Research Methods - paper 2 (all) Flashcards
what is an aim?
driven by theory & states the intent of the study in genreal terms
what is a hypothesis?
- prediction of an investigation - involes independant & dependant variable
- need to be directional or nondirectional
- operationalise
independant variable
characteristics that is manipulated
dependant variable
measurable variable
directional hypothesis
states the specific effect on the IV
non-directional hypothesis
states there will be a change but is not specific - when there is no previous research
null hypothosis
no difference or no relationship - prediciting there will be no effect
operationalisation of a hypothesis
make the variables measurable
extraneous variables
are all variables that are not the independant variable but could effect the depenant variable
confounding variables
a variable that is not the indpendant variable but may have effected the dependant variable (extranous variable that you cant control)
controlling extranous variables
- standardisation
- single blind
- double blind
- random allocation
- standadised instructions
- ensure anonymity
- counterbalancing
controlling extranous variables - standardisation
all aspects of the environment are the same
controlling extranous variables - single blind
making sure particpants dont know the aim
controlling extranous variables - double blind
particapants nor expirementer know the aim or conditions
controlling extranous variables - random allocation
randomly allocating particapants to the independant variable
controlling extranous variables - standardised instructions
pre written script for both groups
controlling extranous variables - ensure anonymity
make sure particapants know their results are anoymous
controlling extranous variables - counterbalancing
change order for the conditions for each particapnt
extranous variables
- situation variables
- particapnt variables
- demand characteristics
- investigator effects
- order effects
- social desirability
- placebo effect
extranous variables - situational variables
- factors in the enviroment that can unintentionally affect the DV
- more noise in one group than another
- standarndisation
extranous variables - particapant variables
- the charcteristics of a person may impact the results
- better reaction time
- random allocation
extranous variables - demand characteristics
- particapants uncounsouly changing their behaviour as they have worked out the expirenment
- one group works it out and the other doesnt
- single blind
extranous variables - investigator effect
- the expirementor uncounsiously conveys to the particapants how they should act
- standarisation
- double blind
extranous variables - order effect
- any effect that comes from doing the expirement twice
- one group has a better time because they have practised before
- counterbalancing
extranous variables - social desirability
- when particapnts want to come across a certain way to expirementors so change their behaviour
- ensure anonymity
extranous variables - placebo effect
- when taking a drug and they act in a way they think they should feel
- single blind
- double blind
qualitative data
- observation notes
- subjective
- hard to anaylise
- open questions
- cant test hypothesis
quantative data
- objective
- scores on a likert scale
- closed answers
- easy to anaylse & draw graphs
- can test hypothosis
primary data
- collected by researcher
- collected specificly for hypothesis
- longer and more difficult
- researcher has control on how data is collected
secoundary data
- quick and easy
- collected for a different hypothesis
- researcher has no control on how it is collected
observations
- naturlistic & controlled
- covert & overt
- particapant & non-particapant
- structered & unstructured
naturlistic observations
- in a setting where the behaviour would naturally occur
- all aspects of the enviroment are free
- no manipulation of the IV
+ .+high ecological validity - measures how generalisable expirmental findings are to the real world - natural - .- lacks informed consent - observing in a natural enviroment means that they dont know its happening so cant give consent
controlled observations
- carried out in a lab/controlled enviroment
- researcher decideds and controlls everything
- standardised procedures
- .+ standardised procedures - same process
- .- lacks ecological validity - not genralisable to everyday life
covert observations
- particapants are unaware they are being watched
- .+ high ecological valdity - behaviurs are extremely accuart
- .- lacks ethical - no informed consent
overt observations
- particapnts are aware they are being watched
- .+ ethical - infomred consent
- .- lacks validity - change behaviour due to social desilibty
particapant observations
- resesrcher joins in as a particapnt ( undercover)
- .+ more insight - can see everything going on - high validity
- .- to involved - loose objective and make it to personel
non-particapant observations
- researcher is detached from the observations - covert or overt
- .+ find objective - stick to aim and find pure research
- .- less insight - cant always see why things happen
structured observations
- clearly defined way of measuring behaviour
- specific set stages (piloet studies first)
- .+ standardised procedures - high reliability
- .- limited - cant write something if you see anything else other than in the procedure
unstructured observations
- no set catogories to look out for
- .+ more detail - no limitations so can measure anything
- .- hard to anaylise - qualitative data
observer bias
- seeing something that yu expect to see - reseacher bias
- fixing it ;
1. observers are calibrated - trained in a piloet study , define behaviour catagories
2. results are compared - check consistently
3. do observations - seperartly
4. stats test - check similarity , standard deviations - under 0.8
event sampling
- recording observations when target behavoiour
- noting all occurance happens
time sampling
- recording behaviours in specific time period
- behaviour ingnored outside time period
questionares
- open questionares - not limted with how they respond
- closed questionares - have limited numer of repsonse (likert scale, rating scale , fixed choice)
- what questionares need:
1. no use of jargon
2. no leading questions
3. no double barrel questions
disadvantages of questionares
- response bias - social disarabilty , aquiescence bias (saying yes bc dont understand)
- hard to interpret - everyone has different meanings for certain things
- sample not reprosentive - certain type of people reply to them , extroverts , authoritarian
advantages of questionares
- quick and easy - mass produce
- no investigater effect - investigator isnt present so no more likely to be true
- right to withdraw - just dont send it in
interviews
- structured - set questions , limited awsners , same for everyone
- semi-structured - list of set questions but can elabroate
- unstructured - no specifc questions , detailed awsners
advantages of interviews
- detailed
- can clarify things that arent clear
- freely speak
disadvantages of interviews
- time consuming
- hard to anaysle
- investigator effect
expiremental type
- lab studies
- feild studies
- natrual study
- quasi study
expiremental type - lab studies
- standardised enviroment
- researcher controlls everything
- high validity
- scientific crediability
- controls extrenous variables
- lacks ecological validity
- demand characteristics
expiremental type - feild study
- takes place outside a lab - basic scientific procedures
- high ecological validty
- no demand characteristics
- ethical issues - no informed consent
- not as replicable
expiremental type - natural study
- natrual enviroment
- no control of iv - no manipulations
- high ecological vaildity
- good ethics as no manipultion so no particapnt harm on purpose
- no demand characterisitcs
- cant control extranous variables
- difficult to replicate
expiremental type - quasi study
- IV cannot be randomly assigned or manipulated
- innate characteristics of particapnts involved - gender , age , inteligance
- same strenghts as what its conductions (lab,feild,natrual)
- cant not randomly allocate - big prob with particapnt variabels
experimental designs
- independant groups
- repeated measures
- matched pairs