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GCSE Psychology > unit 4 - research methods > Flashcards

unit 4 - research methods Flashcards

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1
Q

theory

A

a suggested explanation for behaviour

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2
Q

aim

A

a general statement that explains the purpose of a study

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3
Q

independent variable

A

the variable that the experimenter is deliberately changing

there are usually two levels of the IV

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4
Q

dependent variable

A

what is measured by the researcher

the only thing that should affect the DV is a change in the IV

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5
Q

operationalisation

A

making sure that variables are measurable, clear and precise

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6
Q

testable hypothesis

A

a clear and precise testable statement

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7
Q

alternative hypothesis

A

a statement of relationship or difference between variables

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8
Q

null hypothesis

A

a statement of no relationship or difference between variables

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9
Q

cause and effect

A

the only thing that should cause a change in the DV is the IV
if the DV does then change, the experimenter has established cause and effect

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10
Q

extraneous variables

A

unwanted variables that could affect the DV if they are not controlled

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11
Q

standardised instructions

A

giving the participants exactly the same information about the study to ensure what is said to them doesn’t act as an EV

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12
Q

standardised procedures

A

researcher used the same method and instructions for all participants in a research study

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13
Q

randomisation

A

using chance to control for the effects of bias when designing a research study

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14
Q

lab experiment

A

an experiment conducted in a controlled environment

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15
Q

give four evaluations of lab experiments

A

STRENGTH - EVs can be controlled which means that cause and effect can be established
STRENGTH - use of standardised procedure ensures replication is possible so it is possible to confirm the validity of results
WEAKNESS - the environment is not like everyday life so behaviour is less normal and results can’t be generalised to the wider world
WEAKNESS - participants may be aware of their being tested to may change their behaviour, making the data invalid

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16
Q

field experiment

A

an experiment conducted in a natural setting

experimenter manipulated the IV

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17
Q

give four evaluations of field experiments

A

STRENGTH - often more realistic than lab experiments due to their natural environment which increases the validity of results
STRENGTH - there is some control over EVs as standardised procedures can be used so cause and effect conclusions are more valid
WEAKNESS - researcher may lose control of some EVs because a real life setting makes it more difficult to control them, making it more difficult to show cause and effect
WEAKNESS - there may be ethical issues with people not being aware of their participation so can’t give informed consent

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18
Q

natural experiment

A

an experiment conducted in a natural or lab setting where the experimenter has no control over the IV

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19
Q

give four evaluations of natural experiments

A

STRENGTH - usually have high validity because the variables are naturally occurring and relate to everyday life but this isn’t always the case
STRENGTH - the DV is often tested in a lab so EVs can be well controlled because standardised procedures can be followed
WEAKNESS - may be few opportunities for this kind of research as it may focus on natural, and sometimes infrequent, events so the method’s usefulness is reduced
WEAKNESS - there may be a greater amount of EVs that could affect results such as participant variables which can’t be controlled by assigning to groups

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20
Q

independent groups

A

separate groups of people for each level of the IV

there is usually a control group and an experimental group

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21
Q

give two evaluation points of independent groups design

A

STRENGTH - order effects are not a problem as participants only do the task once so they won’t benefit from practice

WEAKNESS - there are different participants in each group meaning that participant variables may affect the results and act as an EV, reducing the validity of results

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22
Q

repeated measures

A

all participants take part in all the conditions

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23
Q

give three evaluation points of repeated measures design

A

STRENGTH - there are no participants variables as each participant is compared to themselves as opposed to other people, this enhances the validity of results

STRENGTH - fewer participants are needed so repeated measures is less expensive

WEAKNESS - order effects occur when participants are tested twice ; the order of tasks may make a difference which affects the validity of results
this however can be limited using COUNTERBALANCING

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24
Q

matched pairs

A

participants are tested in terms of variables relevant to the study
participants are then matched and one member of each pair goes in each group

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25
Q

give three evaluation points of matched pairs design

A

STRENGTH - there are no order effects, enhancing validity

STRENGTH - there are fewer participant variables because those taking part are matched on a variable important to the experiment ; this enhances the validity of the results

WEAKNESS - matching participants takes time and effort and still doesn’t control all participants so may not be worthwhile therefore

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26
Q

target population

A

the group of people the researcher is studying

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27
Q

sample

A

a sample of participants chosen from the target population

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28
Q

generalisation

A

the sample should be representative so we can generalise to the target population

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29
Q

bias

A

it is difficult to select a group of participants that perfectly reflects the target population

