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GCSE Psychology (AQA) 2022 > Research Methods > Flashcards

Research Methods Flashcards

Paper 1+2

1
Q

define theory

A

A suggested explanation for behaviour

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2
Q

define aim

A

a general statement that explains the purpose of a study

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3
Q

define independent variable

A

the variable that the experimenter is deliberately changing

there are usually two levels of the IV

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4
Q

define dependent variable

A

what is measured by the researcher

the only thing that should affect the DV is a change in the IV

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5
Q

define operationalisation

A

making sure that variables are measurable, clear and precise

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6
Q

define hypothesis

A

a clear and precise testable statement

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7
Q

define alternative hypothesis

A

a statement of relationship or difference between variables

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8
Q

define null hypothesis

A

a statement of no relationship or difference between variables

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9
Q

define cause and effect

A

the only thing that should cause a change in the DV is the IV
if the DV does change, the experimenter has established cause and effect

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10
Q

define extraneous variables

A

unwanted variables that could affect the DV if they are not controlled

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11
Q

define standardised instructions

A

giving all participants exactly the same information about the study to ensure what is said to them doesn’t act as an EV

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12
Q

define standardised procedures

A

when the researcher uses the same method and instructions for all participants in a research study

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13
Q

define randomisation

A

using chance to control the effects of bias when designing a research study

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14
Q

define lab experiment

A

an experiment conducted in a controlled environment

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15
Q

give four evaluations of lab experiments

A

STRENGTH - EVs can be controlled which means that cause and effect can be established

STRENGTH - use of standardised procedure ensures replication is possible so it is possible to confirm the validity of results

WEAKNESS - the environment is not like everyday life so behaviour is less normal and results can’t be generalised to the wider world

WEAKNESS - participants may be aware of their being tested to may change their behaviour, making the data invalid

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16
Q

field experiment

A

an experiment conducted in a natural setting

experimenter manipulated the IV

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17
Q

give four evaluations of field experiments

A

STRENGTH - often more realistic than lab experiments due to their natural environment which increases the validity of results

STRENGTH - there is some control over EVs as standardised procedures can be used so cause and effect conclusions are more valid

WEAKNESS - researcher may lose control of some EVs because a real life setting makes it more difficult to control them, making it more difficult to show cause and effect

WEAKNESS - there may be ethical issues with people not being aware of their participation so can’t give informed consent

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18
Q

natural experiment

A

an experiment conducted in a natural or lab setting where the experimenter has no control over the IV

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19
Q

give four evaluations of natural experiments

A

STRENGTH - usually have high validity because the variables are naturally occurring and relate to everyday life but this isn’t always the case

STRENGTH - the DV is often tested in a lab so EVs can be well controlled because standardised procedures can be followed

WEAKNESS - may be few opportunities for this kind of research as it may focus on natural, and sometimes infrequent, events so the method’s usefulness is reduced

WEAKNESS - there may be a greater amount of EVs that could affect results such as participant variables which can’t be controlled by assigning to groups

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20
Q

independent groups

A

separate groups of people for each level of the IV

there is usually a control group and an experimental group

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21
Q

give two evaluation points of independent groups design

A

STRENGTH - order effects are not a problem as participants only do the task once so they won’t benefit from practice

WEAKNESS - there are different participants in each group meaning that participant variables may affect the results and act as an EV, reducing the validity of results

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22
Q

repeated measures

A

all participants take part in all the conditions

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23
Q

give three evaluation points of repeated measures design

A

STRENGTH - there are no participants variables as each participant is compared to themselves as opposed to other people, this enhances the validity of results

STRENGTH - fewer participants are needed so repeated measures is less expensive

WEAKNESS - order effects occur when participants are tested twice ; the order of tasks may make a difference which affects the validity of results
this however can be limited using COUNTERBALANCING

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24
Q

matched pairs

A

participants are tested in terms of variables relevant to the study
participants are then matched and one member of each pair goes in each group

