Research Methods Booklet general Flashcards
What is a hypothesis?
Testable statement, prediction
When would you use a One-tailed (directional hypothesis)?
Experiment/ observation. It is based on previous research Eg. Half under going flooding, half systematic desensitisation. (Flooding was better).
When would you use a two-tailed (non directional) hypothesis?
Experiment/observation
No previous research
Mixed findings
How is a bar chart different from a histogram?
There are spaces in between the bars
What is correlational analysis?
Looking at a relationship between 2 variables
What is positive correlation?
As a variable increases so does the other
Distributions
Positively skewed- hill is towards the left
Negatively skewed- hill is towards the right
Atypical- is a normal distribution hill is in the middle
What is a independent variable?
The variable that we manipulate
What is a dependent variable?
The variable that we measure
What is operationalisation?
Where we clearly define the variables so they are measurable
What are extraneous variables and how can they be controlled?
External factors that affect research, therefore reducing the validity of results
Can be controlled by eliminating participants that would effect the study in a unnatural way. Eg. A participant that is taking another drug, whilst testing one in the study
What are confounding variables?
They cannot be controlled and affect the study’s result. Eg. When doing I memory test I have a migraine, meaning i do poorly on the test
What is ecological validity?
How well behaviour is represented in the real world eg. Low ecological validity may not represent behaviour in the real world
What is low population validity?
Does not represent the whole population. The person involved in the experiment is not representable for everyone
What is face validity?
On the surface it looks like a true explanation eg. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
What is a laboratory experiment?
An experiment carried out in a controlled environment. You manipulate the independent variable and measure the dependent variable
What are demand characteristics?
When participants try to guess the aim of the study and change their behaviour accordingly
How does social desirability affect validity?
The participants would give untruthful responses so they do not upset the researchs
What is a case study?
+ weakness
An in depth analysis on a unique person
Weakness
The analysis of that person is subjective
What is a Aim?
Purpose of the study
What is a One-tailed (directional hypothesis) ?
Predicts the direction in which results are expected to go
What is a two-tailed (non-directional) hypothesis?
Although the researchers expect that the independent variable will affect the dependent variable- they are not sure how
What is a negative correlation?
As one variable increases as the other decreases
Pros and cons of a lab experiment
Pros
Easier to replicate
Easier to control extraneous variables
Cons
Artificial seating may produce demand characteristics which would not reflect real life. This results in low ecological validity
Implications of psychological research for the economy
Role of the father
- important economic implications
- gender pay gap may be reduced if parental roles are seen as more equal
