Research methods and techniques - Paper 1 Flashcards
Experiments
Establish cause and effect
the independent variable is predicted to affect the dependent variable
Extraneous variables must be controlled so they don’t affect the results
Strengths of lab experiments
High control of extraneous variables
Easily replicable
Establish cause and effect
Weaknesses of lab experiments
Low ecological validity
Prone to demand characteristics
Potential ethical issues (deception, protection)
Strengths of field experiments
High ecological validity
Demand characteristics can be minimised
Weaknesses of field experiments
Low control of extraneous variables
Hard to replicate
Hard to record data
Potential ethical issues (consent, withdrawal, protection)
Strengths of quasi experiments
Naturally occuring IV
High control
Establish cause and effect
Weaknesses of quasi experiments
Hard to replicate
Prone to demand characteristics
Low ecological validity
Potential ethical issues (deception, protection)
Demand characteristics
Cues in the environment which indicate the aim of the study to ppts
This may lead to ppts trying to get the desired results or trying to avoid reaching the desired results
Social desirability bias
A bias that, during a study, leads people to behave or respond in a way they think is seen as favourable
Participant/non participant observations
A participant observation involves the researcher joining the group/situation being observed
In a non participant observation the researcher is not part of the situation being observed
Both of these can be overt or covert
Structured/unstructured observations
Structured - uses a specifically designed coding frame for recording behaviour
Unstructured - wide range of unspecified behaviours recorded - any deemed relevant
These can be either overt/covert and participant/non participant
Controlled observation
Recording spontaneously occurring behaviours in a scenario set up and controlled by the researcher
Could be in a lab or natural environment
May be covert/overt and participant/non participant
Overt observation
When those being observed know they are being observed
Covert observation
When those being observed don’t know they are being observed
Strengths of observations
Can reveal what people actually do, which differs from what people say they do/would do
Good means of preliminary research/producing hypothesis
Able to capture spontaneous/unexpected behaviour
Usually high ecological validity
Predetermined coding frames make recording behaviour easy
Weaknesses of observations
Observer bias (seeing what you want to see)
Badly designed coding frames reduce reliability
Ethical issues with covert observations - deception, consent
Demand characteristics and social desirability bias in overt observations
Observations can’t tell us what people think or feel
Questionnaires
Participant answers preset questions
Researcher often doesn’t have to be present
Types of interviews
Structured - predominantly closed questions in a fixed order; usually scripted and very standardised
Semi-structured - fixed list of both open and closed questions; researcher will add questions if they need clarification or expansion on a point
Unstructured - usually start with a standardised question; from there, questions depend on ppt’s answers although there are often set topics to cover
Strengths of self-report
Large amounts of data generated from a large number of people very quickly, which makes them generalisable and convenient
Questionnaires and structured interviews are highly replicable, so trends can be easily identified
Unstructured interviews allow for in depth qualitative data gathering
Weaknesses of self report
Questionnaires and structured interviews lack flexibility - limits qualitative data
Unstructured interviews are impossible to replicate
Responses are very often affected by social desirability bias or demand characteristsics
Correlation
Not technically a research method, actually a data analysis technique
Used to check if there is a relationship between two co-variables
Very useful for when a variable cannot be manipulated for practical or ethical reasons
Establishes relationship, not cause and effect
Strengths of correlations
Use quantifiable measures of each of the variables being measured
Give information about the relationship between variables
Strong correlations can be a basis for experimental research
Weaknesses of correlations
Cannot establish cause and effect
Can be misleading as they can imply cause and effect where there is none
