Research Methods:Self Report Methods and Correlational Method Flashcards
Define what a self report method is?
What do they often involve?
where a ppt provides details about their own thoughts and feelings to the researcher
this often involves responding to questions
What are the 2 main types of self report method?
interviews
questionaires
Give two examples of when a self report method may be used
they may be used as part of an experiment to assess the DV or as part of a correlation
What kind of data do closed questions provide?
Is this data easy or difficult to analyse?
What kind of data do open questions provide?
What does this data type usually lead to?
quantitive data , its easy to analyse
qualitive data , usually leads to much more detailed information
Make 5 points about interviews…
-can be structured or unstructured
-usually done face to face but can be carried out over the phone
-responses are either written down or recorded so they can be analysed
-audio recordings should be transcribed
-they are useful for gathering more detailed info and enables a more flexible approach to questioning
What is the 1 strength of interviews?
What are the 2 weaknesses of interviews?
+ they’re more flexible than questionaires as researchers can interact with ppts to clarify info if needed , meaning misunderstandings are less likely
-the interaction between researcher and ppt may affect the data as investigator effects are more likely
-more time consuming than questionaires as specialist training is required
What are the 3 strengths of questionaires?
+a lot of data can be obtained quickly from a large number of people
+there is a reduced risk of investigator effects as the researcher isn’t present
+ppts are more likely to answer honestly , gives more accurate and reliable data
What are the 4 weaknesses of questionaires?
-they can involve leading questions which lower validity of findings
-results can be impacted by social desirability bias
-samples can be biased as they usually only involve people who are motivated or interested in answering them
-ppts may not understand the questions and researcher isn’t present to clarify info
What are investigator effects?
when the researchers behaviour or characteristics influence the research in some way
Give 2 ways that investigator effects can be reduced?
-provide a standardised script for interviewers to use so that they ask all questions in same way to avoid bias
-interviewers can be trained to greet ppts in the same way and ask questions in a neutral tone
Define what a correlational method does
looks at the relationship or association between 2 variables rather than a difference between conditions
What are the 2 variables is correlations known as ?
co-variables
Describe what a positive correlation is
Describe what a negative correlation is
where both co variables increase or decrease together
where as one co variable increases the other decreases
What type of graph is most commonly used to represent correlations?
a scattergraph
What is a correlation co-efficient?
What does this value range between?
What does it mean when the correlation co efficient is very close to one of these values?
a number that is calculated to see how strongly related the co variables are
-1 to +1
that the correlation is strong