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25
give three evaluation points of matched pairs design
STRENGTH - there are no order effects, enhancing validity STRENGTH - there are fewer participant variables because those taking part are matched on a variable important to the experiment ; this enhances the validity of the results WEAKNESS - matching participants takes time and effort and still doesn't control all participants so may not be worthwhile therefore
26
target population
the group of people the researcher is studying
27
sample
a sample of participants chosen from the target population
28
generalisation
the sample should be representative so we can generalise to the target population
29
bias
it is difficult to select a group of participants that perfectly reflects the target population
30
give 4 types of sampling
random opportunity systematic stratified
31
random sampling
putting names of all member of the target population into a lottery method so that every member has an equal chance of being selected
32
give two evaluations of random sampling
STRENGTH - there is no bias as every person has an equal chance of being selected, this makes the sample more representative WEAKNESS - this takes more time and effort than other methods as you need to obtain a list of all member and randomly select them
33
opportunity sampling
selecting the most readily available group of people
34
give two evaluations of opportunity sampling
STRENGTH - it is easy, quick and cheap to carry out because you choose people who are easily nearby WEAKNESS - the sample is likely to be unrepresentative of the population because the sample is drawn from one place, which reduces the generalisability of the results
35
systematic sampling
selecting every nth person from a list of all the people in the target population
36
give two evaluations of systematic sampling
STRENGTH - it avoids researcher bias so the researcher has no say over who is selected, making it more representative WEAKNESS - it may still be biased, running the risk of ending up with a sample consisting of one particular group of people, decreasing representativeness
37
stratified sampling
selecting participants in proportion to their frequency in the target population
38
give two evaluations of stratified sampling
STRENGTH - this is the most representative of all the sampling methods as the researcher ensures that all the subgroups are represented in proportion to the number in the target population - this enhances representativeness WEAKNESS - this is very time consuming and it may take a while to recruit and sort participants into sub groups - this discourages researchers from using this method
39
what are ethical issues in psychology
a conflict between participant's rights and wellbeing and the need for researchers to obtain valuable results the wellbeing should be protected at all times
40
what are the 5 main potential ethical issues
``` informed consent deception protection from harm privacy confidentiality ```
41
what is informed consent
at the start of a study participants should be given information about the purpose of the study they should be told they can leave at any time so that an informed decision can be made if the researcher doesn't reveal the aim at the start, participants must be informed at the end
42
what is deception
participants should not be lied to or misled about the aims of the study mild deception is justifiable major deception is used but this is only permitted if the benefits justify the action
43
what is protection from harm
participant's physical and psychological safety should be protected at all times stress and embarrassment is included in this participants must be reminded they can leave at any time
44
what is privacy
participants have the right to control information about themselves it is acceptable to make observations of people in a public place - but a public place is also quite private
45
what is confidentiality
personal data should be protected and respected
46
what are the BPS guidelines
a code of conduct that every professional psychologist in the UK has to follow so they can deal with ethical issues that crop up in their research
47
how do you deal with informed consent
participants sign a form that tells them what is expected of the, if this is not possible at the start, they sign a form at the end of the study (retroactive consent)
48
how do you deal with deception and protection from harm
participants should be given a full debriefing at the end of the investigation to explain the true aims and reduce any distress they should be offered counselling and the chance to withdraw their data
49
how do you deal with privacy and confidentiality
all participants should be anonymous | they can be referred to by a number or initials
50
what are interviews and what are the 3 types
face to face real time contact between an interviewer and an interviewee can take place over the phone or via text (structured, semi-structured or unstructured)
51
structured interview
interviewer reads out a list of prepared questions | can ask follow up questions but these are also prepared beforehand
52
semi structured interview
interviewer has a general aim but a few if any questions are prepared in advance new questions are created based on what the interviewee has said a lot like a conversation
53
unstructured interview
some questions decided in advance | follow up questions but these are also prepared beforehand
54
give four evaluation points of interviews
STRENGTH - interviews produce a lot of information meaning that unexpected results may occur STRENGTH - insight can be gained into a persons thoughts and feeling, this provides a different perspective to observations which only show what people do and not what they think of their behaviour WEAKNESS - data collected can be difficult to be analyse because of the breadth of information collected - this makes it hard to draw clear conclusions WEAKNESS - people may feel less comfortable giving personal information face to face, especially if discussing a sensitive topic this may limit the amount of information collected
