Research methods Flashcards
Types of validity
face
concurrent
ecological
temporal
Face validity
where a behaviour appears at first sight (on the face of It ) to represent what is being measured
Concurrent validity
Comparing a new test with an existing test of the same nature to see if they produce similar results
Ecological validity
Where a measure of behaviour accurately reflects the way in which the behaviour would occur in normal circumstances
the extent to which the results and conclusions are generalisable to real life.
Temporal validity
Where findings from research that took place at a certain point in time accurately reflect the way that behaviour would occur at a different point in time
Types of experiments
Laboratory
Natural
Quasi
Field
What is validity?
the extent to which findings or conclusions of a study are actually measuring what they claim to be measuring
Internal validity
the measure of the experimenter’s measurement of the dependent variable.
Internal validity - stopwatch example
measuring the reaction times of a person with a stopwatch.
Can you see an problem with this measurement?
The problem is that the person with the stopwatch has to also react. So, we would expect that this measurement is invalid.
use a video camera.
external validity
the extent to which findings can be generalised
Why is it important to have high external validity?
Important to have high levels of external validity because this directly affects the usefulness of the results and conclusions of the study
Population validity
the extent to which the sample can be generalised to similar and wider populations.
Why is population validity important?
This type of validity is important because without it the research becomes low in usefulness
Aim
a statement which describes the overall purpose of the research
Hypothesis
Statements or predictions about what the researcher expects to find.
Predictions might be based on prior research or existing theories
Method
How the research is carried out
When are directional hypotheses chosen?
if research is a replication of previous research
If a particular result has been found in the past, it is more likely that the same thing will be found again.
Operationalisation of variables
Process of avoiding ambiguity and maintaining internal validity by making variables and hypotheses clear and measurable.
Example of a null hypothesis
Breaking the rules about school uniform is not affected by gender and any difference is DUE TO CHANCE
Directional hypothesis
gives a direction in which the difference goes (i.e. higher, smaller)
Non-directional hypothesis
states that there will be a difference.
random sampling
gives every member of a target an equal chance of selecition
systemic sampling
every nth person is selected
Stratified sampling
groups of pp’s are selected in proportion to their frequency in their population to obtain a representative sample
Opportunity sampling
PP’s who are in the right place at the right time
most easily available at the time of study
Volunteer sampling
Ask people whether they are interested in taking part via an advertisement
pilot studies
a small-scale trial run of a research before doing the real thing
covert
concealed, hidden, done in secret.
Repeated measures
each pp takes part in all conditions
Independent groups
each pp only takes part in one condition
Matched pairs
where different but similar participants are used in each condition of the experiment.
matched on characteristics such as age or ability.
independent variable
variable that is manipulated by the researcher to measure its effect on the dependent variable.
Dependent variable
what is measured
Confounding variable
things that might affect research findings other than the IV.
Extraneous variable
Any variable, other than the IV, that may have an effect on the DV
Should be controlled at the start of the study
Confounding variable
any variable, other than the IV, that has affected the DV
