Research Methods

Question 1

What do experiments establish?

Answer 1

Cause and effect relationship between variables

Question 2

What is a hypothesis?

Answer 2

A prediction which formulates the effect of changing one variable (IV) on another variable (DV)

Question 3

What happens to the IV in an experimental condition?

Answer 3

The IV is manipulated

Question 4

What happens to the IV in a control condition?

Answer 4

The IV stays the same

Question 5

What makes a lab experiment scientific?

Answer 5

The procedure is replicated because of the standardised procedures and makes it more reliable

Question 6

How does lab experiments lack ecological validity?

Answer 6

The experiment isn’t like real life (artificial)

Question 7

What is a weakness about validity when it comes to field experiments?

Answer 7

Field experiments can be less valid than lab experiments because of the lack of control on extraneous variables

Question 8

What are quasi experiments?

Answer 8

When the IV occurs naturally and can not be manipulated by the experimenter

Question 9

What is an observation?

Answer 9

When an experiment observe ppt’s behaviour

Question 10

What is a naturalistic observation?

Answer 10

An observation carried out in the field (natural setting)

Question 11

What is a controlled observation?

Answer 11

An observation that is controlled so the procedure/setting is the same for each ppt

Question 12

What is a participant observation?

Answer 12

An observation where the observer is pretending to be a part of the group that is being observed

Question 13

What is a non-participant observation?

Answer 13

An observation where the observer is not a member of the group being studied

Question 14

What is an unstructured observation?

Answer 14

Where the observer continuously records and reports behaviour, noting everything that happens

Question 15

What is a structured observation?

Answer 15

Where the observer only records data of behaviour they are particularly interested in

Question 16

What is a covert observation?

Answer 16

An observation where the ppt does not know they are being observed

Question 17

What is an overt observation?

Answer 17

The ppt knows that thy’re being observed

Question 18

What is a weakness of unstructured observations?

Answer 18

The data collected is difficult to summaries and compare between different ppts.

Question 19

What is a strength of structured observations?

Answer 19

Data is easily compared and you are able to see a common trend

Question 20

What is a weakness of structured observations?

Answer 20

You may miss an important behaviour category which occurs more often than the ones you are observing which will cause you to have skewed data

Question 21

What is a weakness of naturalistic observations?

Answer 21

Although you may see normal behaviour, the lack of control means there could be other factors influencing behaviour

Question 22

What is a weakness of controlled observations?

Answer 22

The situation is artificial and may make behaviour unusual

Question 23

Advantages of participant observations:

Answer 23

Good vantage point for your observations

Able to get insight on situation and gather detailed information

Question 24

Disadvantages of participant observations:

Answer 24

Presence may change the course of the events you are observing
Observer may become bias as they become too involved in the group being observed

Question 25

Advantage of non-participant observations:

Answer 25

Able to be objective

Question 26

What is event sampling?

Answer 26

Where an event is recorded each time it happens

Question 27

What is time point sampling?

Answer 27

When an observer records what the participant is doing at fixed intervals

Question 28

What is time event sampling?

Answer 28

Where a fixed period of time is set for observation