research methods key words Flashcards
what is an aim?
the researchers area of interest- what they are looking at
what is a bar chart?
a graph that shows the data in the form of categories that the researcher wishes to compare
what are behaviour categories?
key behaviours or collections of behaviours that the researcher conducting the observation will pay attention to an observe
what is a case study?
in depth investigation of a single person group or event where data are gathered from a variety of sources and by using several different methods e.g observations and interviews
what is a case study?
in depth investigation of a single person group or event where data are gathered from a variety of sourcescw
what are closed questions?
questions where there are fixed choices of responses e.g yes/no. They generate quantitative data
what are co variables?
the variables investigated in a correlation
what is concurrent validity?
comparing a new test with another test of the same thing to see if they produce similar results. If they do then the new test has concurrent validity
what is confidentially?
unless agreed beforehand, ppts have the right to expect that all data collected during a research study will remain confidential and anonymous
what are confounding variables?
an extraneous variable that varies systematically with the IV so we cannot be sure of the true source if the change to the DV
what is content analysis?
technique used to analyse qualitative data which involves coding the written data into categories- converting qualitiatve data into quantitative data quantitative data
what is a control group?
a group that is treated normally and gives us a measure of how people behave when they are not exposed to the experimental treatment
what is a controlled observation?
an observation study where the researchers control some variables often taking place in a laboratory setting
what is a correlational analysis?
a mathematical technique where the researcher looks to see whether scores for two covariables are related
what is counterbalancing?
a way of trying to control for order effects in a repeated measure design e.g. half the participants do condition A followed by B and the other half do B followed by A
what is a covert observation?
also known as an undisclosed observation as the ppts don’t know their behaviour is being observed
what is critical value?
the value that a test statistic must reach in order for the hypothesis to be correct
what is debriefing?
After completing the research the true aim is revealed to the ppt. Aim of debriefing= turn the person to the state s/he was in before they took part
what is deception?
involves misleading ppts about the purpose of the study
what is demand characteristics?
occurs when ppts try to make sense of the research situation they are in and try to guess the purpose of the research or try to present themselves in a good way
what is a dependent variable?
the variable that is measured to tell you the outcome
what are descriptive statistics?
analysis of data that helps describe show or summarise data in a meaningful way
what is a directional hypothesis?
a one tailed hypothesis that states the direction of the difference or relationship, eg. boys are more helpful than girls
what is a dispersion measure?
a dispersion measure shows how a set of data is spread out examples are the range and the standard deviation
what is a double blind control?
ppts are not told the true purpose of the research, and the experimenter is also blind to at least some aspects of the research design
what is ecological validity?
the extent to which the findings of a research study are able to be generalised to real life setting
what are ethical guidelines?
these are provided by the BPS they are rules by which all psychologists should operate, including those carrying out the research
what are ethical issues?
there are 3 main ethical issues that occur in psychological research- deception, lack of informed consent, and lack of protection of ppts
what is evaluation apprehension?
ppts behaviour is distorted as they fear being judged by observers
what is event sampling?
a target behaviour is identified and the observer records it every time it occurs
what is an experimental group?
the group that received the experimental treatment, e.g sleep derivation
what is external validity?
whether it’s possible to generalise the results beyond the experimental setting
what is an extraneous variable
variables that if not controlled may affect the DV and produce a false impression that an IV has produced changes when it hasn’t
what is face validity
simple way if assessing whether a test measures what it claims to measure which is concerned with face value e.g does an IQ test look like it tests intelligence
what is a field experiment
an experiment that takes place in a natural setting where the experimenter manipulates the IV and measures the DV
what is a histogram?
a graph that is used for continuous data. There should be no space between the bars because the data is continous
what is a hypothesis?
a formal statement or prediction of what the researcher expects to find. It needs to be testable
what is an independent groups design?
an experimental design where each ppt only takes part in one condition or the IV
what is an independent variable?
the variable that the experimenter manipulates
what is inferential statistics?
ways of analysing data using statical tests that allow the researcher to make conclusions about whether a hypothesis was supported by the results
what is informed consent?
psychologists should ensure all ppts are helped to fully understand all aspects of the research before the agree to take part
what is inter observer reliability?
the extent to which two or more observers are observing and recording behaviour in the same way
what is internal validity
in relation to experiments whether the results were due to the manipulation of the IV rather than other factors such as extraneous variables or demand characteristics
what is interval level data
data measured in fixed units with equal distance between points on the scale
what is investigator effects?
these result from the effects of a researchers behaviour and characteristics on an investigation
what is a laboratory experiment
an experiment that takes place in a controlled environment where the experimenter manipulates the IV and measures the DV