Statistics

Question 1

What is meant by the term primary data? (2)

Answer 1

1. Gathered first hand from participants themselves
2. Specific to aim of study

Question 2

What is meant by the term secondary data? (2)

Answer 2

1. Previously collected by third party
2. Not specific to aim of study

Question 3

What is meant by the term meta analysis (2)

Answer 3

1. Uses secondary data
2. Gains data from large number of studies that have investigated the same research questions and combines this to make conclusions about behaviour

Question 4

What is a content analysis? (2)

Answer 4

1. Analysing qualitative data by changing qualitative data into quantitative data
2. Done by identifying meaningful codes and presenting data in a graph

Question 5

How is a content analysis carried out? (4)

Answer 5

1. Read/view video or transcript
2. Identify/create coding categories
3. Re-read transcript or re-view video and tally each time coding category appears
4. Present quantitative data in table or graph

Question 6

What is a thematic analysis? (2)

Answer 6

1. Analysing qualitative data by identifying emergent themes
2. Allows us to present data in qualitative format

Question 7

How is a thematic analysis carried out? (4)

Answer 7

1. Watch video and create transcript
2. Read and re-read transcript. Identify coding categories that crop up repeatedly
3. Combine codes to reduce number of codes into three or four themes
4. Present data in qualitative format

Question 8

What is a type one error? (2)

Answer 8

1. Researcher uses lenient p value, thinks the results are significant when they are actually due to chance
2. Wrongly accept alternate hypothesis and wrongly reject null

Question 9

What is a type one error? (2)

Answer 9

1. Researcher uses lenient p value, thinks the results are significant when they are actually due to chance
2. Wrongly accept alternate hypothesis and wrongly reject null

Question 10

What is a type 2 error? (2)

Answer 10

1. Researcher uses stringent p value, thinks the results are not significant when they could be significant
2. Wrongly accept null and wrongly reject alternate hypothesis

Question 11

Why do psychologists use the 5% significance level? (2)

Answer 11

1. Strikes a balance between risk of making a type one and type two error
2. Conventional significance level

Question 12

What is the purpose of an abstract? (3)

Answer 12

1. Allows reader to gain overview of the study including aims, hypothesis, methods, results and conclusions
2. First part of a psychological report
3. Reported in a single paragraph of 150-250 words

Question 13

What is the purpose of an introduction? (2)

Answer 13

1. Gives background on relevant theories and studies
2. To explain how aims and hypothesis developed

Question 14

What is the purpose of the results section? (2)

Answer 14

1. Present overall summary of findings
2. Rather than reviewing raw data

Question 15

What is the purpose of the discussion session? (2)

Answer 15

1. Discuss findings
2. Suggest possible uses and future areas of research

Question 16

How to reference an article?

Answer 16

Author name - date - title of article, journal title, volume, issue number, page number

Question 17

How to reference a book?

Answer 17

Author last name, first initial (Date). title of book. place of publication:publisher

Question 18

What is meant by the term peer review? (2)

Answer 18

1. Psychological research, before publication, are subjected to independent scrutiny by other psychologists in a similar field
2. Consider research in terms of validity, significance and originality

Question 19

Describe the purpose of a peer review (2)

Answer 19

1. Prevent dissemination of irrelevant findings
2. Determines whether research should receive funding

Question 20

Evaluate the peer review process. Give problems … (3)

Answer 20

1. Tendency to favour research which comes from prestigious universities
2. Tendency to favour research which comes from male researchers
3. Bias towards positive findings

Question 21

Explain what is meant by a paradigm shift (3)

Answer 21

1. Paradigm is a set of shared assumptions and beliefs about how behaviour is studied
2. A shift occurs where members of a scientific community change from one established way of studying a behaviour to a new way due to new evidence
3. This shift leads to a ‘scientific revolution’

Question 22

Explain what is meant by theory construction (2)

Answer 22

1. Allows us to make a prediction about behaviour and create a hypothesis and test it empirically
2. Allows progression through scientific cycle of enquiry

Question 23

Explain what is meant by empirical methods (1)

Answer 23

1. Information gained through direct observation or experiment rather than opinion

Question 24

Explain what is meant by objectivity (2)

Answer 24

1. Research unaffected by expectations of researcher
2. Uses factual measurements and controlled conditions to reduce subjectivity

Question 25

Explain what is meant by replicability (5)

Answer 25

1. Repeat research using same methods
2. To check for similar findings
3. Check findings are externally valid
4. Allows generalisation to wider population
5. Increases confidence in results

Question 26

Explain what is meant by falsifiability (1)

Answer 26

1. Ability to prove a theory wrong

Question 27

Discuss features of science (2 X AO3)

Answer 27

1. Objective research can lead to reductionist viewpoint, e.g. OCD to mutated SERT gene which is identified using objective techniques such as gene mapping
2. Replicability in Psychology leads to practical applications, e.g. Skinner investigated reinforcement with rats in a controlled environment, increases credibility of research, can be repeated in same conditions