically analysed
- Disadvantages: lacks detail
e. g. heart rate, blood pressure
What is Subjective Quantitive Data?
- Statistical data collected by rating scales/checklists
- Advantages: time efficient, easy, cost efficient to large group, can be analysed statistically
- Disadvantages: responses limited to options provided, no opportunity for rich data collection, could be bias
What are Non- Experimental Research Designs?
Case studies, surveys, correlational studies, archival research
What is a Case Study?
- In depth investigations of a single person, group, event or community
- Advantages: provides detailed (rich qualitative) information, provides insight for further research, allows insight to impractical / unethical situations
- Disadvantages: cannot generalise the results to the wider population, researchers’ own subjective feeling may influence the case study (bias), time consuming and difficult to replicate
What is Archival Research?
Analysing studies conducted by other researchers or booking at historical patient records
- Advantages: less expensive - data is found through archival data base, less time consuming
- Disadvantages: no control over how data was collected, important date may be missing from the records
What is a Survey?
Similar to a questionnaire also known as an written interview
- Advantages: Time & Cost Effective
- Disadvantages: Lacks detail and relies on participant honesty
What are Correlational Studies?
Correlational studies are used to look for relationships between variables, known as behavioural variables
- Advantages: allows the researcher to clearly and easily see if there is a relationship between variables
- Disadvantages: cause does not equal effect, even if there is a very strong association between two variables it cannot be assumed that one caused the other
What are Descriptive Statistics?
Used to summarise, organise and scribe data obtained from research. It allows data to be more easily interpreted. This includes percentages, graphs and mathematical calculations such as measures of central tendency
What is a Normal Curve?
There is even dispersion of scores, mean, mode, median are all the same
What is Variance?
The distribution or spread of scores around the mean
What is Standard Deviation?
The variance of scores around the mean, the higher the Standard Deviation or variance, the more spread out the distribution is
What is Correlation Coefficient?
A number that describes the strength and direction of the correlation