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30
Q

give 4 types of sampling

A

random
opportunity
systematic
stratified

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31
Q

random sampling

A

putting names of all member of the target population into a lottery method so that every member has an equal chance of being selected

32
Q

give two evaluations of random sampling

A

STRENGTH - there is no bias as every person has an equal chance of being selected, this makes the sample more representative

WEAKNESS - this takes more time and effort than other methods as you need to obtain a list of all member and randomly select them

33
Q

opportunity sampling

A

selecting the most readily available group of people

34
Q

give two evaluations of opportunity sampling

A

STRENGTH - it is easy, quick and cheap to carry out because you choose people who are easily nearby

WEAKNESS - the sample is likely to be unrepresentative of the population because the sample is drawn from one place, which reduces the generalisability of the results

35
Q

systematic sampling

A

selecting every nth person from a list of all the people in the target population

36
Q

give two evaluations of systematic sampling

A

STRENGTH - it avoids researcher bias so the researcher has no say over who is selected, making it more representative

WEAKNESS - it may still be biased, running the risk of ending up with a sample consisting of one particular group of people, decreasing representativeness

37
Q

stratified sampling

A

selecting participants in proportion to their frequency in the target population

38
Q

give two evaluations of stratified sampling

A

STRENGTH - this is the most representative of all the sampling methods as the researcher ensures that all the subgroups are represented in proportion to the number in the target population - this enhances representativeness

WEAKNESS - this is very time consuming and it may take a while to recruit and sort participants into sub groups - this discourages researchers from using this method

39
Q

what are ethical issues in psychology

A

a conflict between participant’s rights and wellbeing and the need for researchers to obtain valuable results
the wellbeing should be protected at all times

40
Q

what are the 5 main potential ethical issues

A 
informed consent
deception
protection from harm
privacy
confidentiality
41
Q

what is informed consent

A

at the start of a study participants should be given information about the purpose of the study
they should be told they can leave at any time so that an informed decision can be made
if the researcher doesn’t reveal the aim at the start, participants must be informed at the end

42
Q

what is deception

A

participants should not be lied to or misled about the aims of the study
mild deception is justifiable
major deception is used but this is only permitted if the benefits justify the action

43
Q

what is protection from harm

A

participant’s physical and psychological safety should be protected at all times
stress and embarrassment is included in this
participants must be reminded they can leave at any time

44
Q

what is privacy

A

participants have the right to control information about themselves
it is acceptable to make observations of people in a public place - but a public place is also quite private

45
Q

what is confidentiality

A

personal data should be protected and respected

46
Q

what are the BPS guidelines

A

a code of conduct that every professional psychologist in the UK has to follow so they can deal with ethical issues that crop up in their research

47
Q

how do you deal with informed consent

A

participants sign a form that tells them what is expected of the,
if this is not possible at the start, they sign a form at the end of the study (retroactive consent)

48
Q

how do you deal with deception and protection from harm

A

participants should be given a full debriefing at the end of the investigation to explain the true aims and reduce any distress
they should be offered counselling and the chance to withdraw their data

49
Q

how do you deal with privacy and confidentiality

A

all participants should be anonymous

they can be referred to by a number or initials

50
Q

what are interviews and what are the 3 types

A

face to face real time contact between an interviewer and an interviewee
can take place over the phone or via text
(structured, semi-structured or unstructured)

51
Q

structured interview

A

interviewer reads out a list of prepared questions

can ask follow up questions but these are also prepared beforehand

52
Q

semi structured interview

A

Some questions decided in advance.

Follow-up questions emerge from the answers

53
Q

unstructured interview

A

Interviewer has a general aim, but few if any questions are prepared in advance.
New questions are created based on what the interviewee has said. A lot like a conversation.

54
Q

give four evaluation points of interviews

A

STRENGTH - interviews produce a lot of information meaning that unexpected results may occur
STRENGTH - insight can be gained into a persons thoughts and feeling, this provides a different perspective to observations which only show what people do and not what they think of their behaviour

WEAKNESS - data collected can be difficult to be analyse because of the breadth of information collected - this makes it hard to draw clear conclusions
WEAKNESS - people may feel less comfortable giving personal information face to face, especially if discussing a sensitive topic
this may limit the amount of information collected

55
Q

questionnaires

A

a prepared list of written questions which can be completed face to face or in writing, over the phone or on the internet

