Research Methods AO3

Question 1

Strengths of repeated measures.

Answer 1

Ppt variables are controlled (increasing validity).
Fewer ppts are needed.

Question 2

Weakness of repeated measures.

Answer 2

High likelihood of demand characteristics (as ppts see both sides of the exp).
Order effects as the order of conditions is important. Repeating two tasks could resulting fatigue or improved performance (due to ‘practice’) acting as a confounding variable. Counterbalancing can prevent this.

Question 3

Strengths of independent groups.

Answer 3

No order effects.
Low likelihood of demand characteristics as ppts only see one side of the exp, less likely to guess the aims.

Question 4

Weakness of independent groups.

Answer 4

There are ppt variables, differences between groups on the DV may not be the IV effects.
Random allocation can prevent this.
More ppts are needed so it’s more expensive and time-consuming.

Question 5

Strengths of matched pairs.

Answer 5

No order effects.
Few ppt variables as ppts are matched prior.
Low likelihood of demand characteristics as ppts only see one side of the exp.

Question 6

Weaknesses of matched pairs.

Answer 6

More ppts are needed so it’s more expensive and time-consuming.
It is difficult to match ppts perfectly or find a match at all/on all important aspects so some ppt variables.

Question 7

Strengths of lab exp.

Answer 7

High control - leading to high internal validity.
Allows for standardisation - increasing applicability, so reliability can be tested.

Question 8

Weaknesses of lab exp.

Answer 8

Artifical so lacks ecological validity.
Demand characteristics can occur where ppts guess the aim and change their behaviour accordingly.

Question 9

Strengths of field exp.

Answer 9

Natural setting - high ecological validity, more likely to get real behaviour.
Demand characteristics are less likely to occur as ppts often don’t know they are taking part in the research.

Question 10

Weaknesses of field exp.

Answer 10

Low control - lower internal validity.
Doesn’t allow for standardisation - decreased replicability so reliability can’t be tested.

Question 11

Strengths of natural exp.

Answer 11

Natural setting - high ecological validity, more likely to get real behaviour.
Demand characteristics are less likely to occur as ppts often don’t know they are taking part in the research.

Question 12

Weaknesses of natural exp.

Answer 12

Low control - low internal validity.
Often time-consuming and expensive. If longitudinal ppt drop out may be high.

Question 13

Strengths of quasi exp.

Answer 13

Useful when it’s unethical or impossible to manipulate IV.
Typically carried out under controlled conditions so it has high control and allows for standardisation.

Question 14

Weaknesses of quasi exp.

Answer 14

Can’t randomly allocate ppts to conditions, so there may be confounding variables.
Controlled conditions so lacks ecological validity.
Demand characteristics can occur where ppts guess the aim and change their behaviour accordingly.

Question 15

Strengths of random sampling.

Answer 15

Potentially unbiased - all members of the population have an equal chance of being selected.
Confounding variables should be divided equally between groups.

Question 16

Weaknesses of random sampling.

Answer 16

Difficult and time-consuming - a complete list of the target population may be difficult to obtain.
Sample may be unrepresentative of the target population, so can’t be generalised.
Selected ppts may refuse to take part so becomes more of a volunteer sample.

Question 17

Strengths of systematic sampling.

Answer 17

Objective - Once the system is established the researcher doesn’t influence who is chosen.
reduced investigator effects/experiment bias.

Question 18

Weaknesses of systematic sampling.

Answer 18

Time consuming.
Selected ppts may refuse to take part so become more of a volunteer sample.

Question 19

Strengths of stratified sampling.

Answer 19

Produces a representative sample as designed to reflect subgroups of the target population.
Findings are generalisable as it’s representative.

Question 20

Weaknesses of stratified sampling.

Answer 20

Subgroups cannot represent all the ways people differ.
Can never have a completely representative sample.

Question 21

Strengths of opportunity sampling.

Answer 21

Convenient and easy - no population list is needed or to divide into strata.
Quick and less costly.

Question 22

Weaknesses of opportunity sampling.

Answer 22

Unrepresentative of the wider population as the sample is drawn from a specific area.
Researchers bias may occur - research selects ppts so unconscious bias could occur if they avoid certain ppl.

Question 23

Strengths of volunteer sampling.

