Research Methods - Paper 2 Flashcards
What is an aim?
Aim - A statement of what the researchers intend to find out in a research study
What is a hypothesis?
A testable statement about the assumed relationship between variables
Tell me an aim and a hypothesis for this scenario: A researcher wants to measure athletes’ motivation levels when having a training partner
Aim: To investigate whether an athletes’ motivation levels increase or decrease when having a training partner
Hypothesis: An athlete’s motivation levels will increase when having a training partner compared to when not having a training partner
What is a non directional hypothesis and when do you use it?
- Non directional hypothesis - states there is a difference between two conditions but does not state the direction
- only use when there is no prior evidence to suggest that there will be a positive or negative effect
What is a directional hypothesis?
States the expected direction of the results
What is a null hypothesis
A prediction of what will happen, which states there will be no relationship or difference that’s shown, it’s just down to chance
E.g. there will be no difference between marks on a psychology test in students that revise with the TV on and students who revise with the TV off
What is the dependent variable?
The factor you are measuring in the experiment
What is the independent variable?
The variable you change to investigate the effect upon the dependent variable
What is the control variable
The variable you keep the same throughout the experiment
What is Operationalising variables?
A variable is operationalised when it has been turned in to something that can be measured.
E.g. the variable could be problem solving ability
the operationalised variable could be time it takes to solve a puzzle
What are extraneous variables?
Any other variables which is not the IV that affects the DV and does not vary systematically with the IV, they’re nuisance variables
E.g. temperature, lighting of the room, age
THEY DO NOT CONFOUND THE RESULTS BUT JUST MAKE THEM HARDER TO DETECT
What are confounding variables?
Also described as any other variable other than the IV which has an effect on the DV but they do VARY SYSTEMATICALLY with the IV
E.g. In Australia, home heating costs decrease in December and January. One conclusion based on correlational evidence may be on average Australians prefer cold homes. In this example, season is again the confound. It is summer in December in the Southern Hemisphere.
What are demand characteristics?
When the participant changes their behaviour to match what they think the researcher wants
What are investigator effects?
The experimenter unconsciously conveys to participants how they should behave
What are the two types of Data?
quantitative and qualitative
What is quantitative data?
Data in the form of numbers
E.g. using a stopwatch, tally, descriptive statistics (averages and ranges)
What is qualitative data?
Data in the form of words
When do you use quantitative data?
experimental and observational research
When do you use qualitative data?
case studies, open-question interviews and questionnaires
What are the advantages of quantitative data?
2 points
- less biased - increased scientific credibility
- easily summarised and displayed on charts and graphs
What are the disadvantages of quantitative data?
2 points
- lacks depth and detail
- only focused on individual behaviours and what can be mathematically measured
What are the advantages of qualititative data?
2 points
- more depth and detail
- participants don’t have limited responses - higher validity
What are the disadvantages of qualititative data?
2 points
- researcher can be open to interpretation and potentially biased
- challenging to summarise
what is primary data?
The researcher is responsible for generating the data. common ways to collect primary data are: interviews, experiments, questionnaires, case studies
what is secondary data?
when researchers use information previously collected by a third hand party
advantages of primary data?
1 point
- increased validity as the researcher has full control
disadvantages of primary data?
2 points
- time consuming
- potentially expensive
advantages of secondary data?
1 point
- already exists and if often analysed - reduces time and potential cost
disadvantages of secondary data?
2 points
- decreased validity as data may not be appropriate to answer the researcher’s question
- researcher has no role so the data could be biased
what are the four types of experiments?
- field
- natural
- quasi
- laboratory
what is a laboratory experiment?
An experiment that takes place in a highly controlled environment. The IV is manipulated to see the impact on the DV
strengths of laboratory experiment?
3 points
- High degree of control - experimenters control all variables, the IV has been precisely replicated, leading to greater accuracy.
- Replication - researchers can repeat experiments and check results.
- High internal validity meaning observed change in DV is due to change in IV
limitations of laboratory experiment?
3 points
- Low ecological validity- high degree of control makes the situation artificial, unlike real life.
- tasks conducted in lab studies lack mundane realism (don’t reflect tasks in the real world) lowering external validity
- participants know they are in a study, they may change their behaviour due to demand characteristics
what is a field experiment?
An experiment conducted in a more natural environment, in which the researcher manipulates something (I.V.) to see the effect of this on something else (D.V.).
strengths of a field experiment?
3 points
- Naturalistic - so more natural behaviours hence high ecological validity.
- tasks are more likely to have mundane realism - closer to the types of activities the participants usually carries out
- often participants won’t know they’re in an experiment so they won’t show demand characteristics
limitations of a field experiment?
2 points
- Lack of control over extraneous variables, could be influencing the measurement of the DV
- if participants are unaware they are being studied this raises ethical issues (lack of informed consent).
what is a natural experiment?
Natural experiments are studies where the experimenter cannot manipulate the IV, so the DV is simply measured and judged as the effect of an IV.
strengths of a natural experiment?
2 points
- allow research in in areas that couldn’t happen in controlled experimentation, either due to ethical or cost reasons
- high external validity -> example of real behaviour in the real life world
limitations of a natural experiment?
3 points
- Very difficult to randomise participants into groups so confounding & extraneous variables become a problem, reducing internal validity
- can’t manipulate the IV so it could be difficult to establish cause and effect
- often rare events so can’t be replicated
what is a quasi experiment
The researcher examines the effect of the naturally occurring IV (i.e. gender, age) on the dependent variable
strengths of a quasi experiment?
1 point
- allow for comparisons between types of people e.g., gender, personality, people with or without disabilities
limitations of a quasi experiment?
3 points
- can only be used where conditions vary naturally
- participants may be aware they are being studied, reducing internal validity
- the DV could be an artificial task, reducing ecological validity
what is randomisation?
researchers can randomly generate aspects of the study to control for extraneous variables and investigator effects
what is standardisation
Standardisation describes using the exact same procedures for all participants involved in order to repeat the study.
what is random sampling?
This is when all members of the population have the same equal chances of being the one that is selected.
strengths of random sampling?
1 point
- no researcher bias as the researcher can’t pick participants
limitations of random sampling?
2 points
- it can be time consuming
- It can be impractical to use a completely random technique
what is opportunity sampling?
Participants who are both accessible and willing to take part are targeted
strengths of opportunity sampling?
1 point
- easiest and inexpensive
limitations of opportunity sampling?
2 points
- Not representative of the whole population
- Researcher bias is presented as they control who they want to select.
what is volunteer sampling?
the sample consists of people who have volunteered to be in the study.
strengths of volunteer sampling?
2 points
- more representative - gives access to variety of participants
- Quick access to willing participants
limitations of volunteer sampling?
1 point
- Volunteer bias- the study may attract a particular profile of a person. This means generalisability is then affected.
what is systematic sampling?
every nth person is chosen from a list of the target population