Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

psychology. > Research Methods > Flashcards

Research Methods Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
Psychology 101 flashcards GRE® Psychology flashcards AP® Psychology flashcards
1
Q

What are the 2 types of scientific/psychological research?

A

Experimental and Non experimental

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What 3 types of research are experimental?

A
  1. Laboratory
  2. Field
  3. Natural
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What 5 types of research are non experimental?

A
  1. Observation
  2. Self report (interview/questionnaire)
  3. Case studies
  4. Content analysis
  5. Correlations
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is meant by primary data?

A

When researchers test their own hypothesis.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is an advantage of primary data?

A

It specifically target research aims, has the advantage of quality control for validity and reliability

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is meant by secondary data?

A

Data is utilised by the researcher from a source - it is second hand

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is an advantage of secondary data?

A

It is more economically sustainable (cheaper)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What is a disadvantage of secondary data?

A

There is no guarantee that the procedure was of a high standard (lack validity and reliability). It may also not reflect the researchers aims directly

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What are the 5 main sampling types?

A
  1. Random sampling
  2. Opportunity sampling
  3. Stratified sampling
  4. Systematic sampling
  5. Volunteer sampling
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is random sampling?

A

Choosing participants at random, everyone has an equal chance of being selected

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is a strength of random sampling?

A

It is not biased which means it won’t skew the results

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is a weakness of random sampling?

A

It may be harder to generalise to a bigger population due to a lack of variation in the sample

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is opportunity sampling?

A

Recruiting people who are most convenient

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is a strength of opportunity sampling?

A

Easy and quick method

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What is a weakness of opportunity sampling?

A

Biased

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is stratified sampling?

A

Proportionally choosing people from a group

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is a strength of stratified sampling?

A

More representative of a larger group, better for generalising

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What is a weakness of stratified sampling?

A

It is less economic and its time consuming

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is systematic sampling?

A

Using a system to help select participants

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is a strength of systematic sampling?

A

Helps to eliminate bias

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What is a weakness of systematic sampling?

A

Could be bias if researcher chooses system; especially if motives are behind choice

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What is volunteer sampling?

A

When people volunteer to take part

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What is a strength of volunteer sampling?

A

Gives access to a variety of participants

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What is a weakness of volunteer sampling?

A

Only a specific type of person chooses to volunteer (volunteer bias)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What is meant by presumptive consent?

A

Asking a group of people from the same target population as the sample whether they would agree to take part in the study, if yes the researcher presumes that the sample would

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

What is post-event consent?

A

Offering to destroy any information from the study if they don’t consent

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

What is involved in a research study debrief?

A
  • Information about the true aims of the study
  • Opportunity to discuss concerns/queries
  • Right to withhold their data
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

What is meant by reliability?

A

Having consistent results that can be depended on, research can be repeated to achieve similar results

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

How is reliability often tested?

A

Correlational analysis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

What is meant by inter rater reliability?

A

Allows a researcher to measure the extent to which observers agree on the behaviours which they have observed

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

How is inter rater reliability measured?

A

Through correlational analysis - scorers record their own data individually, and then the sets of data obtained from each scorer is correlated

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

How is observer reliability achieved?

A

If there is a highly significant positive correlation obtained between the scorers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

How can a research individually test the reliability of their research?

A

Audiotaping/videotaping

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

How can observer reliability be improved?

A

Having operational definitions of the key terms that are clear and understood fully by all observers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

What is debriefing?

A

A post research interview designed to inform participants of the true nature of the study. It may be useful to gain feedback

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

What are extraneous variables?

A

A general term for any variable, other than the IV that might affect the results

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

What is the confounding variable?

A

When the EV is significant enough to cause a change in the results of the experiment/study

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

What is the independent variable?

A

Something which is directly manipulated by an experimenter in order to test its effect on another variable (dependent variable)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
39
Q

What is informed consent?

A

Participants must be given full information concerning the nature and purpose of the research and their role in it. An informed decision can then be made on whether to participate

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
40
Q

What does it mean to operationalise?

A

Ensuring that variables are in a form that can be easily tested

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
41
Q

What are standardised procedures?

A

A set of procedures that are the same for all participants in order to be able to repeat the study, this includes standardised instructions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
42
Q

What is meant by external validity?

A

The degree to which research findings can be generalised to other settings (ecological validity), groups of people (population validity) and times (historical validity)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
43
Q

What is meant by internal validity?

A

The degree to which experimental results was due to the manipulation of independent variables rather than other factors such as confounding variables

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
44
Q

What is mundane realism?

