Research Methods Part 2 Flashcards
What is the definition of a natural study?
What happens in natural study?
What is a strength of a natural study?
What is a weakness of a natural study?
What is the definition of a quasi experiment?
What is an example of this and why?
What is a strength of quasi?
What is a weakness of quasi?
A natural study is less about where the research is done and more about the IV
Instead of choosing something and manipulating it, in a naturalistic study the IV is naturally occurring and would have been there either way
Allows us to study very important events that may be unethical to observe in any other way
Limited opportunities to apply this
A quasi of research is based purely on pre-existing IV
Any research done on age or height is quasi, because it can’t be manipulated, it’s simply a pre-existing characteristic
These research studies are often done in highly controlled settings, with an emphasis on establishing cause and effect
When the IV is always naturally occurring it means you can’t allocate groups or randomise the sample. Therefore, the study can’t control against confounding variables.
What is the definition of a laboratory experiment?
What is a strength of this?
What is a weakness of this?
What is the definition of a field experiment?
What is a strength of this?
What is a weakness of this?
What is the definition of internal validity?
What is the definition of external validity?
Laboratory study is conducted in highly controlled situations. Often in environments the researcher has specifically set out, where the psychologist can control the extraneous variables
Due to immense controls the researcher has over the environment they can regulate any extraneous variables
The situation is artificial and so participants may behave in unfamiliar ways
Takes place in really natural environments. Still IV that’s changed and DV that’s measured, but often happens in a more everyday setting to the participants
As environment is often well known to participants, the behaviour they demonstrate is often more natural
Because in an everyday environment, researchers don’t have as much control over setting
Refers to whether the effects observed in a study are due to the manipulation of the IV and not some other factor (ie causal relationship between the IV and DV)
Refers to the extent to which the results of a study can be generalized to other settings (ecological validity), other people (population validity) and over time (historical validity).
What is the definition of replication?
What is the definition of generalizability?
What is the definition of mundane realism?
What is the definition of true experiments?
A term referring to the repetition of a research study generally with different situations and different subjects, to determine if the basic findings of the original study can be applied to other participants and circumstances
Refers to the extent to which we can apply the findings of our research to the target population we are interested in
Describes the degree to which the materials and procedures involved in an experiment are similar to events that occur in the real world. Therefor, mundane realism is a type of external validity, which is the extent to which findings can generalize from experiments to real -life settings
In a true experiment the IV is under the direct control of the researcher who manipulates it and records the effect on the DV. From this perspective, only lab and field experiments are true experiments as they involve manipulation of the IV by the researcher.
What is a sample?
Where is a population?
What is a target population?
What do we want to make our sample and why?
What do we want our technique free from in samples?
Describe a volunteer sample?
What are two positives of volunteer sampling?
What is a negative of volunteer sampling?
Describe an opportunity sample?
What are two positives of opportunity sampling?
What are two negatives of opportunity sampling?
The people we want to test
A population is everywhere
A target population is everyone we want our work to applicable to
Representative of the target sample, so that we can generalise our work
A technique free from bias
Participants put themselves forward, rather than being selected
+ Really easy to do
+The researcher has to do very little, eg just put out an advert
- Volunteer bias
The researcher goes out to ask people who are conveniently near by
+ Easy and convenient
+ Don’t have to do much work
- Population bias
- Researcher bias.
What are population bias?
What are researcher bias?
Describe a stratified sample?
What does this method of sampling do?
What is a positive of stratified sampling?
What are two negatives of stratified sampling?
Describe a systematic sample?
What are two positives of systematic sampling?
What are two negatives of systematic sampling?
Is there anywhere you can stand that’ll get an accurate representation of the population
Researcher has complete control over who they ask to take part
Every population is made up of sub-groups
Calculates what percentage each of these sub groups are, and asks a proportionate number from each group
+ Representative of the target population
- Time consuming
- Expensive
Make a complete list of the target population and select every nth person
+ Almost no researcher bias
+ Assuming the sample is large enough, usually fairly representative
- Time Consuming
- Expensive.
Describe a random sample?
What is an example of this?
What is a positive of random sampling?
What are three negatives of random sampling?
What is deception?
What is right to withdraw?
What is protection of participants?
What is confidentiality?
What is informed consent?
Every person in the target population is given the opportunity to be selected, through an independent lottery system
Names from a hat/ an objective computer stimulation
+ Almost no researcher bias
- Time consuming
- Expensive
- The participant might not want to take part
Intentionally with-holding information about the study or its aims from participants. This may sometimes be necessary to avoid participants changing their behaviour
All participants should be informed that they can drop out of a study at any time and how they can go about doing this if they wish to
Participants should leave a research study in the same state as they entered it. Researchers should not cause physical or psychological harm to their participants
Individual participants should not be identifiable in the published research
Participants should know as much as possible about the procedure before they agree to take part in a study- like the sort of things they will be asked to do, how long it will take etc.
What is debriefing?
What is competence?
How do you combat deception?
How do you combat right to withdraw?
How do you combat protection of participants?
How do you combat confidentiality?
How do you combat informed consent?
Researchers must speak to all participants at the end of the study explaining fully what the study was about and what their results mean. They should also check that the participant has no further questions and that they have not been harmed in any way (eg emotionally distressed) by taking part
Researcher must have the necessary qualifications to carry out the study and must also show that they understand the implications of the study, know the ethical guidelines and adhere to any legal obligations such as the Data Protection Act
This must be justified and agreed by an ethics committee to be necessary for the research. If it is done, we must make sure we debrief our participants afterwards
Participants should be told at the beginning of a study that they can leave at any time
Activities that cause stress should be avoided as this may cause emotional harm (distress) or physical harm (raised blood pressure / physiological stress responses)
Researchers should ensure that named data is kept locked away and- when individual participants’ results are highlighted- the individual should be given a number or pseudonym to protect their identity
Researchers should tell the pps at the start of the study what will be done so pps can agree in advance that they are happy to take part.
How do you combat debriefing?
How do you combat competence?
When do ethical issues occur?
What are the four parts of the British Psychological Society Code of Ethics and Conduct?
Why should participants be debriefed as part of informed consent?
What two other things should participants be aware of?
What are participants free to do at any time and what example does this include?
What else can participants refuse?
What is the definition of deception?
Researchers should have a prewritten debrief that is read to all pps along with the opportunity to ask any questions or contact researchers at a later date
Ethical committees must agree the research in advance and approve the credentials of the researcher
When there is conflict between the rights of participants and the needs of researchers
- Informed consent
- Deception
- Protection from harm
- Confidentiality
To enable them to make an informed judgement as to whether to take part or not
Aware of aims of research and include the right to withdraw at any stage
Free to leave a study at any time, even if they’ve been paid
Refuse permission for their data to be used
Deliberately misleading or lying to the participants at any stage of the investigation.
