Research Module 1 1st year Flashcards
What is research?
Research is the search for knowledge to establish facts
Why do we need to conduct research in psychology?
To gather information
Draw conclusions
To analyse an area of interest
and to add on previously existing theories
What might a psychologist research?
Development
personality
learning
culture
evolution
gender etccc
Before the research is conducted a hypothesis must be given. Give examples
A hypothesis is what the researcher expects to happen or find from the research.
Ex: males will be more affected by learning disorders.
Test anxiety decreases as a result of effective study habits
Research methods in psychology can be divided into 2 main categories. Mention them
Quantitative and Qualitative Methodology
Before conducting a research study, the researcher needs to present the participant/s with an information sheet. What does this sheet include?
The sheet includes who is going to participate in the study and why the study is being done.
Who is going to see and listen to the recording and data? Pointing to the participant’s duties.
Who will participate in the study etc.
Explaining the terms of confidentiality
The participant can withdraw at any time of the research
If the participant agrees with all the terms he or she has to sign the consent form
What is the main difference between quantitative and qualitative methodology?
How one collects the data and how one analyses the data
How does a researcher know which methodology is best to use?
It depends upon the subject being studied.
For example if generalisations to the entire population will take place,the researcher would opt for a QUANTITATIVE method.
If the researcher is more interested in the subjective experience of people or the meaning behind the experience, the researcher would opt for a QUALITATIVE methodology
What is quantitative research?
This type of methodology gathers information which is NUMERICAL form.
Quantitative methodology assumes that objectivity is key to coming up with a conclusion that can help generalise the behaviour
How is Quantitative data measured?
By nominal, Likert or rating scales
Nominal data: total number of
Rating scales: ex: how much do you enjoy going to Paceville ex: from 1-5
Likert scales: mothers should stay at home : strongly agree,agree,netural etc
Give some advantages and disadvantages of Quantitative methodology
Advantages: can generalise (predictive power)
allows to measure data
very precise in terms of measurement
shows the relationship between independent and dependent variables
Disadvantages:
A large sample of the population must be studied
Individual differences are not appreciated
may oversimplify the complexity of human nature
Mention some research tools used when quantitative methodology is used. (Data collection tools)
Experiments
Surveys/questionnaires (structured interviews)
Structured observations
Correlational studies
What is validity and reliability?
Validity: refers to the extent to which a test measures what it claims to measure
Reliability: refers to the consistency of a measure. A study is considered reliable if we get the same results at different times
The higher the validity and reliability levels, the safer it is to generalize the results to the entire population
What is a qualitative methodology?
It gathers information which is not in numerical form but focuses on descriptive data.
It aims to focus on the meaning people attach to their experiences. There is no need to obtain a large sample of the population.
No generalisations.
People are often chosen because of their experiences.
What are the main data collection tools in qualitative methodology?
Semi-structured or unstructured interviews
Unstructured or semi-structured observations
case-studies
