Unit 2 Flashcards
Research
The systematic investigation into and study of sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.
Research in Psychology aims to be…
Systematic and Objective
Empirical Evidence
Gained through direct experience — Primary data
Inductive
General law based on observations
Ex: The first three Skittles that I dumped out of the bag were purple. All of the Skittles in this bag must be purple.
Deductive
Start with theory and develop explanations from that
Scientific Process
Hypothesis- Research Prediction
Question- Research aims to answer a question
Reliable- Can it be replicated?
Valid- Does it measure what it sets out to measure?
Ex: Has corona increased anxiety in the elderly?
Hypothesis would be- Corona has increased anxiety levels in those over 75 years old.
Independent Variable
An independent variable is defined as the variable that is changed or controlled in a scientific experiment. It represents the cause or reason for an outcome.
Dependent Variable
A dependent variable is the variable that is tested and measured in a scientific experiment.
Primary Research
Research you conduct yourself
Secondary Research
Research based on past findings and not your own data.
Pilot Study
Test research on a small group of people before your main research is carried out. Helps things run more smoothly as it finds errors in the study and let’s you rectify them.
Demand Characteristics
Participants change their behaviour due to features of the experiment—leaning into what they think the experiment desires of them.
Ecological Validity
How true to a real-life situation is the experiment?
Natural Experiment
Study of a naturally occurring situation as it unfolds in the real world.
Ex: In Helena, Montana, smoking was banned from all public places for a six-month period. Investigators later reported a 60% drop in heart attacks for the study area during the time the ban was in effect.
Qualitative Data
Language (Non-numerical)
Quantitative Data
Numbers (Numerical)
Types of Interviews
Structured
Unstructured
Semi-structured
Confidentiality
This must be respected; names and personal details should not be revealed without permission. No personal data should be stored.
Confidentiality
This must be respected; names and personal details should not be revealed without permission. No personal data should be stored.
Interview Positives
Lots of rich data
Can provide qualitative data
Deeper insight as a relationship will be formed
Interview Negative
Social Desirability Bias
Interviewer Bias
Hard to analyse results
Social Desirability Bias
A type of response bias that is the tendency of survey respondents to answer questions in a manner that will be viewed favorably by others. It can take the form of over-reporting “good behavior” or under-reporting “bad”, or undesirable behavior.
Interviewer Bias
A type of human error committed by interviewers wherein they form baseless judgments about an interviewee. This kind of bias hinders them from assessing a candidate objectively, which greatly affects the purpose of the interview.
Questionnaire Positives
Can provide both qualitative and quantitative data
Open and closed questions
Can be anonymous (good for ethics)
Hand outs can be given to a lot of people at once so as to not waste your own time
Questionnaire Negatives
Social desirability bias
No room to get extra information if needed
Operationalization
Operationalization means turning abstract concepts into measurable observations. Although some concepts, like height or age, are easily measured, others, like spirituality or anxiety, are not.
Through operationalization, you can systematically collect data on processes and phenomena that aren’t directly observable.
Extraneous Variable
In an experiment, an extraneous variable is any variable that you’re not investigating that can potentially affect the outcomes of your research study.
Confounding Variable
In research, a confounding variable is an extraneous variable that is related to both the independent and dependent variables, making it difficult to determine whether the independent variable has a causal effect on the dependent variable.
Opportunity Sample
Uses people from the target population who are available and willing to take part.
Random Sample
Smaller random group from the target population.
Volunteer Sample
Participants reply to an advert for the study
Systematic Sample
People from target population selected at regular intervals
Snowball Sample
Participants can bring people they know that meet the requirements to also participate
Reliability
Consistency of the measure. Can the study be replicated and achieve similar results?
Validity
Trueness or legitimacy of the data. Are you measuring what you intend to measure?
Concurrent Validity
Comparing a new test with an existing test (of the same nature) to see if they produce similar results. If both tests produce similar results, then the new test is said to have concurrent validity.
Ecological Validity
Extent to which research can be applied beyond the research setting. People sometimes behave different in controlled environments than they would in their everyday lives.
Temporal Validity
The extent to which a research finding can be applied to other time periods.
Inter-observer Reliability
The extent to which two or more observers agree on a measurement.
Internal Reliability
The extent to which something is consistent within itself (i.e. all the questions in a personality test measure the same thing.)
External Reliability
The extent to which one measure is consistent over time. (i.e. a persons height.)
Correlational Research
A correlational study is a type of research design that looks at the relationships between two or more variables. Correlational studies are non-experimental, which means that the experimenter does not manipulate or control any of the variables.
Positive correlations
Both variables increase or decrease at the same time. A correlation coefficient close to +1.00 indicates a strong positive correlation.
Negative correlations
As the amount of one variable increases, the other decreases (and vice versa). A correlation coefficient close to -1.00 indicates a strong negative correlation.
No correlation
There is no relationship between the two variables. A correlation coefficient of 0 indicates no correlation.
