Research Methods/Designs/Problems Flashcards
Research Design
-structure of how the study is conducted
Research Tools
-instruments, technology used to collect data
Research Analysis
-statistic technology for extracting structure from data
Types of Research Design
- Experimental Studies
- Correlation Studies
- Observational Studies
Experimental Studies
- manipulate the independent variable (one you can’t control)
- random assignment
- control group
- goal: assert causality
- ex. facial feedback
Correlation Studies
- measure 2 or more dependent variables
- subject variables
- statistical control
- goal: asses relationships
- ex. TV and mortality
Observational Studies
- measure 1 or more dependent variables
- exploratory experiment
- no controls
- goal: identify phenomena
- ex. identify sexual orientation
Experimental Issues
- External Validity
- Internal Validity
- Sampling
External Validity
-generalizability
Internal Validity
- cofounds: unintended difference
- does the experiment apple to the outside world?
- unintended independent variable
- experimenter bias
- single-blind studies: participant bias; placebo effect
- double blind studies: no one knows whats happening
Sampling
- who should be in your study?
- members of group you are targeting
- Population: group under study
- Sample: individual who actually participate in your study
Random Sampling
-everyone in the population has equal chance of being in the study as a sample
Random Assignment
-taking members in the sample and assigning them to different conditions in the study
Stratification
- make sure they have people on either extremes
- ex. really rich vs. really poor
Research Tools: Low Technology
-surveys, observation, text analysis
Research Tools: High Technology
- fMRI: measure oxygen levels in the brain
- NIRS: obtain oxygen and energy levels in the brain
- motion capture or eye tracking
Near IntraRed Spectroscopy (NIRS)
- use a high intensity light source to look through the skill to the brain with 650 - 1100 nm
- human tissue is translucent
- color of the tissue causes significant light absorption
- color of hemoglobin directly relates to the amount of Oxygen
- incident: light in
- detection: light out
Research Analysis: Descriptive Statistics
- measures of central tendency: means, medium, mode
- measures of dispersion: range, variance, standard deviance
Research Analysis: Inferential Statistics
- infer whether two sets of measurements are different
- beyond what might be expected by chance
