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Psychology Aqa > Research Methods EXPERIMENTAL > Flashcards

Research Methods EXPERIMENTAL Flashcards

1
Q

What is a paradigm?

A

Paradigm: a shared set of assumptions about a subject AKA AN APPROACH

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2
Q

What is a paradigm shift?

A

When another idea becomes more popular than the current one.
Eg behaviourism becoming more popular than Freud

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3
Q

What are the two types of theory construction and explain them

A

Induction: proposing the theory at the end after all research

Deduction: proving a theory made at the beginning of the study.

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4
Q

What are the four features of science?

A

Falsifiable- can it be proven wrong
Objective- no bias of any sort
Replicable- builds the validity of the study
Empirical- not based on stories but based on facts

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5
Q

How many experimental methods of conducting research are there?

A

4

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6
Q

What are all the experimental methods?

A

Laboratory - carried out in a controlled environment

Field - carried out in a more natural environment

Natural - carried out when it’s not ethical or practical to manipulate variables

Quasi - the variables cannot change as it’s a natural difference

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7
Q

What are the advs and disadvs of laboratory experiments?

A

Advs: high internal validity, easy to replicate

Disadvs: low ecological validity, demand characteristics

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8
Q

What are the advs and disadvs of field experiments?

A

Advs: high ecological validity, lack of demand characteristics

Disadvs: not replicable, low internal validity

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9
Q

What are the advs and disadvs of natural experiments?

A

Advs: allows research where IV cannot be manipulated, high ecological validity

Disadvs: lack of causal relationship, lack of random allocation

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10
Q

What are the advs and disadvs of quasi experiments?

A

Advs: allows comparison between types of people, can be done in a laboratory

Disadvs: lab has low ecological validity, lack of random allocation

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11
Q

What’s an independent variable?

A

The variable that is manipulated

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12
Q

What is a dependent variable?

A

The variable that is measured

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13
Q

What’s an extraneous (control) variable?

A

Variables other than the IV that affect the DV, like age.

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14
Q

What is a confounding variable?

A

Variables that aren’t controlled and ruin the experiment, like mood of participants.

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15
Q

What is and how to write a hypothesis?

A

Hypothesis- a formal statement of what is predicted to happen.
It must include both conditions of IV and the predicted outcome of the DV

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16
Q

What is a directional hypothesis ?

A

Directional hypothesis - says if the DV outcome is predicted to be higher or lower between each IV condition .RISKY without previous research

Eg group a with glasses will do better than group b without.

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17
Q

What is a non-directional hypothesis?

A

Non-directional hypothesis does not state the predicted outcome of the DV.

Eg there will be a difference in scores between group a with glasses and b without

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18
Q

What is a Null hypothesis?

A

Null hypothesis does not state any predicted outcome between IV conditions

Eg there will be no difference in scores between group a in glasses and b without.

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19
Q

How can a study be seen as reliable?

A

CONSISTENT results.

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20
Q

What is internal reliability?

A

Each participant is treated the same

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21
Q

What is external reliability?

A

Similar results found after you repeat a test

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22
Q

How can you test reliability?

A

Test-retest method - test the same participant twice

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23
Q

If a study is valid it is also…

A

Has high ACCURACY (representativeness)

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24
Q

What is internal validity?

A

Does it measures what it’s supposed to?

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25
Q

What are the three types of external validity?

A

Ecological- realistic setting?

Population validity- who’s used in your sample?

Temporal validity- has the people changed?

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26
Q

How to assess validity?

A

Face validity- eyeballing it

Concurrent validity- if others research is similar to yours

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27
Q

What are the three experimental DESIGNS?

A

Independent groups
Repeated measure
Matched pairs

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28
Q

What is an independent group design?

A

When a group of people do condition A and another different group does condition B

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29
Q

What is a repeated measure design?

A

When the same participants do condition A and B

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30
Q

What is a matched pair design?

A

When a pair of similar people are found and then divided into condition A and B

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31
Q

What’s the adv and disadv of independent group design

A

Adv- no order effect, pp less likely to guess aim so no demand characteristics

Disadv- more ppl needed, no control over participant variables

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32
Q

How to fix the disadv of independent group design

A

Random allocation solves participant variable problem

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33
Q

What’s the advs and disadvs of repeated measure?

A

Advs- no participant variable, not so many people to pay and find etc

Disadvs- order effects doing study twice so boredom or demand characteristics

34
Q

How to fix the disadvs of repeated measure

A

Counterbalancing half the participants do conditions in order half do reverse order

35
Q

What are the advs and disadvs of matched pairs

A

Advs- no order effect, less demand characteristics

Disadvs- time consuming to match everyone, how to know what to match people on

36
Q

What is a pilot study ?

A

A small scale prequel version of the study to see if there are any problems

37
Q

Advantages and disadvantages of using the MEAN

A

Advs- uses whole spread of data

Disadvs- skewed easily by anomalies

38
Q

Advantages and disadvantages of using the MEDIAN

A

Advs- not affected by anomalies

Disadvs- doesn’t use all the data

39
Q

Advantages and disadvantages of using the MODE

A

Advs- used in nominal data

Disadvs- not useful if several modes

40
Q

Advantages and disadvantages of using the RANGE

A

Advs- easy to calculate

Disadvs- affected by anomalies, does not use all data

41
Q

What are the two types of distribution?