A

Refers to how a study mirrors real life applications and activities

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
45
Q

What is a directional hypothesis?

A 
States the expected direction of the results 
e.g) People who sleep well do BETTER on class tests
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
46
Q

What is a non directional hypothesis?

A 
States that there is a difference between 2 conditions but does not state the direction 
e.g) People with good sleep have DIFFERENT marks on class tests than people with lower sleep average
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
47
Q

What is a pilot study?

A

A small scale trial run of a study to test the quality of the design, with a view to making improvements

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
48
Q

What is counterbalancing?

A

An experimental technique used to overcome order effects when using a repeated measures design

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
49
Q

What is independent groups design?

A

2 groups of participants representing different aspects of the IV

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
50
Q

What is matched pairs design?

A

Pairs of participants are matched in terms of key variables such as age and IQ. One member of each pair is allocated to one of the conditions under the test and the second person is allocated to the other condition

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
51
Q

What are order effects?

A

When the order in which things are presented affect the results of an experiment (matched pairs design)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
52
Q

What is the repeated measures design?

A

Each participant takes part in every condition under (each level of the IV)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
53
Q

What is a field experiment?

A

A controlled experiment conducted outside the lab. The IV still manipulated by the experimenter however participants are usually unaware hat they are participating in an experiment. Their behaviour may be more natural and they are less likely to respond to experimenter cues

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
54
Q

What is a laboratory experiment?

A

An experiment carried out in a controlled setting. Participants tend to be aware they are being studied and tasks are more artificial

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
55
Q

What is a natural experiment?

A

The experimenter doesn’t directly manipulate the IV, it will vary naturally without researcher input. The researcher records the effects of the IV on a dependent variable - this DV may be measured in a lab

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
56
Q

What is a quasi experiment?

A

The IV is naturally occurring and the DV may be measured in a lab. The key feature is the the IV has not been made to vary by anyone. It is simply a difference between people/conditions that exist
e.g) Gender differences/Locus of control

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
57
Q

What is an investigator effect?

A

Cues from the investigator that encourage certain behaviours in the participants

58
Q

What is volunteer bias?

A

A form of sampling bias because volunteer participants have special characteristics (more motivated etc.)

59
Q

What are the ethical issues?

A
  1. Informed consent
  2. Deception
  3. Confidentiality
  4. The right to withdraw
  5. Protection from harm
60
Q

What is cost-benefit analysis?

A

A systematic approach to estimating the negatives and positives of any research

61
Q

What is presumptive consent?

A

A method of dealing with lack of informed consent, by asking a group of people who are similar to the participants whether they would agree to take part in a study. If this group of people consent, it is presumed the real participants would’ve agreed

62
Q

What is controlled observation?

A

A form of investigation in which behaviour is observed but under conditions where certain variables have been organised by the researcher

63
Q

What are covert observations?

A

Observing people without their knowledge, knowing that behaviour is being observed is likely to alter participants behaviour

64
Q

What is inter-observer reliability?

A

The extent to which there is agreement between 2 or more observers involved in observations of behaviour where observations should be consistent and produce the same record

65
Q

What is a naturalistic observation?

A

an observation carried out in an everyday setting in which the researcher does not interfere in any way and just observes behaviour

66
Q

What is non participant observation?

A

The observer is separate from the people being observed

67
Q

What is observer bias?

A

Expectations/predictions may affect what they think they have seen/heard. This reduces the validity of the observations

68
Q

What is an overt observation?

A

Observational studies where participants are aware that their behaviour is being studied

69
Q

What is participant observation?

A

Observations made by someone who is also participating in the activity being observed

70
Q

What are aims?

A

Statement(s) of what the researcher intend to find out from an experiment/study

71
Q

What is meant by a hypothesis?

A

A precise and testable statement about the assumed relationship between variables

72
Q

What is event sampling?

A

An observational technique in which a count is kept of the number of times a certain behaviour/event occurs

73
Q

What is a structured observation?

A

A researcher uses various systems to organise observations, such as behavioural categories and sampling procedures

74
Q

What is time sampling?

A

An observational technique in which the observer records behaviours in a given time frame
e.g) every 10 minutes

75
Q

What is interviewer bias?

A

The effect of expectations, communicated unconsciously, on a respondent’s behaviour
e.g) leading questions

76
Q

What is social desirability bias?

A

A distortion in the way people answer questions so that they present themselves in a better light

77
Q

What is a structured interview?

A

Question are decided and planned in advance

78
Q

What is an unstructured interview?

A

The interview starts out with some general aims and questions however the responses mainly guide subsequent questions

79
Q

What are closed questions?

