Research methods-scientific processes Flashcards
diagram of the scientific method
observe-question-hypothesis-test-conclude-redo
what are the features of a science
-objectivity and empirical evidence
-replicability and falsifiability
-theory construction and hypothesis testing
-paradigms and paradigms shifts
what is objectivity
when the researcher is not letting their own biases or expectations influence the research process
why should research be objective
-it has practical applications if research is flawed this could have serious repercussions
what are the most + least objective ways of carrying out research
most-lab experiement-high level of control over the varibales
least-natural-No control over manipulation of the IV
what is empiricism
gaining data based on direct sensory experience
eg-directly oberving behaviour
how can theories be created and modified
created through induction
modified through deduction
what is replicability
ability to conduct research again and achieve consistent results
what is replicability also used to access
the validity of the findings-if the findings can be truely generalised and be valid
you would expect that replication using the same standardied procedure would produce similar findigs and reach the same conclusion
how can we draw conclusions about the generalisability of the results by replicating research
replicate research in different settings with different popualtions
what is falsifiability
refers to the idea that a research hypothesis could be proved wrong
why do we start with the null hypothesis
we start with the null hypothesis if the results do not support the null hypothesis this can be rejected and we can accept the alternative hypothesis
what is a paradigm
a shared set of assumption about a subject matter/behaviour and its discipline and the methods appropriate to its study
how did Kuhn say a paradigm shift occurs
theres a “normal science phase” where theres a dominant paradigm which remains despite occasional disconfirming evidence
eventually enough challenging evidence will accumulate causing scientists to question the dominant paradigm this will cause a scientific revolution and a paradigm shift where a new paradigm will replace previously accepted assumptions
why would this mean psychology is classed as a pre-science
there isnt currently a shared paradigm there is a number of different theoretical perspectives which differ in terms of what aspect of human behaviour they study and how they go about studying iy
what is peer review
process of subjecting a piece of work to independent scrutiny by other psychologists working in a similar field wo consider the research in terms of validity, significance and orginality
describe the peer review process
The psychologist will submit their research to a suitable journal
The editor will then pass it on to a number of reviewers who are experts in that field
They will then scrutinise the research
The reviewer will pass their comments back to the editor and they may recommend the following
That the research may be published
The research may be recommended for publishing so long as the researcher makes minor modifications
The research may be rejected but with a recommendation that the researcher makes major modification and resubmits the work through view
The research may be rejected
what is the purpose of peer review
-ensures that only the highest quality research enters the public domain
-it prevents unwarrented claims/ deliberate fraud from occuring which retains the integrity of psychology
some economical purposes of peer review
the amount of research that an intuition gets published in a high quality peer-review journal is a way of accessing the research rating of the university
this helps make decisions of where research funding should be allocated
how is peer review usually carried out
in a single blind manner. This means the identity of the reviewer is not revealed to the researcher. This allows the reviewer to be critical without fear of repercussions from the researcher
what are 3 advantages of peer review
-showing work to other increases the probability that weaknesses will be identified
-peer review ensures published research can be taken seriously as it has been scrutinised by fellow researchers
-peers can judge the significance/how original it is
what are 3 disadvantages of peer review
-there may not be a suitably qualified expert to scrutinize the research so poor quality research may be published
-there’s publication bias which leads to significant results being published rather than non-significant ones-referred to as the file drawer
-studies that challenge the status quo are unlikely to be published which slows the development down of science
what are some economic implications of psychological research for the economy
–you can increase the productivity of the workforce
-reveal ways which the government can save public money eg-by reducing costs of NHS and reducing crime rate
what is reliability
refers to the consistency of a study or measure
if you were to replicate the study you would find similar results
how do you measure internal reliability
using the split half measure-dividing the test into 2 halves and comparing the results of the 2 halves. If there’s reliability there should be a positive correlation
how can you access the degree of reliability
using a correlation coefficiant
the closer the score is to a perfect correlation the stronger the reliability A strong positive correlation is perfectly acceptable
what is internal reliability
whether a measure is consistent within itself
what is a positive of using the split half measure
quick and easy way to establish reliability
what is a negative of using the split half measure
its only effective for large questionnaires where all the questions measure the same construct
what does external reliability measure
consistency of the measure overtime if its repeated
how can you access external reliability
test-retest method-where the same person is measured on 2 separate occasions and there scores are compared
to be externally reliable there should be a strong positive corrolation
what is a disadvantage of the test-retest method
it takes a long time for results to be obtained
how else can you access external Reliability
inter rater reliability-where multiple observers observe and record behaviour consistently
whats an advantage of external reliability
checsk for biased data collection
what happens when observers score do not consistently corollate
-Train observers in observation techniques and make sure everyone agrees with them
-ensure behavioral categories have been operationalised
what are the 3 types of external validity
ecological
population
temporal
what is ecological validity
whether the finding can be applied to other settings
what is population validity
whether the findings from one sample can be applied to another group of people.
what is temporal validity
refers to whether the findings apply to different time periods
how can validity be assessed
-face validity
-concurrent validity
-predictive validity
what is face validity
judging whether a test appears to measure what it is supposed to
eg-ensuring the questions are
what is concurrent valid
high concurrent validity is where there is close agreement between the data produced by the new test compared to the established test. Close agreement is indicated if the correlation between the two sets of data produced by the two tests exceeds +0.8
what predictive validity
ability of a test to predict performance on a similar test at some point in the future
how can you improve validity
-minimised extraneous variables
-use a control group
how do psychologists share their findings
in a psychological report
what format is used for a psychological report
standard format
so other psychologists can replicate the research
what are the 4 sections of a scientific report
abstract
introduction
method
results
discussion
referencing
Amy is my real daughter recipe
what is an abstract
- first section of a report
- brief/summary/100-300 words (accept alternative wording)
- contains (a summary of) the aims, methods, results, and conclusions
what is an introduction
provides the reader with a critical evaluation of other studies leading to the ratioale for the current study
the introduction will end with the aims for the current study
its purpose is to inform the reader of the context of the study so they understand its relevance and how it builds on previous research.
what does the method entail
the design-choice of method
the sample-details of the target population
apparatus/equipment-lost of assessment instructions
procedure-step-by step description of everything that happened in the investigation.
what are results
desripitive statistics
infarential statistics
raw data
what does the discussion section include
-explanation of the findings
-looking at similarities and differences to previous research in this area
-explanations of possible sources of error
-ideas for modification to improve the research and findings
how to do book references
Author, first name inital (year of publication). Book title in italics. Place of publication and publishers
THIS ONE COMES UP MORE
how to do journal references
Surname. Initials. year. name of journal article. name of journal article in italics