A

Symmetrical and Skewed

42
Q

What is the difference between positive skew and negative skew

A

Positive skew- median is higher than the mode

Negative skew- median is lower than the mode

43
Q

How many types of sampling methods are there

A

5 (skittles lesson)

44
Q

What are the names of the sampling methods

A

Opportunity sampling
Random sampling
Stratified sampling
Systematic sampling
Volunteer sampling

45
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of opportunity

A

Adv: easiest, convenient, all 100% willing

Disadv: only one type of person (uni students), investigator bias (suckups)

46
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of random

A

Adv: no investigator bias

Disasv: time consuming, may not be willing, only works for small populations

47
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of stratified

A

Adv: get a large population, accurate population validity

Disadv: most time consuming, may not be willing

48
Q

What is stratified sampling

A

Reflects the proportions of subgroups in target population (sorting skittles on colour)

49
Q

What is systematic sampling

A

Every nth member of the target population selected

50
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of systematic

A

Adv: no investigator bias

Disadv: time consuming, not guaranteed a good sample

51
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of volunteer

A

Adv: very easy, 100% willing

Disadv: bias, expensive bribes, actually get enough people to volunteer

52
Q

When was the ethical guidelines adopted

A

1980

53
Q

Why were the ethical guidelines adopted

A

Because people were scared of crazy psychologists and didn’t wanna participate in studies 🤪

54
Q

For ethical guideline one (INFORMED CONSENT) do you need a signature from the pp

A

Not necessarily you need A signature

Retrospective consent - ask after

Presumptive consent- ask people similar to pp

Prior general- pp signs but is totally oblivious

55
Q

Deception is technically not allowed… how can we bypass this

A

Debrief so explain why you needed to lie

Option to withdraw

56
Q

Technically you’re not supposed to harm pps… how can we bypass this

A

Debrief so explain why you needed to lock them in a prison cell hint hint Zimbardo

Right to withdraw

Off paying for counselling hint hint Zimbardo

57
Q

How can we be confidential

A

All field and natural experiments done in public

Guarantee anonymity

58
Q

You cannot bypass privacy 🙄 how can you ensure it

A

Use numbers not names

Never broadcast videos or photos

59
Q

What are the four data types?

A

Nominal
Ordinal
Interval
Ratio

60
Q

What is nominal data?

A

Categories in a usually small table

61
Q

What is ordinal data?

A

Scaled or ranked data (look for out of ten)

62
Q

What is interval data?

A

Data with units including negative numbers

63
Q

What is ratio data?

A

Data with units but NO negative numbers

64
Q

What is the significance level needed for a study to be seen as VALID

A

p greater than or equal to 5

65
Q

How do you challenge another psychologist into a significance duel?

A
  1. Do a study with a lower significance level than your partner
  2. Rub it in their face
66
Q

What is a type 1 error?

A

False Positive - you rejected null hypothesis when you rlly shouldn’t

67
Q

What is a type 2 error?

A

False negative- accept null hypothesis when you rlly shouldn’t

68
Q

How to reduce errors?

A

Bigger sample

69
Q

Inferential Statistics

A

Carrots 🥕 - chi squared
Should- sign
Come- chi squared
Mashed- Mann-Whitney
With- Wilcoxon
Swede - Spearman
Under- Unrelated Test
Roast- Related Test
Potatoes 🥔 - Pearson

70
Q

Formal write-ups for journals MUST include:

A

Title, duh
Abstract (blurb)
Introduction
method
results
discussion
references
Appendices

71
Q

What’s an abstract?

A

Overview of report at the beginning, includes everything

72
Q

What’s in an introduction ?

A

Background information about why you did the topic

73
Q

What is in the method?

A

Ethics, experiment design, pp information, procedures

74
Q

What’s in a discussion?

A

Yap a lot about the findings

75
Q

Give an example of how you would write a reference!

A

Jones, D. (2021). Brain chemistry when teaching English vs Mathematics. 2nd edition. Salisbury: JHS Printing

76
Q

What is included in the appendix?

A

A little package of all the paperwork you used eg

Consent Forms
Standardised Instructions
Copy of questionnaires etc
Raw Data
Debrief Forms

77
Q

What is a peer ?

A

An expert in the department of psychology you wanna submit work for.

78
Q

Are peer reviewers useful?

A

They protect the quality of published work so psychology can look good.

79
Q

How can peer reviewers be evil?

A

Delay your work so they can a) publish their own or b) cuz they hate you personally

Journals LOVE exciting cases so yours may be delayed

80
Q

What is investigator bias?

A

When a researchers expectations, actions skew results

81
Q

How to fix investigator bias ?

A

Double blind tests = both parties don’t know which group is which condition

Standardised instructions

Psychology Aqa (4 decks)

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