Answer 23

Less time-consuming.
The researcher ends up with ppts who are engaged and willing.

Question 24

Weaknesses of volunteer sampling.

Answer 24

Volunteer bias - a certain type of person is likely to volunteer - so generalisation may be an issue.

Question 25

Strengths of naturalistic observation.

Answer 25

High ecological validity.
Few demand characteristics - high internal validity.
Practical method can be used where manipulation of variables would be unethical/impractical.
Can be used when consent is unlikely and full social context for behaviour is essential.

Question 26

Weaknesses of naturalistic observations.

Answer 26

Cannot infer cause and effect as variables aren’t controlled.
Ethics - lack of informed consent.
Replicability - can never be repeated exactly.

Question 27

Strengths of controlled observations.

Answer 27

Ethics can be dealt with.
High degree of control, so confounding variables are less of a factor making replication easier.

Question 28

Weaknesses of controlled observations.

Answer 28

Increased likelihood of demand characteristics.
Lacks ecological validity.

Question 29

Strength of covert observations.

Answer 29

Few demand characteristics - high internal validity.

Question 30

Weakness of covert observations.

Answer 30

Ethics - lack of informed consent.

Question 31

Strength of overt observations.

Answer 31

Ethics can be dealt with as ppts are aware they’re being observed.

Question 32

Weakness of overt observations.

Answer 32

Increased likelihood of demand characteristics.

Question 33

Strength of participant observation.

Answer 33

The researcher’s insights can be useful - increasing external validity.

Question 34

Weakness of participant observation.

Answer 34

Researcher bias/becoming too involved - resulting in a loss of objectivity.

Question 35

Strength of non-participant observation.

Answer 35

Increased objectivity less danger of them adopting the same lifestyle.

Question 36

Weakness of non-participant observation.

Answer 36

Lacks first-hand experience - less valid as they’re too far removed from the people and behaviour they’re studying.

Question 37

Strengths of structured interviews.

Answer 37

Recording of data is easier and more systematic.
Data produced is likely numerical - easy to analyse and compare behaviour observed.

Question 38

Weaknesses of structured interviews.

Answer 38

The formality of structured interviews doesn’t allow for rapport to be developed.
Inflexible.
Ppt can only respond to questions asked.

Question 39

Strengths of unstructured interviews.

Answer 39

Data collected is qualitative - rich and in-depth.
Researchers can develop a real sense of one’s understanding of a situation.
Wide applicability.

Question 40

Weaknesses of unstructured interviews.

Answer 40

Greater risk of observer bias as there are no objective behavioural categories.
Recorded behaviours may not be the most important or useful.
Large amounts of text can be difficult to analyse and hard to record.

Question 41

Strengths of behaviour categories.

Answer 41

Makes data collection more structured and objective - should be clear and unambiguous.

Question 42

Weaknesses of behavioural categories.

Answer 42

If categories overlap it may be hard to discern what you are truly observing.

Question 43

Strengths of time sampling.

Answer 43

Less likely to miss behaviours - increasing accuracy.
Gives an indication of how much time is spent on each behaviour.

Question 44

Weaknesses of time sampling.

Answer 44

Behaviours that occur outside the time intervals aren’t accounted for reducing validity if important behaviours are missed.
Can be difficult if lots of behaviours occur at once.
Can miss events not coded for.

Question 45

Strengths of event sampling.

Answer 45

Records are easy to obtain and analyse - making it quick and easy especially looking for the most or least common behaviours.
More reliable as events are already planned and easily replicable to measure consistency.

Question 46

Weaknesses of event sampling.

Answer 46

Important behaviours can be missed due to events already being planned.
If many events occur at once leading to behaviours not being recorded.
Doesn’t indicate time spent on each behaviour.

Question 47

General strengths of observations.

Answer 47

Can see how people truly behave not how they say they do.
Allows the study of variables it’d be unethical to manipulate, i.e. prison.
Useful as a pilot to generate hypotheses for future research.

Question 48

General weaknesses of observations.

Answer 48

Difficult to replicate.
Only provides us with feelings, not behaviour.
Cause and effect cannot be established.
Observer bias and effect.
Time-consuming and requires careful preparation.

Question 49

Strengths of questionnaires.

