Research Methods EXPERIMENTAL Flashcards
What is a paradigm?
Paradigm: a shared set of assumptions about a subject AKA AN APPROACH
What is a paradigm shift?
When another idea becomes more popular than the current one.
Eg behaviourism becoming more popular than Freud
What are the two types of theory construction and explain them
Induction: proposing the theory at the end after all research
Deduction: proving a theory made at the beginning of the study.
What are the four features of science?
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
How many experimental methods of conducting research are there?
4
What are all the experimental methods?
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
What are the advs and disadvs of laboratory experiments?
Advs: high internal validity, easy to replicate
Disadvs: low ecological validity, demand characteristics
What are the advs and disadvs of field experiments?
Advs: high ecological validity, lack of demand characteristics
Disadvs: not replicable, low internal validity
What are the advs and disadvs of natural experiments?
Advs: allows research where IV cannot be manipulated, high ecological validity
Disadvs: lack of causal relationship, lack of random allocation
What are the advs and disadvs of quasi experiments?
Advs: allows comparison between types of people, can be done in a laboratory
Disadvs: lab has low ecological validity, lack of random allocation
What’s an independent variable?
The variable that is manipulated
What is a dependent variable?
The variable that is measured
What’s an extraneous (control) variable?
Variables other than the IV that affect the DV, like age.
What is a confounding variable?
Variables that aren’t controlled and ruin the experiment, like mood of participants.
What is and how to write a hypothesis?
Hypothesis- a formal statement of what is predicted to happen.
It must include both conditions of IV and the predicted outcome of the DV
What is a directional hypothesis ?
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.
What is a non-directional hypothesis?
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
What is a Null hypothesis?
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.
How can a study be seen as reliable?
CONSISTENT results.
What is internal reliability?
Each participant is treated the same
What is external reliability?
Similar results found after you repeat a test
How can you test reliability?
Test-retest method - test the same participant twice
If a study is valid it is also…
Has high ACCURACY (representativeness)
What is internal validity?
Does it measures what it’s supposed to?
What are the three types of external validity?
Ecological- realistic setting?
Population validity- who’s used in your sample?
Temporal validity- has the people changed?
How to assess validity?
Face validity- eyeballing it
Concurrent validity- if others research is similar to yours
What are the three experimental DESIGNS?
Independent groups
Repeated measure
Matched pairs
What is an independent group design?
When a group of people do condition A and another different group does condition B
What is a repeated measure design?
When the same participants do condition A and B
What is a matched pair design?
When a pair of similar people are found and then divided into condition A and B
What’s the adv and disadv of independent group design
Adv- no order effect, pp less likely to guess aim so no demand characteristics
Disadv- more ppl needed, no control over participant variables
How to fix the disadv of independent group design
Random allocation solves participant variable problem
What’s the advs and disadvs of repeated measure?
Advs- no participant variable, not so many people to pay and find etc
Disadvs- order effects doing study twice so boredom or demand characteristics
How to fix the disadvs of repeated measure
Counterbalancing half the participants do conditions in order half do reverse order
What are the advs and disadvs of matched pairs
Advs- no order effect, less demand characteristics
Disadvs- time consuming to match everyone, how to know what to match people on
What is a pilot study ?
A small scale prequel version of the study to see if there are any problems
Advantages and disadvantages of using the MEAN
Advs- uses whole spread of data
Disadvs- skewed easily by anomalies
Advantages and disadvantages of using the MEDIAN
Advs- not affected by anomalies
Disadvs- doesn’t use all the data
Advantages and disadvantages of using the MODE
Advs- used in nominal data
Disadvs- not useful if several modes
Advantages and disadvantages of using the RANGE
Advs- easy to calculate
Disadvs- affected by anomalies, does not use all data
What are the two types of distribution?
Symmetrical and Skewed
What is the difference between positive skew and negative skew
Positive skew- median is higher than the mode
Negative skew- median is lower than the mode
How many types of sampling methods are there
5 (skittles lesson)
What are the names of the sampling methods
Opportunity sampling
Random sampling
Stratified sampling
Systematic sampling
Volunteer sampling
What are the advantages and disadvantages of opportunity
Adv: easiest, convenient, all 100% willing
Disadv: only one type of person (uni students), investigator bias (suckups)
What are the advantages and disadvantages of random
Adv: no investigator bias
Disasv: time consuming, may not be willing, only works for small populations
What are the advantages and disadvantages of stratified
Adv: get a large population, accurate population validity
Disadv: most time consuming, may not be willing
What is stratified sampling
Reflects the proportions of subgroups in target population (sorting skittles on colour)
What is systematic sampling
Every nth member of the target population selected
What are the advantages and disadvantages of systematic
Adv: no investigator bias
Disadv: time consuming, not guaranteed a good sample
What are the advantages and disadvantages of volunteer
Adv: very easy, 100% willing
Disadv: bias, expensive bribes, actually get enough people to volunteer
When was the ethical guidelines adopted
1980
Why were the ethical guidelines adopted
Because people were scared of crazy psychologists and didn’t wanna participate in studies 🤪
For ethical guideline one (INFORMED CONSENT) do you need a signature from the pp
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
Deception is technically not allowed… how can we bypass this
Debrief so explain why you needed to lie
Option to withdraw
Technically you’re not supposed to harm pps… how can we bypass this
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
How can we be confidential
All field and natural experiments done in public
Guarantee anonymity
You cannot bypass privacy 🙄 how can you ensure it
Use numbers not names
Never broadcast videos or photos
What are the four data types?
Nominal
Ordinal
Interval
Ratio
What is nominal data?
Categories in a usually small table
What is ordinal data?
Scaled or ranked data (look for out of ten)
What is interval data?
Data with units including negative numbers
What is ratio data?
Data with units but NO negative numbers
What is the significance level needed for a study to be seen as VALID
p greater than or equal to 5
How do you challenge another psychologist into a significance duel?
- Do a study with a lower significance level than your partner
- Rub it in their face
What is a type 1 error?
False Positive - you rejected null hypothesis when you rlly shouldn’t
What is a type 2 error?
False negative- accept null hypothesis when you rlly shouldn’t
How to reduce errors?
Bigger sample
Inferential Statistics
Carrots 🥕 - chi squared
Should- sign
Come- chi squared
Mashed- Mann-Whitney
With- Wilcoxon
Swede - Spearman
Under- Unrelated Test
Roast- Related Test
Potatoes 🥔 - Pearson
Formal write-ups for journals MUST include:
Title, duh
Abstract (blurb)
Introduction
method
results
discussion
references
Appendices
What’s an abstract?
Overview of report at the beginning, includes everything
What’s in an introduction ?
Background information about why you did the topic
What is in the method?
Ethics, experiment design, pp information, procedures
What’s in a discussion?
Yap a lot about the findings
Give an example of how you would write a reference!
Jones, D. (2021). Brain chemistry when teaching English vs Mathematics. 2nd edition. Salisbury: JHS Printing
What is included in the appendix?
A little package of all the paperwork you used eg
Consent Forms
Standardised Instructions
Copy of questionnaires etc
Raw Data
Debrief Forms
What is a peer ?
An expert in the department of psychology you wanna submit work for.
Are peer reviewers useful?
They protect the quality of published work so psychology can look good.
How can peer reviewers be evil?
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
What is investigator bias?
When a researchers expectations, actions skew results
How to fix investigator bias ?
Double blind tests = both parties don’t know which group is which condition
Standardised instructions
