Research methods Flashcards
What are the two major types of research in psychology?
Observational studies and Experimental studies
What is a variable?
Any characteristic whose values can change
What is a good hypothesis?
A testable and falsifiable hypothesis: one that is framed in a way that is clear about which observations would confirm or challenge the statement
What is an operational definition?
A definition that translates the variable we want to assess into a specific procedure or measurement
What is the construct validity of the operational definition?
The definition has to reflect the variable named in our hypothesis
What are anecdoctal evidence? and is it sufficient for research?
Anecdotal evidence refers to informally collected evidence taken from one or two cases and usually scientists do not use it because it it not reliable :
Drawn from memory and which might be incomplete and have confirmation bias
Can also be special cases and not typical
What does a population refer to in research?
Population refers to the entie group about which the investigator wants to draw conclusions
How do we study a population?
We do not study all the members of the population and instead you take a sample
How do we choose an appropriate sample?
The sample should be representative of the whole population and so random sampling is one of the most common and appropriate methods
What is random sampling and why is it necessary?
Random sampling refers to a sampling technique in which all members of the population has an equal chance of being picked to participate in the study.
It is necessary becuase it helps to keep a representative sample
What is another sampling method that is better for asking the question of how diverse or what’s possible in a population?
Maximum variation sampling
What is the research method that focuses ona single individual rather than a sample of the population?
Case studies
Eg H.M. Phineas gage
What is external validity?
External validity is the degree to which the experiment reflects the broader world, not just the individual subjects but also the environmental variables and stimuli
What is a study’s demand characteristics and how can it influence the external validity?
Demand characteristics are the cues in a study that can tell a participant what behaviours are expected or deriable in that treatment.
Can alter the behaviour to be different from normal and influence the entire data pattern because of false reports or maybe false differences between groups
How can experimenters minimize demand characeristics?
Double blind experiment
