Science Inquiry Flashcards
Experimental research designs
Independent variable can be manipulated and a cause and affect relationship can be found. Participants can be randomly allocated
Strengths: Researchers have control over variables, and cause and affect relationships can be found
Limitations: Controlled environment reduces realism, human error may occur
Non experimental research design
Independent variable cannot be manipulated and a cause and affect relationship cannot be found. Participants cannot be randomly allocated
Strengths: Natural environment, manipulation of variables
Limitations: No cause and affect, no variable manipulation
Observational research design
Type of study used to study behaviour. Researchers monitor participants and record notes.
Strengths: Can be replicated, more natural interactions within participants
Limitations: Observer bias may occur, participants may change behaviour if ware they are being observed
Case study
In depth investigation of an individual person, group of people or single event. Used for examining events that cannot be replicated.
Strengths: Detailed information, and gathered from a range of perspectives
Limitations: Results are not generalisable, conclusions drawn are limited.
Correlational research design
Measures the linear relationship between 2 variables.
Strengths: Can be use when manipulating variables, can be tested on an experimental design
Limitations: Do not show how variables are related, extraneous variables are not controlled
Longitudinal research design
Data is collected more than once, using he same participants. Could take up to years.
Strengths: Developmental trends can be studied over a lifetime, frequency of events can be assessed.
Limitations: Takes very long, participants may drop out of the study along the way
Cross-sectional research design
Data from participants is collected at one point in time. Participants may be from one sample or from a number of samples.
Strengths: Quicker to conduct, costs less
Limitations: Only a snapshot in time is chosen, sample size may not be large enough to generalise results.
Convenience Sampling
Participants who are easily accessible are selected.
Snowball sampling
Initial participants are chosen
Each participant encourages other people to contact the researcher and join the sample.
Random sampling
Names of all members in a populations are collated. Names are randomly selected by drawing them out a hat or using a computer-generated program.
Stratified sampling
The population broken into subgroups based on characteristics relevant to the study.
Participants from each subgroup are randomly selected in the same proportions they appear in the population.
Random allocation
Random distribution of participants into experimental and control groups to reduce researcher bias and increase generalisability of results.
Single blind procedure
The experimenter is aware of the experimental conditions (which participants are in the control and experimental) while the participants are unaware of the research.
Extraneous variables
Unwanted variables that the researcher controls turns into controlled variables.
Participant Variables
Type of extraneous variable relating to the individual characteristics of participants.