Answer 49

Cost-effective - as many can be produced and distributed without a researcher present.
Straightforward to analyze - numerical data is produced lending itself to statistical analysis.

Question 50

Weaknesses of questionnaires.

Answer 50

Social desirability bias - responses may not be truthful as ppts want to present themselves in the best way so lie.
Response bias - ppts answer similarly each time, rushing it or potentially not finishing it.
Acquiescence bias - ppts want to appear positive always choosing yes.

Question 51

Strengths of interviews.

Answer 51

Structured interviews are easy to replicate.
Unstructured interviews are flexible, resulting in more in-depth data.
People are less likely to lie to an interviewer (face to face) truth can be drawn out.

Question 52

Weaknesses of interviews.

Answer 52

Cannot ask for elaboration with structured interviews, data isn’t as rich.
Analysing unstructured interviews isn’t easy, and may contain irrelevant data.
Time-consuming and costly.

Question 53

Strengths of correlations.

Answer 53

Good starting point - help psychologists to understand the relationship between 2 variables.
Make good pilot studies to generate hypotheses for an experiment.
Quick and cheap - saves psychologists time and money.
Can be used to research sensitive topics that are otherwise unethical as no manipulation of variables is required.

Question 54

Weaknesses of correlations.

Answer 54

Cannot establish cause and effect - we don’t know which variable is causing the other to change.
Third variable problem - can lead to incorrect interpretations of findings from correlational research.
Misuse and misinterpretation - relationships are sometimes prepared as ‘facts’ which can have repercussions in society.

Question 55

Strengths of peer review.

Answer 55

Promotes and maintains high standards in research which has implications for society, and ensures the allocation of funds fairly.
Prevents scientific fraud as the work is scrutinised.
Promotes scientific process through accurate contributions of new knowledge in the field.

Question 56

Weaknesses of peer review.

Answer 56

Anonymity isn’t always maintained or used fairly - some use it as a way of criticising rival researchers.
File draw effect - only statistically significant findings are published, and findings that challenge existing understandings are underlooked.

Question 57

Strengths of qualitative data.

Answer 57

Rich detail - broader in scope, gives ppts time to fully report their thoughts, feelings and opinions.
Greater external validity - more meaningful insight into ppts worldview.

Question 58

Weaknesses of qualitative data.

Answer 58

Difficult to analyse - can’t be summarized statistically, patterns and comparisons may be hard to identify.
Researcher bias - conclusions rely on subjective interpretations and may be influenced by preconceptions.

Question 59

Strengths of quantitative data.

Answer 59

Simple to analyse - produces numerical data, and comparisons can be easily drawn.
Objective data is less open to bias.

Question 60

Weakness of quantitative data.

Answer 60

Data is narrow in meaning and detail.
May oversimplify or ignore meanings motivations and emotions.
Influenced by external factors, sampling bias, measurement errors or ethical issues.

Question 61

Strength of primary data.

Answer 61

Authentic data - obtained from ppts themselves, can be designed to target the information required.

Question 62

Weakness of primary data.

Answer 62

Time and effort are required - requires time, planning, prep and resources.

Question 63

Strengths of secondary data.

Answer 63

Inexpensive.
Requires little effort to access data.
When examining secondary data the researcher may find desired information removing the need for primary data.

Question 64

Weaknesses of secondary data.

Answer 64

Information may be incomplete or outdated.
Content may not match the researcher’s needs or objectives - which challenges the validity of conclusions.

Question 65

Strengths of case studies.

Answer 65

Offers rich, detailed insights on unusual/atypical behaviour.
Contribute to our understanding of ‘typical’ functioning.
Generate hypotheses for future studies.

Question 66

Weaknesses of case studies.

Answer 66

Lacks generalisability due to the small sample size.
Subjective and based on researchers’ interpretation.
Personal accounts are prone to inaccuracy and memory decay - evidence is low in validity.

Question 67

Strengths of content analysis.

Answer 67

Avoids ethical issues - material often already exists within the public domain, with no issues obtaining permission.
High external validity.
may access sensitive data with ‘authors’ consent.
Flexible - can produce both quantitative and qualitative data.

Question 68

Weaknesses of content analysis.

Answer 68

Communications are studied indirectly and analysed without situational context - leading to researcher bias.
Lacks objectivity - especially with descriptive forms.