Research Methods (AS) Continued Flashcards
What ethical issues arise during a study?
Informed consent
Ps given comprehensive info concerning nature of the study so they can make informed decision on whether to participate
1) researcher - true aims = D characteristics
2) P - should be told true nature so they can make informed decision
Deception
P not told true aim of study so they cannot give informed consent
1) researcher - prevent D characteristics
2) P - deception is unethical
The right to withdraw
Ps can stop participating if they feel uncomfortable in any way
1) researcher - if P leaves may lead to certain type of person being left (biased results)
2) P - should be able to withdraw to prevent any harm
Confidentiality
Concerns communication of personal info from one person to another & trust it will be protected
1) researcher - want to publish results
2) P - data protection act makes confidentiality a legal right
Protection from harm
During study Ps should not experience harm
1) researcher - harm may be necessary to answer important questions
2) P - no p should undergo harm
Privacy
A persons right to control flow of info about themselves
1) researcher - may be difficult to avoid invasion if P is unaware (field experiment)
2) P - people do not expect to be observed by others in certain situations
What methods can be used to deal with ethical issues?
Ethical guidelines - set of principles designed to help professional behave honestly & with integrity
Guidelines outline what behaviours are & aren’t acceptable
Cost benefit analysis - a systematic approach to estimating the negatives of any research
Can be done from Ps point of view or society as a whole
Ethics committee - a group of people within a research institution who must approve a study before it begins
Punishment - if psychologists do behave in an unethical manner then the BPS reviews research & may ban psychologist from practising
What are the types of observation?
Naturalistic: an observation carried out in an everyday setting. The researcher does not interfere in any way & merely observes
(Ev) little control over variables
(Ev) natural spontaneous behaviour
Controlled: form of investigation in which behaviour is observed but in conditions where variables have been organised by the observer
(Ev) opposite of above
Overt: observational studies where Ps are aware they are been studied
(Ev) d characteristics
Covert: observational studies where Ps are unaware they are being studied
(Ev) ethical issues
(Ev) natural behaviour
Participant: observations made by someone who is also participating
(Ev) provides good insight into behaviour
(Ev) less of objective as they are part of group
Non participant: observer is separate from those being observed
(Ev) may be more objective
What is an unstructured observation?
The researcher records all relevant behaviour but has no system
However there may be too much to record
Also researcher may only record what’s most visible & eye catching (not necessarily most important)
What is a structured observation?
Researcher uses various systems to organise observations such as behavioural categories & sampling procedures
Behavioural categories - dividing target behaviour into a subset of specific & operationalised behaviours
Should be:
Mutually exclusive
Be objective (no inferences)
Cover all possible components of behaviour
Sampling procedures
Event sampling - counting number of times target behaviour occurs
Time sampling - recording behaviours in a given time frame
What are questionnaires?
Stay collected through use of written Qs
They allow researcher to discover what P thinks or feels
(Ev)strength: once you have designed it, it can be distributed to large number of people easily & quickly
(Ev)limitations: takes a while to design & only filled in by people who spend time filling it in (biased sample)
What is an interview?
Research method that involves face to face interaction with another individual which results in collection of data
Structured interviews Q are decided in advance No deviation from original Q (Ev) easily repeated because Qs are standardised (Ev) more comparable
Unstructured interviews
Starts out with general aim but let’s interviewees answers guise subsequent Qs
(Ev) tailor Qs to specific person therefore can get deeper insight into thoughts
(Ev) less comparable
What are open & closed questions?
Open: questions that invite respondents to provide own answers rather than select one provided (qualitative)
Closed: Qs have a predetermined range of answers from which respondents can select one (quantitative)
What are the principles to writing good questions?
Clarity - reader understands what they are being asked
Bias - any bias in a Q may lead reader to a certain answer
Analysis - Qs need to be written so answers are easy to analyse
What are the principles to writing good questionnaires?
Filler questions - distract respondent from true aims
Sequence of Qs - save harder ones until end to avoid early anxiety
Sampling technique - how to select the respondents
Pilot study - tested on a small group of people first
What are the ways in which an interviewer can record the interview?
Interviewer may take notes (could distract them from listening)
Interview may be audio/video recorded
What behaviours should the interviewer be aware of when conducting an interview?
Non verbal communications - frowning/folding arms may communicate disapproval or disinterest. Whereas nodding or leaning forward shows interest
Listening skills - interviewer needs to know when to speak & how long for
They should also have a range of encouraging comments
What are the types of data?
Quantitative:
Numerical data (how much, how many)
Closed Qs collect quantitative data
(Ev) easy to analyse & very comparable
(Ev) may oversimplify reality (predetermined set of answers may not truly represent how they are feeling)
Qualitative:
Info in words that can’t be counted or quantified
(Ev) detailed info that can provide further insight into behaviour
(Ev) more difficult to analyse & compare
Primary:
Info observed or collected directly from first hand experience
Data collected by researcher in study that’s currently being undertaken
(Ev) researcher has control - data collection designed so it fits the purpose of the study
(Ev) can be a lengthy process
Secondary:
Info used in research study that was collected by someone else for a person other than the current one e.g. Published data
(Ev) simpler & cheaper to access someone else’s data
(Ev) may not directly fit what the study needs
What is peer review?
The assessment of scientific work by others who are experts in the same field
What are the 3 main purposes of peer review?
Allocation of research funding - enables public bodies such as the research council to see area of research that are worthwhile & worth spending budget on
Publication of research in books/academic journals - Prevent incorrect data from entering public domain
Assessing the research rating of uni departments - future funding of departments depends on good ratings
