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A-Level Psychology > Research methods > Flashcards

Research methods Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the independent variable?

A

variable that is manipulated in order to determine its effect on the dependent variable.
- E.g the amount of chocolate when investigating mood
10mg, 20mg

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2
Q

What is the control condition?

A

provides a standard against which experimental condition can be compared

  • and so the IV is not manipulated at all.
  • E.g no chocolate
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3
Q

What is the dependent variable?

A

variable being measured

- E.g mood

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4
Q

What are extraneous variables?

A
  • Any variables other than the IV that could affect the DV.

- E.g Not enough sleep, weather

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5
Q

What are confounding variables?

A
  • a type of extraneous variable
  • varies systematically with the IV, affects the DV.
  • E.g Light and noise
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6
Q

What is operationalisation?

A
  • When variables need to be defined and stated how it will be measured.
  • E.g “Aggression means how angry or irritated a person is and this can be measured by displays of verbal or physical acts of aggression in a 10 minute period”
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7
Q

What are laboratory experiments?

A
  • When an experiment is carried out in a controlled environment, such as a laboratory
  • researcher has high level of control over the IV and can eliminate any extraneous variables.
  • Participants are randomly allocated to a condition.
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8
Q

What are the advantages of laboratory experiments?

A

1) It has a very high level of control over the IV and conditions.
2) It can be easily replicated by other researchers to see if similar results can be obtained increasing its reliability.

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9
Q

What are disadvantages of laboratory experiments?

A

1) Demand characteristics might occur. This is where pps might guess aim of study and change behaviour accordingly. Some might behaviour in a more positive light than normal (social desirability bias)
2) A high level of control over IV means the experimental situation could lack mundane realism and does not have ecological validity.

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10
Q

What are field experiments?

A

An experiment carried out in the real world or in a natural setting rather than artifical setting of laboratory.
The IV is still manipulated.

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11
Q

What are advantages of field experiments?

A

1) There is more mundane realism and ecological validity than in a laboratory and it reflects real life more than a laboratory experiment.
2) there is less chance of demand characteristics compared to the laboratory experiment.
3) cause-and-effect relationship between IV and DV can be established because the research can manipulate the IV

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12
Q

What are disadvantages of field experiments?

A

1) there is less control of extraneous variables and sometimes the effect on the dependent variable could be caused by extraneous variables instead of the independent variables therefore the research cannot be valid.
2) There is less control over the sample therefore the sample might not be very representative of the target population.
3) difficult to replicate, so may be unreliable when compared to laboratory experiments.

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13
Q

What are natural experiments?

A
  • This is where the researcher takes advantage of a naturally occurring independent variable to see it effect on the dependent variable.
  • A natural experiment measures variables that aren’t directly manipulated by the experimenter
  • For example comparing behaviour in a single sex and mixed school - independent variable is naturally occurring.
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14
Q

What are the advantages of natural experiments?

A

1) There’s a high level of mundane realism and ecological validity compare to laboratory experiments.
2) An advantage of a natural experiments is that they are very useful when it’s impossible and ethical to manipulate the independent variable In a laboratory or field experiment.

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15
Q

What are disadvantages of natural experiments?

A

1) There is a low control of extraneous variables compared to laboratory experiments.
2) They are very difficult to replicate. This means that often very unreliable and if experiment is repeated it’s unlikely the same results will be gained again.
3) They are difficult to determine cause-and-effect due to low levels of control.

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16
Q

What are quasi experiments?

A
  • Quasi experiments contain a naturally occurring independent variable.
  • However in a quasi-experiment the naturally occurring independent variable is the difference between people that already exists. E.g gender or age
  • The researcher examines effect of this variable on the dependent variable
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17
Q

What are the advantages of quasi experiments?

A

1) There is a high level of control. The effects of extraneous variables are minimised.
2) Replication is very likely. Due to strict controls this means it’s easy to replicate the study to test the reliability of findings.

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18
Q

What are disadvantages of quasi experiments?

A

1) Lack of ecological validity because the setting is artificial experiment and and might not be a reflection of real life behaviour.
2) Demand characteristics.

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19
Q

What are observations?

A

An observation is when a researcher watches or listens to participants engaging in whatever behaviour is being studied.

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20
Q

What is nonparticipant observation?