56
Q

give four evaluation points of questionnaires

A

STRENGTH - information gathered from lots of people quickly because it can be sent to many people - this makes generalisations easier to makes
STRENGTH - the data produced tends to be easier to analyse than interviews because closed questions are used which produce quantitative data
WEAKNESS - respondents may not always answer questionnaires truthfully because social desirability may bias their results = this reduces the validity of data collected
WEAKNESS - questions may be unclear or leading, meaning that respondents may find it difficult to answer questions
therefore participant’s responses may lack validity

57
Q

observational study

A

a researcher watched and listens to participants, and records data

58
Q

what are the three types of observation studies

A

naturalistic versus controlled
covert versus overt (participants not being aware of their behaviour being observes versus being told in advance)
participants versus non-participant (researcher becomes part of group studies versus the researcher remains separate from the people tbehahey are studying)

59
Q

categories of behaviour

A

the observer breaks the target behaviour into different categories of behaviour
each category should be observable and obvious so that it can be counted each time it happens

60
Q

interobserver reliability

A

two observers should produce the same record of behaviour
to establish this, the researcher creates categories of behaviour, observers record the same sequence of behaviour and they then compare their data , talking over the differences
if observations are not similar, categories may need to be altered or rewritten

61
Q

give four evaluation points of observation studies

A

STRENGTH - greater validity than questionnaires/interviews because you observe what is actually done not what people say they do
STRENGTH - look at real life behaviour, with people not always aware of being observed ; this increases validity
WEAKNESS - there may be ethical issues as you cannot always gain people’s consent when observing them in public places - some observations should not be conducted therefore
WEAKNESS - observer bias ; observer’s expectations may influence what they see so the observations lack validity

62
Q

what do correlations tell us

A

correlations show how things are linked together

they tell us the strength and direction of the association/relationship between co variables

63
Q

give four evaluation points of correlations

A

STRENGTH - they are a good starting point for research because showing a relationship gives researchers ideas for future investigations
STRENGTH - correlations can be used to investigate more complex relationships such as the curvilinear relationship between alertness and time of day - correlation therefore has lots of uses
WEAKNESS - do not show causation making it impossible to show cause and effect ; limiting the usefulness of the technique
WEAKNESS - intervening variables may affect the covariables because there is no control of EVs ; it is therefore possible to draw a conclusion that is wrong

64
Q

case study

A

an in depth investigation of a single individual, group, event or institution
often involves unusual or unexpected people or events but can also be used with everyday experiences

65
Q

what kind of method is a case study

A

a qualitative method
mostly qualitative data is collected which expresses people’s experiences in words
they often involve interviews with a person’s friends or relatives

66
Q

give four evaluation points of case studies

A

STRENGTH - researchers don’t tend to have a specific aim so they are more open minded and less blinkered by what they hope to discover ; this enhances the validity of results
STRENGTH - good method for studying rare behaviour that can’t be investigated using experiments
this gives a greater insight into topics that may not be studies by other research
WEAKNESS - only focus on one individual or event making it difficult to generalise results beyond that particular person or event ; this reduces the validity of results
WEAKNESS - researcher may be subjective and the information collected may be biased by the researcher’s own reading of the case so conclusions drawn may lack validity

67
Q

reliability

A

a measure of consistency

if you can repeat a measurement and get the same results, it is reliable

68
Q

validity

A

relates to whether a result is a true reflection of ‘real world’ behaviour

69
Q

quantitative data

A

numerical data

70
Q

give two evaluation points of quantitative data

A

STRENGTH - can be easy to analyse so can be manipulated and groups of people easily compared
WEAKNESS - lacks depth and detail because we obtain little information about thoughts and abilities so it doesn’t reflect how complex things are in the real world

71
Q

qualitative data

A

data as words or pictures

72
Q

give two evaluation points of qualitative data

A

STRENGTH - qualitative data is more in depth and detail than quantitative data so researcher can gain more insight ; increases validity of results
WEAKNESS - more difficult to analyse as it is hard to summarise material and draw conclusions ; conclusions may be based on the researcher’s opinion

73
Q

primary data

A

data obtained first hand by the researcher for the purposes of a research project

74
Q

give two brief evaluation of primary data

A

STRENGTH - suits the aims of research and is authentic so may be more useful
WEAKNESS - takes more time and effort to collect primary data than secondary data slowing down the process and increasing expense

75
Q

secondary data

A

second hand data from sources such as other studies or government statistics

76
Q

give two brief evaluation points of secondary data

A

STRENGTH - easy and convenient to use because it has already been checked; this reduces expense
WEAKNESS - may not quite fit what the researcher wants (may be out of date or from poorly designed studies) ; this may reduce the validity of the research

GCSE Psychology (8 decks)

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