Research methods Year 1

Question 1

What is an aim?

Answer 1

A general statement of what the researcher intends to investigate. This is the purpose of the study.

Question 2

Define independent variable and dependent variable.

Answer 2

IV = The factor that is manipulates/changes naturally in the study
DV = The factor that is measured/ the result

Question 3

What is a demand characteristic?

Answer 3

An element of the study which make people change their behaviour to need the expected needs of the study.

Question 4

What is an extraneous variable?

Answer 4

A nuisance variable that does not vary systematically with the condition

Question 5

How could you operationalise the variable of “wellbeing”?

Answer 5

How many days you have off work/school

Question 6

Name 3 types of experimental design.

Answer 6

Independent Groups, Repeated Measures, Matched pairs.

Question 7

Which experimental design requires fewest participants?

Answer 7

Repeated measures.

Question 8

Which experimental design has the greatest risk of
demand characteristics?

Answer 8

Repeated measures

Question 9

What are order effects?

Answer 9

When the order of presentation of experimental
conditions affects participant behaviour.

Question 10

How could you design an experiment to reduce
order effects?

Answer 10

Use independent groups or matched pairs, or
repeated measures with counterbalancing.

Question 11

Why is it important that a sample is representative?

Answer 11

So that findings can be generalised to the target
population.

Question 12

Name 3 types of experiment

Answer 12

Lab, field, naturalistic, Quasi

Question 13

Which type of experiment is likely to allow the
greatest control of extraneous variables?

Answer 13

Lab experiments.

Question 14

What is a pilot study?

Answer 14

A small scaled version of the main study

Question 15

Explain the right to withdraw from an experiment.

Answer 15

Participants can leave the experiment and withdraw their data at any time.

Question 16

Explain how you would take a volunteer sample.

Answer 16

Place up adverts for participants to sign up

Question 17

What variable is manipulated by the research or
changes naturally?

Answer 17

Independent variables

Question 18

What does Can Do & Cant Do With Participants
stand for in ethics?

Answer 18

Consent, Deception, Confidentiality, Debriefing,
Withdrawal, protection

Question 19

Within observations what 2 types of sampling
techniques can researchers use?

Answer 19

Event sampling & time sampling.

Question 20

What is a strength of a field experiment?

Answer 20

Higher ecological validity of results/behaviours

Question 21

In which experimental design might you use counter balancing?

Answer 21

Repeated measures

Question 22

What type of data do closed questions generate?

Answer 22

Numerical (quantitative)

Question 23

Name 2 types of self-report?

Answer 23

Questionnaire & interview

Question 24

Name the 5 types of sampling?

Answer 24

Random, opportunity, stratified, systematic, volunteer

Question 25

What is a weakness of a volunteer sample?

Answer 25

Same types of people volunteer, unrepresentative data

Question 26

How could you deal with confidentiality in research?

Answer 26

Code name, initial, number participants

Question 27

What is a strength of a covert observation?

Answer 27

Participants behaviour is more natural, no demand characteristics

Question 28

What is a strength of primary data?

Answer 28

Data is specific and fits the needs of the study

Question 29

What data do you need to have to draw a bar chart
with?

Answer 29

Categoric/discrete/nominal

Question 30

What data do you need to have to draw a line graph?

Answer 30

Continuous/interval

Question 31

What study do you need to have conducted to draw a
scatter gram?

Answer 31

Correlation

Question 32

What does a correlation coefficient show?

Answer 32

Strength and direct of a correlation