Research Methods Flashcards
The foundation of psychology.
Alternative Hypothesis
-States a relationship/correlation between variables.
Null Hypothesis
-States no relationship/correlation between variables.
Hypothesis
- A clear testable statement that is written at the beginning of an investigation.
- It states the relationship of the variables being tested.
Dependent Variable (DV)
- The thing that the researcher measures in an investigation.
- Any changes in the DV should depend on the IV, and the IV alone.
Independent Variable (IV)
- The thing that is varied in an investigation- either deliberately changed by the experimenter or varies naturally.
- There are different levels of the IV which are called conditions.
Variable
-Any ‘thing’ that can vary or change within an investigation.
Extraneous Variable (EV)
- Any variable apart from the IV that could have an effect on the DV.
- If an EV is not controlled, the researcher won’t know what truly changed the DV.
Randomisation
-Using chance to control the effects of bias when designing a research study.
Standardised procedures
-Using exactly the same methods and instructions for all participants in a research study.
Field Experiment
- An experiment that takes place in an natural setting.
- The researcher deliberately changes the IV, and measures the effect of the IV on the DV.
- It is more difficult to control EVs in an field experiment than a laboratory experiment.
Laboratory Experiment
- An experiment that takes place in a controlled environment.
- The researcher deliberately changes the IV, and measures the effect of the IV on the DV.
- It is easier to keep control of EVs in a laboratory experiment than a field experiment.
Natural Experiment
- An experiment where the IV is not manipulated by the experimenter but would have changed whether the experimenter is interested or not.
- The experimenter records the effect of the change on the DV.
- Natural experiments can take place in natural settings or in a laboratory.
Qualitative method
-Using data that is expressed in words and is non-numerical.
(Although qualitative data may be converted into numbers for the purpose of analysis).
Quantitative method
-Using data that can be counted, usually given as numbers.
Allocations to conditions
In an independent groups design, each groups receive -one level of the IV.
- Random allocation is an unbiased method used to control for participant variables.
- If random methods are used, this ensures that each participant has the same chance of being in one group as any other.
Control group
- A group of participants who receive no ‘treatment’.
- Their behaviour acts as an baseline against which the effect of the IV may be measured.
Control condition
-The condition in a repeated measures design that provides a baseline measure of behaviour without the experimental treatment (IV).
Counterbalancing
- Used in repeated measures design to control for order effects.
- Half the participants complete the conditions in one order, and the other half in the opposite order.
Experimental design
-The different ways in which the participants can be organised in relations to conditions in an experiment.
Independent groups
- Participants are allocated to different groups where each group represents one experimental condition.
- E.G condition A and condition B.
Matched pairs
- Pairs of participants are matched in terms of variables relevant to the study, such as age or IQ.
- One member of the pairs takes part in condition A and the other takes part in conditions B.
Order effects
-In a repeated measures designs, an EV arising from the order in which conditions are present.
Repeated measures
-When all participants take part in all the conditions of the experiment.
Opportunity sample
-Produced by selecting people who are willing and available at the time.
Random sample
-Produced by using a random technique in which every member of the target population has an equal chance of being selected.
Sample
-A subset of the target population which aims to be representative of that population.
Sampling method
-The system used to produce a sample.
Stratified sample
-Produced by selecting participants in proportion to their frequency in the target population.
Systematic sample
-Produced by selecting every nth person on a list of the target population.
Target population
-The group that the researcher is interested in studying, from which a smaller sample is selected.
British Psychological Society (BPS) guidelines
- A code of conduct that every professional psychologist has to follow.
- It explains how participants should be dealt with, and is based on four main principles: respect, competence, responsibility and integrity.
Ethical issue
-When there is conflict between the rights of participants to be safe and the goals of research to produce valuable data.
Closed question
-One that has a fixed range of possible answers. They produce quantitative data.
Interview
-A interaction between an interviewer and an interviewee.
Open Question
- Allows people to give their own answer, rather than selecting one.
- They tend to produce qualitative data.
Questionnaire
-A set of written questions, used to find out a persons thoughts.
Observation studies.
- A researcher watches or listens to participants engaging in whatever behaviour being studied.
- Observation methods are often used to measure the DV in an experiment.
Correlation
-A mathematical technique used to investigate the relationship between two variables.
Scatter diagram
-A type of graph that measures the strength and direction of a relationship between co-variables in a correlation.
Case study
-An in-depth investigation of a single individual, group, institution or event.
Reliability
- Concerns the consistency of a measurement.
- Every time a thing is measured the result should be the same- unless the thing has changed.
Validity
- Concerns whether a result is ‘true’.
- Valid research represents something that is real.
Primary data
-Information that has been obtained first hand by the researcher for the purpose of a research project.
Secondary data
-Information that has been gathered by someone other than the researcher before current investigation.
Descriptive statistics
-The use of graphs, tables, and summary statistics to identify trends and analyse sets of data.
Mean
- The mathematical average.
- Calculated by adding up all of the numbers and diving by the amount of numbers there are.
Median
-The middle value in a set of data when they have been put in order from highest to lowest.
Mode
- The lowest common value/values in a set of data.
Range
-The lowest score subtracted from the highest score.
Bar chart
-A type of graph in which the frequency of each variable is represented by the height of a bar.
Frequency table
-A table that represents data in rows and columns.
Histogram
-Similar to a bar chart but there is no gaps between the bars.
Normal distribution
- A symmetrical spread of frequency data that forms a bell-shaped curve.
- The mean,median and mode are all at the highest peak.
