RM YR2 Flashcards
literally crashing out rn
What is reliability in psychological research?
Refers to the consistency of a measurement or research method
High reliability means results are consistent when repeated
What are the two types of reliability?
Internal reliability: Consistency within a test (e.g., all questions measuring the same concept)
External reliability: Consistency when the test is repeated at different times
How can reliability be assessed?
Test-retest method: Same participants repeat the test at a later time
Inter-observer reliability: Two or more observers produce consistent observations
What is validity in psychological research?
Refers to whether a test measures what it claims to measure
What is population validity?
Whether findings can be applied to different groups of people
What is ecological validity?
Whether findings can be applied to real-life settings
What are the different types of validity?
Internal validity: Whether the results are due to the IV rather than extraneous variables
External validity: Whether the results can be generalised to other settings or populations
What is the difference between reliability and validity?
Reliability: Consistency of results
Validity: Accuracy of what the test measures
What is temporal validity?
Whether findings remain true over different periods of time
How can internal validity be improved?
Controlling extraneous variables
Using standardised procedures
What are demand characteristics?
When participants guess the aim of the study and alter their behaviour
How can demand characteristics be controlled?
Use of single-blind procedures
Deception about the true aim of the study
What is the difference between quantitative and qualitative data?
Quantitative data: Numerical, measurable data
Qualitative data: Descriptive, non-numerical data
What are the strengths of quantitative data?
Easier to analyse and compare
Allows for statistical testing
What are the strengths of qualitative data?
Provides detailed insights into participants’ experiences
Helps understand subjective perspectives
What are the limitations of qualitative data?
Difficult to analyse objectively
Prone to researcher bias
What are the limitations of quantitative data?
Lacks depth and detail
May not fully represent human behaviour
What is the difference between primary and secondary data?
Primary data: Collected directly by the researcher for their study
Secondary data: Data collected by someone else, used by the researcher
What are the strengths of primary data?
More relevant to the research aim
Higher accuracy
What are the limitations of secondary data?
May not be specific to the study
Could lack accuracy
What are the strengths of secondary data?
Saves time and effort
Allows access to large datasets
What is thematic analysis?
Identifies and analyses patterns or themes in qualitative data
What is meta-analysis?
Combines results from multiple studies on the same topic
What is the strength of meta-analysis?
Provides a more comprehensive view of research evidence
What is the limitation of meta-analysis?
Prone to publication bias (only positive results are published)
What is content analysis?
Systematic method for analysing qualitative data by categorising information
What is the difference between independent and dependent variables?
Independent variable (IV): The variable manipulated by the researcher
Dependent variable (DV): The variable measured in response to the IV
What is a null hypothesis?
A statement predicting no relationship or effect between variables
What is a directional hypothesis?
Predicts the specific direction of the relationship between variables
What is a non-directional hypothesis?
Predicts that there will be an effect, but does not specify the direction
What is a pilot study?
Small-scale trial run to test the feasibility of the study design
What is random sampling?
Every member of the target population has an equal chance of being selected
What is opportunity sampling?
Selecting participants who are available at the time
What is the difference between correlation and causation?
Correlation shows a relationship between two variables
Causation shows that one variable directly affects another
What is standard deviation?
A measure of the spread of scores around the mean
What is stratified sampling?
Dividing the population into subgroups and selecting participants in proportion to their numbers
What is volunteer sampling?
Participants self-select to take part in the study
What is systematic sampling?
Selecting every nth person from a list
What are the aims of peer review?
Check for validity
Detect fraud or bias
Ensure research is suitable for publication
What is peer review?
Independent assessment of research by other experts in the field
What is the purpose of inferential statistics?
Allows researchers to determine whether results are due to chance or an effect
What is a Type I error?
When the null hypothesis is rejected incorrectly (false positive)
What is the significance level in psychology?
Typically set at 0.05 (5%)
Means there is a 5% probability that results occurred by chance
What is a Type II error?
When the null hypothesis is accepted incorrectly (false negative)
What is the purpose of counterbalancing?
Controls for order effects in repeated measures designs
What is a double-blind procedure?
Neither the participants nor the researcher know which condition participants are in
What is the demand characteristics
When participants alter their behaviour because they know they are being observed
What is test-retest reliability?
Assessing the consistency of a test by repeating it with the same participants
What is interval data?
Data measured on a scale with equal intervals between values
No true zero point
Example: Temperature in degrees Celsius
What is ordinal data?
Data that can be ranked or ordered
Differences between values are not equal
Example: Positions in a race (1st, 2nd, 3rd)
What is face validity?
Whether the test appears to measure what it claims to measure at face value
What is nominal data?
Categorical data where participants are placed into distinct categories
No numerical value or order
Example: Eye colour (blue, brown, green)