55
questionnaires
a prepared list of written questions which can be completed face to face or in writing, over the phone or on the internet
56
give four evaluation points of questionnaires
STRENGTH - information gathered from lots of people quickly because it can be sent to many people - this makes generalisations easier to makes STRENGTH - the data produced tends to be easier to analyse than interviews because closed questions are used which produce quantitative data WEAKNESS - respondents may not always answer questionnaires truthfully because social desirability may bias their results = this reduces the validity of data collected WEAKNESS - questions may be unclear or leading, meaning that respondents may find it difficult to answer questions therefore participant's responses may lack validity
57
observational study
a researcher watched and listens to participants, and records data
58
what are the three types of observation studies
naturalistic versus controlled covert versus overt (participants not being aware of their behaviour being observes versus being told in advance) participants versus non-participant (researcher becomes part of group studies versus the researcher remains separate from the people tbehahey are studying)
59
categories of behaviour
the observer breaks the target behaviour into different categories of behaviour each category should be observable and obvious so that it can be counted each time it happens
60
interobserver reliability
two observers should produce the same record of behaviour to establish this, the researcher creates categories of behaviour, observers record the same sequence of behaviour and they then compare their data , talking over the differences if observations are not similar, categories may need to be altered or rewritten
61
give four evaluation points of observation studies
STRENGTH - greater validity than questionnaires/interviews because you observe what is actually done not what people say they do STRENGTH - look at real life behaviour, with people not always aware of being observed ; this increases validity WEAKNESS - there may be ethical issues as you cannot always gain people's consent when observing them in public places - some observations should not be conducted therefore WEAKNESS - observer bias ; observer's expectations may influence what they see so the observations lack validity
62
what do correlations tell us
correlations show how things are linked together | they tell us the strength and direction of the association/relationship between co variables
63
give four evaluation points of correlations
STRENGTH - they are a good starting point for research because showing a relationship gives researchers ideas for future investigations STRENGTH - correlations can be used to investigate more complex relationships such as the curvilinear relationship between alertness and time of day - correlation therefore has lots of uses WEAKNESS - do not show causation making it impossible to show cause and effect ; limiting the usefulness of the technique WEAKNESS - intervening variables may affect the covariables because there is no control of EVs ; it is therefore possible to draw a conclusion that is wrong
64
case study
an in depth investigation of a single individual, group, event or institution often involves unusual or unexpected people or events but can also be used with everyday experiences
65
what kind of method is a case study
a qualitative method mostly qualitative data is collected which expresses people's experiences in words they often involve interviews with a person's friends or relatives
66
give four evaluation points of case studies
STRENGTH - researchers don't tend to have a specific aim so they are more open minded and less blinkered by what they hope to discover ; this enhances the validity of results STRENGTH - good method for studying rare behaviour that can't be investigated using experiments this gives a greater insight into topics that may not be studies by other research WEAKNESS - only focus on one individual or event making it difficult to generalise results beyond that particular person or event ; this reduces the validity of results WEAKNESS - researcher may be subjective and the information collected may be biased by the researcher's own reading of the case so conclusions drawn may lack validity
67
reliability
a measure of consistency | if you can repeat a measurement and get the same results, it is reliable
68
validity
relates to whether a result is a true reflection of 'real world' behaviour
69
quantitative data
numerical data
70
give two evaluation points of quantitative data
STRENGTH - can be easy to analyse so can be manipulated and groups of people easily compared WEAKNESS - lacks depth and detail because we obtain little information about thoughts and abilities so it doesn't reflect how complex things are in the real world
71
qualitative data
data as words or pictures
72
give two evaluation points of qualitative data
STRENGTH - qualitative data is more in depth and detail than quantitative data so researcher can gain more insight ; increases validity of results WEAKNESS - more difficult to analyse as it is hard to summarise material and draw conclusions ; conclusions may be based on the researcher's opinion
73
primary data
data obtained first hand by the researcher for the purposes of a research project
74
give two brief evaluation of primary data
STRENGTH - suits the aims of research and is authentic so may be more useful WEAKNESS - takes more time and effort to collect primary data than secondary data slowing down the process and increasing expense
75
secondary data
second hand data from sources such as other studies or government statistics
76
give two brief evaluation points of secondary data
STRENGTH - easy and convenient to use because it has already been checked; this reduces expense WEAKNESS - may not quite fit what the researcher wants (may be out of date or from poorly designed studies) ; this may reduce the validity of the research

GCSE Psychology (AQA) 2022 (12 decks)

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