A

Questions that have a predetermined range of answers from which respondents select one. Tends to produce quantitative data

80
Q

What are open questions?

A

Questions that invite respondents to provide their own answers rather than choose from a selection. Tends to produce qualitative data

81
Q

What are the advantages of lab experiments?

A
  • All variables are strictly controlled and said to be reliable
  • Conclusions can easily be drawn about casual relationships
82
Q

What are the disadvantages of lab experiments?

A
  • Events do not occur in the natural environment and may have low ecological validity
  • Increased likelihood of demand characteristics
  • The more the variables and participants are manipulated the more likelihood of ethical issues
83
Q

What are the advantages of field experiments?

A
  • Validity is likely to increase as the experiment takes place in the natural environment
  • Demand characteristics are reduced as there is usually limited contact between participant and researcher
84
Q

What are the disadvantages of field experiments?

A

As only the IV is manipulated, control is reduced and the results become less reliable due to extraneous variables and sources of bias (the environment and sample)

85
Q

What are the advantages of natural experiments?

A
  • Events can be studied where no variables are manipulated and there are no ethical implications
  • High validity as real situations and experiences are studied
  • No/few demand characteristics
86
Q

What are the disadvantages of natural experiments?

A
  • No control over variables = little reliability

- There may be ethical implications in terms of consent and feedback

87
Q

What is an advantage of quasi experiments?

A

Often carried out under controlled conditions and therefore share the strengths of laboratory experiments

88
Q

What is a disadvantage of quasi experiments?

A

Participants can’t really be allocated to conditions and therefore they may be cofounding variables

89
Q

What are the advantages of self report techniques such as interviews and questionnaires?

A
  • Interviews allow non verbal communication
  • Structured interviews/questions are more reliable and allow the aims to be directly tested
  • Questionnaires can be quick and economic, while generating large samples
90
Q

What are the weaknesses of self report techniques such as interviews and questionnaires?

A
  • More likely to have demand characteristics
  • Questionnaires can also be answered to reflect social desirability which makes them less reliable
  • Researcher bias/investigator cues
  • Closed questions can be less valid
  • Questionnaires can be hard to suit a range of participants and needs (different age ranges, abilities)
91
Q

What are the advantages of observational techniques?

A
  • Behaviours occur in a natural environment so there is high validity
  • Less demand characteristics
92
Q

What are the weaknesses of observational techniques?

A
  • Ethical/consensual issues
  • If it is an overt observation, this may change their behaviour and reduce the validity of the findings
  • Behaviours will need to be agreed between more than one person (inter rater reliability)
93
Q

What are the advantages of a correlational analysis?

A
  • Can indicate the strength of a relationship
  • Secondary data can be used which is economic
  • Can relate variables which may be unethical to manipulate
94
Q

What are the disadvantages of correlational analysis?

A
  • A causal relationship can’t be determined from a correlational analysis
  • The relationship may be as a result of a third ‘unknown’ variable
  • Doesn’t account for non linear relationships
95
Q

What is a strength of random sampling?

A

Likely to be representative of a population as it mostly avoids bias

96
Q

What is a strength of opportunity sampling?

A

Practical, quick and convenient

97
Q

What is a weakness of opportunity sampling?

A
  • Unlikely to be representative
  • Could be affected by bias
  • Cannot confidently generalise the findings
98
Q

What is an advantage of volunteer sampling?

A
  • Economic

- Can produce large samples

99
Q

What is a disadvantage of volunteer sampling?

A
  • Volunteer bias, more likely to have demand characteristics
100
Q

What is an advantage of stratified sampling?

A

Likely to be more representative than other methods because it is proportional and random

101
Q

What is a disadvantage of stratified sampling?

A

Very time consuming to identify subgroups, then randomly select participants

102
Q

What is an advantage of systematic sample?

A

Unbiased if first person selected randomly

103
Q

What is a disadvantage of systematic sampling?

A

Could be manipulated if first person isn’t selected randomly, this makes results less reliable

104
Q

What is a strength of independent groups design?

A

As each participant undertakes one condition there is no risk of order effects and reduced demand characteristics

105
Q

What is a weakness of independent groups design?

A
  • Individual differences may affect performance on conditions
  • More participants are needed than repeated measures
106
Q

What is a counter measure for independent groups design?

A

Participants should be randomly allocated to conditions

107
Q

What is an advantage of repeated measures?

A
  • Individual differences are more controlled

- More economic than independent measures

108
Q

What is a disadvantage of repeated measures?

