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Introduction to research methods PSY10005 > Week 2 > Flashcards

Week 2 Flashcards

1
Q

What is experimental research?

A

Research that attempts to identify cause-and-effect relationships by manipulating an independent variable whilst observing change in an unmanipulated dependent variable.

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2
Q

What is descriptive research?

A

Research that attempts to describe the characteristics of a phenomenon, but does offer causal description or explanation.

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3
Q

What is a quantitative research study?

A

A study that is based on numerical data.

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4
Q

What is numerical data?

A

Data consisting of numbers.

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5
Q

What is a qualitative research study?

A

A study that uses categorical data.

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6
Q

What is a variable?

A

An element or condition that is liable to variation or change.

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7
Q

What is a constant?

A

An element or condition that does NOT change.

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8
Q

What are categorical variables?

A

Variables that vary in kind or type.

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9
Q

What are numerical variables?

A

Variables that vary in degree or amount.

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10
Q

What is an independent variable? (IV)

A

A variable that is manipulated by researchers whose variation does not depend on other variables.

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11
Q

What is a dependent variable? (DV)

A

An unmanipulated, controlled variable that is measured for change in response to manipulation of an independent variable.

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12
Q

What is a cause-and-effect relationship?

A

A relationship where change in one variable causes change in another variable.

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13
Q

What are extraneous variables?

A

Variables that are NOT the independent variable (IV), which cause change in the dependent variable (DV)

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14
Q

What are mediating variables?

A

Variables that exist between the IV and DV in the casual chain (intervening variables).

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15
Q

What are moderating variables?

A

Variables that influence the relationship between other variables, unlike confounding variables these are measured and taken into consideration.

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16
Q

Define “causation”

A

Although disputed by some philosophers, causation implies that change in one event produces another event, or change in another event.

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17
Q

Define “cause”

A

An event that makes something else exist or change.

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18
Q

Define “effect”

A

The difference between what the outcome would have been and what the outcome was, when there is change in a variable associated with that outcome.

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19
Q

What are the required conditions for claiming a causal relationship?

A
  1. The relationship condition
  2. The temporal order condition
  3. The no alternative explanation condition
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20
Q

Explain the relationship condition.

A

In order to claim a causal relationship, one condition that must is satisfied is the observed association between the variable A and variable B.

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21
Q

Explain the temporal order condition.

A

In order to claim a causal relationship, the second condition that must be satisfied is that changes in variable A must precede changes in variable B.

22
Q

Explain the no alternative explanation condition.

A

In order to claim a casual relationship, the third condition that must be satisfied is that no other explanations exist for the relationship between variable A and variable B.

23
Q

How is objective observation possible?

A

All bias must be absent at every step of the experimental process.

24
Q

What are the three steps/rules George H Zimney presented to minimise recording and observation errors? (unobjective observations).

A
  1. Accept that mistakes can occur as a result of bias, we can then identify where those mistakes are likely to occur.
  2. To identify the causes of those mistakes we must carefully test every segment of the entire experiment.
  3. Once these mistakes have be analysed, precautions can be taken to avoid them.
25
Q

Explain what manipulation is?

A

Intervention by researchers that is predicted to produce change in the DV.

26
Q

What is a confounding variable?

A

An uncontrolled and often unidentified extraneous variable that eliminates the researcher’s ability to claim a casual relationship between the IV and the DV.

27
Q

What is casual description?

A

A description of the consequences of manipulating the IV.

28
Q

What is a causal explanation?

A

Explanation of the mechanisms that mediate a causal relationship.

29
Q

What the advantages and disadvantages of experimental research?

A

Advantages: Offers causal inference, provides the ability to manipulate and control variables.
Disadvantages: Does not test unmanipulated variables, is often susceptible to artificiality and some argue that it is inadequate for studying human behaviour due to being to reductionist.

30
Q

What are field experiments?

A

An experimental research study that is conducted in a real-life setting, although very useful, the control of extraneous variables can be difficult.

31
Q

What are laboratory experiments?

A

An experimental research study conducted in a very controlled setting, this can be susceptible to artificiality.

32
Q

What are internet experiments?

A

An experimental research study that is conducted over the internet, this removes a lot monetary and logistical issues normally present in research but lack of experimental control remains an issue.

33
Q

What is non-experimental quantitative research?

A

Quantitative research in which the IV is not manipulated.

34
Q

What is Correlational research?

A

Research that is used to explore the statistical relationship between two or more variables, it does NOT provide causal links.

35
Q

What is the third variable problem?

A

When a relationship between two variables is caused by a confounding variable.

36
Q

What is path analysis?

A

A type of research in which a causal model of paths is made up of multiple hypotheses consisting of direct effect and indirect effects, it is then empirically tested and striped of statistically insignificant paths and hypotheses.

37
Q

What is natural manipulation research?

A

A type of research in which a naturally occurring manipulation of the IV is present.

38
Q

What is a cross-sectional study?

A

A study in which data from multiple kinds of groups is collected from one period in time.

39
Q

What is a longitudinal study?

A

A study in which data from one group is collected over many different time periods.

40
Q

What is the cohort sequential design?

A

A study design that combines cross-sectional and longitudinal study designs.

41
Q

What is qualitative research?

A

Research that relies on interpreting observations of subjective data or people in natural circumstances.

42
Q

Explain triangulation?

A

The combinational use of multiple data sources and research methods to reach conclusions.

43
Q

What are the six major methods of data collection?

A

Tests, questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, observations and existing/secondary data.

44
Q

What are tests?

A

Standardised data collection instruments.
Pros: Strong psychometric measurement, often standardised, high reliability.
Cons: Expensive and time consuming, tests can be biased, cannot probe.

45
Q

What are questionaries?

A

Self-report data collection instruments.
Pros: Inexpensive, Time efficient when administering, quite high reliability if well-constructed.
Cons: Relies on the self-awareness and honesty of participants, analysis can be time consuming.

46
Q

What are interviews?

A

A method of collecting data via questioning a participant. Pros: Moderately high reliability if well-constructed, researchers can probe or follow-up.
Cons: Time consuming and inexpensive, relies on participant honesty and self-awareness, data analysis can be time consuming, researcher bias is present.

47
Q

What is a focus group?

A

A method of collecting data via questioning or discussing a topic with a group.
Pros: Allows probing, allows observation of participant interactions.
Cons: Can be expensive, proportion of involvement from participants, relies on participant honesty and self-awareness, participants may change behaviour in social settings, data analysis is difficult and time consuming.

48
Q

What is observation? (in terms of data collection)

A

A method where events or behaviour patterns are viewed and recorded.
Pros: Provides relatively objective accounts of events or behaviour, good for description, good for realism.
Cons: Reasons for events or behaviour may be unclear, researcher bias, expensive and difficult to analyse.

49
Q

What is existing or secondary data?

A

Data that was unused or used for unrelated experiments, this includes documents, physical data and archived research data.
Pros and cons depend on what the data is, although generally speaking it’s quite easy to access however you cannot manipulate it.

50
Q

What are the different kinds of observation? (in terms of data collection)

A

Naturalistic observations.
Laboratory observations.
Time-interval sampling (observations are recorded in time intervals).
Event sampling (observations are recorded every time an event occurs).

Introduction to research methods PSY10005 (10 decks)

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