Research Methods

Question 1

What are the three designs of experiment?

Answer 1

Independent groups, matched pairs and repeated designs

Question 2

What are the methods of experiments?

Answer 2

Quasi, laboratory, field, observation, natural

Question 3

What are the two types of observation?

Answer 3

Overt (open) and covert (secret)

Question 4

What types of sampling methods are there?

Answer 4

Stratified, volunteer, opportunity, random, and systematic.

Question 5

What is meant by reliability?

Answer 5

How much a study and its findings are repeatable/replicable

Question 6

What is meant by validity?

Answer 6

How much a study’s findings are correct/accurate

Question 7

What is face validity?

Answer 7

If a study/experiment is testing what it says it’s testing.

Question 8

What is temporal validity?

Answer 8

If a study’s findings are relevant throughout the years.

Question 9

What is cultural validity?

Answer 9

If a study can be generalised across all cultures.

Question 10

What is concurrent validity?

Answer 10

If a study’s findings are supportive of another study’s findings.

Question 11

What is nominal data?

Answer 11

Categorised data

Question 12

What is ordinal data?

Answer 12

Ordered data (can’t show by how much)

Question 13

What is interval data?

Answer 13

Ordered data (shows by how much)

Question 14

What level of significance is most commonly used?

Answer 14

P<0.05 (greater or equal to)

Question 15

What are the measurements of spread?

Answer 15

Range and standard deviation

Question 16

What are the measurements of averages?

Answer 16

Mean, median, mode

Question 17

What is the null hypothesis?

Answer 17

Opposes the hypothesis.

Question 18

How would you write a non-directional hypothesis?

Answer 18

“There will be a difference between [condition A] and [condition B]”

Question 19

How would you write a directional hypothesis?

Answer 19

“[Condition A] will do better than [condition B]”

Question 20

When would you use a directional hypothesis?

Answer 20

When there’s already previous evidence that indicates a certain result.

Question 21

What is a pilot study?

Answer 21

A study preceding the original study to test whether the method, variables and instructions are all in order.

Question 22

What does a debriefing need to contain?

Answer 22

The study’s primary aims, the right to withdraw their information and any necessary help/contacts.

Question 23

What’s the difference between a blind condition and a double blind condition?

Answer 23

A blind condition is where the participant doesn’t know something (e.g. in a drug trial they won’t know if they’re taking the real drug or a placebo) and a double blind is where neither the participant nor the experimenter knows something (neither of them know if the participant takes the drug or the placebo).

Question 24

How do you control for order effects in a repeated measures design? What is this called?

Answer 24

Counter balancing

Have two groups - swap the order of the tasks for each group.

Question 25

What’s the difference between extraneous and confounding variables?

Answer 25

Extraneous variables are the variables that might possibly interfere with an experiment, but confounding variables are variables which will definitely interfere with an experiment.

Question 26

What is internal validity?

Answer 26

Whether or not an experiment is actually testing what it says it’s testing.

Question 27

What is ecological validity?

Answer 27

The extent to which results in one setting can be generalised to another setting

Question 28

What’s the difference between quantitative data and qualitative data?

Answer 28

Quantitative data is something that can be measured (time, numbers, etc.), whereas qualitative data can’t be measured (opinions, emotions, skill, etc.)

Question 29

Give a strength and a weakness for correlational analysis.

Answer 29

Strength: Allows us to make predictions of an outcome.
Weakness: Correlation doesn’t imply causation.

Question 30

What is thematic analysis?

Answer 30

A method used to identify patterns of meanings and themes within qualitative data.

Question 31

Give two self-report techniques.

Answer 31

Questionnaires and Interviews

Question 32

Name the non-parametric statistical tests.

Answer 32

Mann Whitney, Wilcoxon, Chi-squared, Sign and Spearman’s

Question 33

Name the parametric statistical tests.

Answer 33

Pearson’s, Unrelated t-test and Related t-test

Question 34

What needs to be included in a psychology write-up?

Answer 34

Abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion, references, and appendices.

Question 35

What is a paradigm?

Answer 35

A general theory or law that is accepted by the overwhelming majority of scientists in a particular field of study.

Question 36

How does a paradigm shift come about?

Answer 36

1) Pre-science: no theories that are generally accepted
2) Normal science: a paradigm emerges
3) Revolution: an existing paradigm is replaced by a new one (a paradigm shift).

Question 37

Difference, nominal data with independent groups. What test is used?

Answer 37

Chi-squared

Question 38

Difference, nominal data with repeated measures or matched pairs. What test is used?

Answer 38

Sign test

Question 39

Difference, ordinal data, with independent groups. What test is used?

Answer 39

Mann Whitney

Question 40

Difference, ordinal data with repeated measures or matched pairs. What test is used?

Answer 40

Wilcoxon

Question 41

Correlation and ordinal data . What test is used?

Answer 41

Spearman’s

Question 42

Correlation and internal data. What test is used?

Answer 42

Pearson’s

Question 43

Difference, interval data with independent groups. What test is used?

Answer 43

Unrelated t-test

Question 44

Difference, interval data with repeated measures or matched pairs. What test is used?

Answer 44

Related t-test

Question 45

What are investigator effects?

Answer 45

Where the investigators results are altered due to a bias/expectation/stereotype.