A

This is when a researcher does not directly get involved with the interactions of the participants it does not take part in the activities.

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21
Q

What is an advantage of nonparticipant observation?

A

More focused on observations, can make good quality notes

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22
Q

What is a disadvantage of nonparticipant observation?

A
  • Participants are more likely to show demand characteristics
  • As the researcher is not engaging in the activity, it might mean that they fail to have a deeper understanding of the observed behaviour.
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23
Q

What is participant observation?

A

This is where the researcher is directly involved with the interactions of the participants and will engage in activities that the participants are doing e.g. gym

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24
Q

What is an advantage of participant observation?

A
  • Greater validity
  • participants might be less likely to show demand characteristics
  • psychologist is more able to identify variables that affect the behaviour
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25
Q

What is the disadvantage of participant observation?

A
  • Can become less focused on observation
  • not able to make good detailed notes
  • the researcher might lose objectivity and might become too subjective and biased
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26
Q

What is covert observation?

A

The psychologist goes undercover and does not reveal their true identity and they may even give him or herself a new identity.

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27
Q

What is an advantage of covert observation?

A

They are less likely to show demand characteristics.

28
Q

What is the disadvantage of covert observation?

A
  • Can be known as deception as the psychologist is deceiving the participants
  • no informed consent
29
Q

What is overt observation?

A

The psychologist reveals his true identity and may also state that they are observing the group.

30
Q

What is an advantage of overt observation?

A
  • It’s very ethical compared to covert observation

- participants can give their fully informed consent

31
Q

What is the disadvantage of overt observation?

A
  • There could be observer effects.

- Pps may also change their behaviour when they know that they are being observed, leading to invalid results.

32
Q

what is naturalistic observation?

A
  • A researcher observes participants in their own natural environment and there is no deliberate manipulation of the independent variable.
  • For example a psychologist watches people shopping at Westfield to see if the shopping alone or in a group
33
Q

What are advantages of naturalistic observations?

A
  • Pps are usually unaware that they are being observed so there is a reduced chance of observer effect & participants are likely to act naturally. This gives valid results.
  • The studies have high mundane realism as a behaviour shown is likely to reflect everyday behaviour. These observations are high in ecological validity.
34
Q

What are disadvantages of naturalistic observations?

A
  • It’s impossible to have any control over extraneous variables. This means that other variables might be affecting the dependent variable other than the independent variable and could make the results invalid.
  • There is a risk of observer bias. Due to the lack of control the observer might be very subjective and might be very biased when trying to interpret behaviour and could lead to unreliable results.
35
Q

What is a controlled observation?

A
  • A researcher observes pps in a controlled environment and this allows for manipulation of the independent variable.
  • An example might be to watch participants in a laboratory setting and record their behaviour.
    E.g induce high levels of stress in participants by giving them a very difficult IQ test and then watch their reactions
36
Q

What are advantages of controlled observations?

A

1) Extraneous Variables can be controlled in this type of observation. This means the results will be more valid.
2) Controlled observations are more likely to yield qualitative data that is rich and detailed increasing the validity of the study.
3) Cause-and-effect can be determined because the observation is highly controlled

37
Q

What are disadvantages of controlled observations?

A

1) Low levels of mundane realism and ecological validity because of the high control in observation.
2) Observer effects can occur as participants usually know that they are being observed. Therefore participants might show social desirability bias and might behave unnaturally.
3) There is a risk of observer bias which means that the researchers own views and opinions can influence recording of data which then becomes inaccurate.

38
Q

What is observer bias?

A
  • If the observer knows the purpose of the study then they may observe behaviours that they think meet their aims and hypothesis.
  • This can influence how they record the data which might be inaccurate and subjective.
39
Q

What is inter-rater reliability?

A
40
Q

What is inter-rater reliability?

A
  • There’s two observers who record their data separately.
  • They then correlate their observations and data together and if a Kappa score of +0.8 is gained then the data gained from each researcher is reliable.
41
Q

What are behavioural categories?

A
  • Specific types of behaviour that are being looked for in an observation.
  • E.g aggression, social interactions, hyperactivity
42
Q

What is event sampling?

A
  • The observer decides in advance what behaviour they’re interested in and record all occurrences.
  • E.g every time a pp gets to get a cup of coffee we would log this info
43
Q

What is time interval sampling?

