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Research Methods > Resersch Methods > Flashcards

Resersch Methods Flashcards

1
Q

What is an aim

A

What the researcher intends to investigate

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2
Q

What is a hypothesis

A

A statement that the researcher believes to be true
Can be directional- changed are stated
Non- directional- doesn’t state direction

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3
Q

What is an experimental method

A

Researcher cause the IV to change and record the effect of the IV on the DV

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4
Q

Blind studies

A

Single blind- participants don’t know aims
Double blind- participants and researcher don’t know aims

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5
Q

Experimental methods

A

Independent groups- 1 condition each
Repeated measures- Do all conditions
Matched pairs- matched on variable

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6
Q

Types of experiment

A

Lab- controlled environment
Field- natural setting but IV is manipulated
Natural- no manipulation of IV, would have varied anyway
Quasi- IV based on pre existing differences so cannot randomly allocate

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7
Q

Sampling methods

A

Opportunity- those available and willing
Volunteer- participants select themselves
Random- everyone in the target population has a chance of being selected
Systematic- selected using a pattern
Stratified- representative of target population

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8
Q

Ethical issues

A

D- deception
R- right to withdraw
I- informed consent
P- protect from harm
P- privacy and confidentiality

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9
Q

Types of correlation

A

Positive
Negative
Zero

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10
Q

Evaluation of correlation

A

+ useful starting point for research
+ less time consuming than experiments
- no cause and effect
- methods used to measure variables may be flawed

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11
Q

Observational techniques

A

Naturalistic- takes place in normal setting .
Controlled- control of variables
Covert- don’t know being studied
Overt- know being studied
Participant- researcher become part of the group they are studying
Non participant- researcher remain separate from group

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12
Q

Observational designs

A

Behavioural categories- target behaviour should be broken up into observable categories
Time sampling- observations made at regular intervals
Event sampling- behaviours recorded every time they occur

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13
Q

Self report techniques

A

Questionnaires- preset list of written questions to which a participant responds
interviews- interactions between interviewer and interviewee

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14
Q

Design of questionaries

A

Closed questions- respondent has limited choices ( yes or no questions)
Open questions- respondent provides answers in words

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15
Q

Types of data

A

Quantitative- numerical data
Qualitative- non numerical data
Primary data- first hand collected data expressed in words
Secondary data- collected by someone other than the researcher e.g taken from journal articles
Meta analysis- a types of secondary data that combines data from a large number of studies

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16
Q

Measures of central tendency’s

A

Mean
Mode
Median

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17
Q

Measures of dispersion

A

Range
Standard deviation- the average spread around the mean, the larger the standard deviation then more spread out the data are

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18
Q

Representation of quantitative data

A

Tables- raw scores displayed in columns and rows
Bar charts- height of each column represents the frequency of that item
Histogram- bars touch each other
Line graph- the line shows how something changes
Scattergram- used for correlational analysis, dots

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19
Q

Distributions

A

Normal distribution- symmetrical bell shaped curve
Mean median and mode at mid point of curve
Negative skew- most distribution concentrated to right of graph
Positive skew- most of distribution concentrated to left of graph

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20
Q

Significance

A

The difference between the two sets is greater than what would have occurred by chance

21
Q

Significance level

A

0.05

22
Q

What do we need to know to find the critical value

A

The significance level
Number of participants
Whether the hypothesis is direction or non- directional

23
Q

Sign test calculations

A

Find number of + and -
S is the least frequent sign
S< critical value

24
Q

What is peer review

A

Before publication, all aspects of the investigation are scrutinized by experts

25
Q

Aims of peer review

A

Allocate research funding
Validation of quality and relevance
Improvements and amendments suggested

26
Q

Case studies

A

Analysis of unusual individuals or events
Produces qualitative data
Tend to take place over a long period of time

27
Q

Content analysis

A

Type of observational research in which people are studied indirectly via the communications they have produced
Aim is to summarize and describe communications in a systematic way so that conclusion can be drawn

28
Q

Coding in content analysis

A

This is the initial stage
Categorizes the information into meaningful units

29
Q

Thematic analysis and qualitative data

A

Thematic analysis is a form of content analysis but the outcome is qualitative
Identifies themes
A theme refers to any idea that is recurrent in other words

30
Q

Evaluation of case studied

A

+ rich in detail
+Contributes to our understanding of typical functioning
- small sample size
- low validity

31
Q

Evaluation of content analysis

A

+ more ethical than some psychological research
+ no issues with obtaining consent
+ can produce qualitative and quantitative data
- researcher bias
- lack of objectivity

32
Q

Reliability

A

Measure of consistency
Test- retest (complete Same test again)
Inter- observer reliability (pilot studied, multiple observers)
Measuring reliability ( correlation coefficient)

33
Q

Improving reliability

A

Questionnaires (replace open questions with closed questions)
Interviews (use the same interviewer, train interviewer, use structured interview)
Observations (operationalise behavioral categories)
Experiments (standardised procedure)

34
Q

Types of validity

A

Internal (effects observed are due to manipulation of iv)
External (generalizing to other settings)
Temporal (whether the study holds true over time)

35
Q

Improving validity

A

Experiments (control group, standardise procedure, use single/ double blind procedures)
Questionnaires (lie scale)
Observations (covert, behavioral categories)

36
Q

Levels of measurement

A

Nominal (categorical)
Ordinal (ordered)
Interval (numerical scales that include units of equal size)

37
Q

What is a null hypothesis

A

States there is no difference between conditions

38
Q

What is a type 1 error

A

When the null hypothesis is rejected and the alternative hypothesis is accepted when it should have been the other way around

39
Q

What is a type 2 error

A

When the null hypothesis is accepted and the alternative hypothesis is rejected when it should be the other way round

40
Q

Sections of a scientific report

A

Abstract- short summary that includes all the elements of the study
Introduction- review of the general research detailing relevant theorists etc
Method- sufficient detail so other researched are able to precisely replicate the study
. Design
. Sample
. Materials
.ethics
Results- summarises key findings
Discussion- summarises results, limitations and implications
Referencing- full detail of materials sourced

41
Q

What is a paradigm

A

A shared set of assumptions and methods

42
Q

Does psychology have a paradigm

A

Social sciences such as psychology lack a universally accepted paradigm

43
Q

What is a paradigm shift

A

A handful of researchers begin to question the accepted paradigm which eventually gathers popularity and pace

44
Q

Examples of paradigm shift

A

The change from Newtonian paradigm in physics towards Einstein s theory of relativity

45
Q

Theory construction

A

Occurs through gathering evidence via direct observation
Should be scientifically tested
Should suggest a number of possible hypothesis

46
Q

Falsifiability

A

Popper
Good science can potentially be be falsified (proven false)

47
Q

Replicability

A

If the scientific theory is to be trusted the findings from it must be shown to be repeatable across contexts

48
Q

Objectivity

A

Researchers must strive for to maintain objectivity as part of an investigation
They must keep a critical distance during research

Research Methods (2 decks)

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