Research methods Flashcards
Define lab experiments
A controlled environment
Define natural experiments
Where the IV is naturally occurring, e.g. alzheimer’s
Define Field experiments
A natural setting, but where the IV is manipulated
What does RICHARD stand for?
Respect, Informed consent, Confidentiality, harm, animals, right to withdraw, deception/debrief
What is the target population?
The people the study is directed towards (the findings are being generalised to)
What is the sample
The people in the study who represent the target population
What is reliabaility?
Every time something is measured, the result should be the same. It refers to the extent to which the research method used produces consistent results. If the method is reliable, you would get similar/the same results if it was repeated on different occasions.
Are lab experiments reliable?
Yes, as the researchers can control and standardise many aspects of the procedure. This means the procedure can be quite easily repeated (replicated) un exactly the same way for every participant.
Are field experiments reliable?
Somewhat, but they have less control of extraneous variables compared to lab experiments. In a real life setting it makes replication of field experiments more difficult.
Are questionnaires and interviews reliable?
As the questions are answered by the participants about themselves, they should provide the same or similar answers, so it should be reliable. It is easier to achieve reliability if it is made up of closed questions. Reliability can be tested by comparing answers the same person gives on two different occasions.
Are observations reliable?
It depends on how well the researches plan the observation, e.g. what categories they include to check and how long they observe for. Reliability can be about making sure the same observer would record the same observation twice. For example, the observer could watch a video and compare the observations they made on each occasion.