A
  • The observer decides in advance that the observation will take place only during specified time periods e.g 10 minutes every hour
44
Q

What is a pilot study?

A
  • A preliminary small scale investigation of the procedures to be used in main study.
  • A few people are selected and the study is trialed on them.
  • Identifies any flaws so saves money and time
45
Q

What is a structured interview?

A

When pps are asked the same questions in same order.

  • Provides quantitative data
  • Usually closed questions “Yes” or “No
46
Q

What are advs of structured interview?

A

1) If pps misunderstand a q it can be repeated and clarified in the interview to help aid understanding.
2) They’re quicker than unstructured interviews so less time consuming

47
Q

What are disadvs of structured interviews?

A

1) Risk of interviewer effects which could affect the data collected and be invalid.
2) Lack qualitative and in depth data. The answers are restrictive and factual but lacks meaning and depth.

48
Q

What is an unstructured interview?

A
  • An informal in-depth conversational exchange between interviewer and interviewee.
  • Provides qualitative data
  • Consists of open questions that require indepth answers
49
Q

What are the advantages of unstructured interviews?

A
  • Very useful with investigating sensitive or controversial topics.
  • Produce qualitative data which is high in validity and understanding.
50
Q

What the disadvantages of unstructured interviews?

A

1) Risk of social desirability and so the results might not be very valid or accurate.
2) Interviewers need to be well trained which can be time consuming and expensive in order to ensure correct training.

51
Q

What is a semi-structured interview?

A
  • This type of interview combines a mix of structured and unstructured techniques providing both qualitative and quantitative data.
  • Open and closed questions
52
Q

What are the advantages of semi-structured interview?

A

1) Allows informants the freedom to express views in their own terms.
2) Allows the interviewer to prepare questions ahead of time

53
Q

What are the disadvantages of semi structured interview?

A

1) It is time consuming and resource extensive as questions need to be prepared beforehand.
2) Open ended questions are difficult to analyse and compare.

54
Q

What are advantages of questionnaires?

A

1) Quick, easy, relatively cheap
2) Can have a large sample and collect a large amount of data
3) Time efficient because researcher doesnt have to be present
4) Easy to replicate and so reliability can be established

55
Q

What are disadvantages of questionnaires?

A

1) Can be ambigious and wording might not be clear. Pps could misinterpret question leading to invalid data collection.
2) Can have a low response rate esp if sent by post and returned.
3) Can have a biased sample as only suitable for people who can read and are willing to spend time answering the questions. So it wouldn’t be representative of the target population.

56
Q

What is a correlation?

A

A technique used for analysing the strength of a relationship between two quantitative variables.

57
Q

What are the advantages of correlation?

A

1) Allow psychologists to establish strength of the relationship between two variables and measure it properly.
2) Predictions can be made about one of the variables based on what is known about the other variable.

58
Q

What are disadvantages of correlation?

A

1) Correlational analysis cannot demonstrate cause and effect, we cannot tell which variable influences the other
2) There could be a third unknown variable which influences both.

59
Q

What is operationalisation?

A

Defining the variables in a way to make them easy to measure.
E.g The operationalised IV would be the type of chocolate and how much is consumed. The operationalised DV could be the participants rating of their mood on a scale from 1-10.

60
Q

What is a hypothesis?

A

A precise and testable statement about expected outcome of investigation.

61
Q

What is null hypothesis?

A

The IV will have no effect on the DV.

E.g eating chocolate will have no significant effect on a persons mood.

62
Q

What is alternative/experimental hypothesis?

A

This predicts that the IV will have an effect on the DV.
There are two types:
- Two tailed
- One tailed

63
Q

What is the two tailed/non-directional hypothesis?

A

It doesn’t state the direction of the predicted differences between conditions.
E.g Eating chocolate will significantly affect a persons mood

64
Q

What is a one tailed/two directional hypothesis?

A
  • This states the direction of the predicted difference between conditions.
  • Eating chocolate will increase a person’s mood.
  • used when there is past research indicating that recreational screen time has a detrimental effect on academic performance
65
Q

what is meta analysis ?

A

meta-analysis is the process where researchers collect and collate a wide range of previously conducted research on a specific area, collated research is reviewed together, combined data/effect size is often statistically tested to provide an overall conclusion.

A-Level Psychology (102 decks)

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