A
  • Order effects
  • The second condition in contrast to the first might reveal the hypothesis and the participant could change their behaviour accordingly (demand characteristics)
109
Q

What is an advantage of matched pairs design?

A
  • No risk of order effects
  • Reduced demand characteristics
  • Individual differences are controlled by the matching process
110
Q

What is a disadvantage of matched pairs design?

A
  • Very time consuming and costly to match participants

- May not have control over all variables

111
Q

What is a counter measure for the repeated measures design?

A

Counterbalancing

112
Q

What is a counter measure for matched pairs design?

A

A pilot study may need to be conducted to identify key variables

113
Q

What is the purpose of filler questions in a questionnaire?

A

Some irrelevant questions are included to mislead the respondent from the main purpose of the survey

114
Q

What is BPS?

A

British Psychological Society Code of Ethics

115
Q

What are the BPS codes?

A
  • Respect individual and cultural differences
  • Competence
  • Informed consent
  • Discomfort and distress
  • Confidentiality
  • Right to withdraw
  • Debriefing
  • Privacy
116
Q

How could you evaluate the BPS codes in psychological practices?

A
  • Guidelines only have limited force
  • Individuals could find loopholes in the system
  • Do post event measures such as debriefing and the right to withdraw really offset the deception and potential loss of self esteem that participants may have experienced during the research
117
Q

What is peer review and what does it entail?

A

The assessment of scientific work by other experts who are in the same field. Research is submitted and reviewed by assessors whose evaluation is then discussed by a panel

118
Q

What is the aim of peer review?

A

The aim of peer review is to ensure that any research conducted and published is valid and of high quality

119
Q

What are the implications of psychological research for the economy?

A
  • Less pressure for the NHS
  • More people back at work
  • More productive economy
120
Q

What is an advantage of using a mean average?

A

Makes use of all values in the set

121
Q

What is disadvantage of using a mean average?

A

Can misrepresent the data if extreme values are included in the calculation

122
Q

What is an advantage of a median average?

A

Not affected by extreme scores

123
Q

What is a disadvantage of using a median average?

A

Not as representative of the data set as a whole because not all values are reflected in the average

124
Q

What is an advantage of using the mode average?

A

Quick and easy method to calculate an average, especially useful when the data is in categories

125
Q

What is a disadvantage of using the mode average?

A

Use is limited if the data set is multi modal

126
Q

What is a disadvantage of using a range to see how disperse a data set is?

A

Affected by extreme values, doesn’t take into account the number of observations in a data set

127
Q

What is an advantage of using standard deviation to see how disperse a data set is?

A

Precise, all values taken into account

128
Q

What is a disadvantage of using standard deviation to see how disperse a data set is?

A

Conceals extreme values

129
Q

What is meant by behavioural categories?

A

Dividing a target behaviour (such as aggression) into a subset of specific and operationalised behaviours

130
Q

What is a correlation?

A

A systematic association between two continuous variables

131
Q

What is a co-variable?

A

The 2 measured variables in a correlational analysis where the variables must be continuous
e.g) age and beauty co vary, as age increases so does beauty etc

132
Q

What is a correlational co-efficient?

A

A number between -1 and +1 that tells us how closely the co-variables in a correlational analysis are associated

133
Q

What is a curvilinear correlation?

A

A non-linear relationship between co-variables

134
Q

What is meant by an intervening variable?

A

A variable that comes between 2 other variables which is used to explain the association. It is an unidentified 3rd variable with a causal explanation

135
Q

What is a linear correlation?

A

A systematic relationship between co-variables that is defined by a straight line

136
Q

What is content analysis?

A

A kind of observational study in which behaviour is observed indirectly in written or verbal material such as interviews, conversations, books, diaries or TV programmes

137
Q

What is effect size?

A

A measure of the strength of the relationship between 2 variables, how big is the effect between each one

138
Q

What is a meta analysis?

A

A researcher looks at the findings from a number of different studies and produces a statistic of the overall effect

139
Q

What is a population?

A

An entire group with specified characteristics, from this we select a target group to conduct research however a target group is too large thus a representative sample is required

140
Q

What is a representative sample?

A

A subset of the target group with a similar distribution of relevant characteristics, allowing researchers to generalise with some justifications

141
Q

What is an unrepresentative sample?

A

A sample which does not reflect the distribution of characteristics of the target group, cannot be generalised to the population and is therefore biased

142
Q

Discuss the implications of bias and generalisation

A
  • Inaccurate conclusions
  • Lacks reliability
  • Generalisation has limitations because it is almost a prediction hence it will have inaccuracies

psychology. (11 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions