research methods lesson 1-6 Flashcards
what is content analysis and coding
a systematic research technique for analysing data using a coding system of pre determined categories
what is thematic analysis and qualitative data
a theme that refers to an idea that reoccurs from the interviews
evaluation of content analysis
Adv: scientific so results are reliable and objective. easy to compare quantitative values.
Dis: time consuming and doesn’t establish cause and effect
what are case studies
a detailed investigation of a single individual or group that display rare or fascinating behaviour. psychologists collect either qual or quant data and is usually a longitudinal study.
evaluation of case studies
Adv: useful for studying unique and rare cases. can provide in depth qualitative data.
Dis: potential for researcher bias and cannot be generalised due to small sample size
what is reliability
it is the consistency of results of a study or measuring test
what is internal reliability
extent to which a measure is consistent within itself. the split half method assesses the internal reliability of a test which as questionnaires.
what is external reliability
the extent to which a measure varies from one use to another. The test-retest gets pps to do the same test over a period of time. inter rater reliability helps establish external reliability.
what are factors that affect validity
investigator effects
demand characteristics
confounding variables
social desirability bias
lack of operationalisation
types of internal validity
concurring validity: when scores gained from a new test are compared to an old test. 0.8 coefficient
face validity: way to measure whether the test or measuring instrument is measuring what it should. e.g. one or more people examine a question.
improving internal validity types
concurrent validity: by removing ambiguous qs
face validity: examine all the questions and improve or rewrite certain qs
types of external validity
ecological validity: ability to generalise findings to other settings and contents
temporal validity: findings are true over time and can be generalised to different eras.
assessing external validity
meta analysis can be done. assess how dependant variable was measured. assess whether pps were behaving naturally
improving external validity
use a double blind procedure so demand characteristics are reduced. lab settings can be carried out in a more naturalistic setting
psychology is a science when:
pilot studies conducted
high element of control
confounding variables identified
terms operationalised
