Year 2 - Research methods

Question 1

what is a case study?

Answer 1

an in-depth investigation into unique circumstances surrounding an individual or group

Question 2

what kind of data do case studies usually collect?

Answer 2

qualitative

Question 3

give 2 strengths of a case study

Answer 3

• rich detailed information

- provide an understanding of ‘normal’ human behaviour through study of unique circumstances

Question 4

give 2 limitations of a case study

Answer 4

• difficulty generalising
• subjective data recorded due to qualitative nature
• low validity

Question 5

what is content analysis?

Answer 5

an indirect study of behaviour through examining communications e.g. texts, emails

Question 6

what is coding with regards to content analysis?

Answer 6

categorising data into meaningful units of quantitative data e.g. mentions of television shows in texts

Question 7

give 2 strengths of content analysis

Answer 7

• circumnavigate ethical issues due to content already being available in the public domain
• private communications e.g. texts are high in external validity
• flexible data collection, can be quantative or qualitative

Question 8

give 2 cons of content analysis

Answer 8

• indirect analysis lacks context leading to subjective judgement
• thematic analysis can lead to lack of objectivity (can have bias and preconceptions)

Question 9

what is thematic analysis?

Answer 9

qualitative analysis which identifies all ideas within a certain theme

Question 10

what is reliability?

Answer 10

the consistency of results overtime

Question 11

state 2 ways which help to check the reliability

Answer 11

• the test-retest method
• testing inter-observer objectivity, that they are applying behavioural categories in the same way through a pilot study before the actual study

Question 12

what is the test-retest method?

Answer 12

a test of reliability through using the same method of assessment twice or more on the same sample using the same participants to see if they give the same results

Question 13

outline how inter-observer method is used to measure reliability

Answer 13

in observational research where a subjective judgement is required, more than one psychologist is used to reach an agreement on observed behavioural categories, reduces subjectivity/ bias

Question 14

state 3 types of validity

Answer 14

internal
external
temporal
face
ecological
concurrent

Question 15

what is validity?

Answer 15

the extent to which an observed effect is genuine and if it can be generalised

Question 16

what is internal validity?

Answer 16

whether the effects observed in a experiment are due to the manipulation of the IV and not something else

Question 17

what is external validity?

Answer 17

whether the results can be generalised to other settings, groups and areas

Question 18

what is face validity?

Answer 18

whether an experiment overall appears to measure what it is supposed to

Question 19

what is ecological validity?

Answer 19

a form of external validity, how the results can be generalised and applied to real contexts

Question 20

what is temporal validity?

Answer 20

whether results can be generalised across time and era

Question 21

suggest a reason for low internal validity?

Answer 21

demand characteristics

Question 22

how can concurrent validity help to improve overall validity of findings?

Answer 22

compare the other results of the same test, which provides a comparison of how similar they are and therefore shows the reliability

Question 23

give 2 ways in which experimental research validity can be improved

Answer 23

• use control group
• standardise procedure
• single/double blind procedure

Question 24

how does a control group help improve validity?

Answer 24

shows how findings are as a result of the manipulation if IV and not some other variable

Question 25

what does the use of single/double blind studies and standardised instruction seek to minimise the effects of?

Answer 25

• demand characterisitcs

- participant reactivity

Question 26

how can social desirability bias be reduced in a questionnaire?

Answer 26

making participants contributions anonymous

Question 27

what type of validity is high in observational research?

Answer 27

ecological

Question 28

give a strength of quantitative data

Answer 28

summaries data, shows trends

Question 29

give a weakness of quantitative data

Answer 29

less interpretive, less reflective of reality

Question 30

give a strength of qualitative data

Answer 30

ecological validity

Question 31

give a weakness of qualitative data

Answer 31

subjective analysis

Question 32

what is the ‘R’ rule?

Answer 32

when the name of statistical test has an ‘r’ in, the null hypothesis is Rejected when the value is higher and the other tests when the value is lower

Question 33

what is interval data?

Answer 33

data based on numerical scales that include equal units

Question 34

what is nominal data?

Answer 34

data organised into categories

Question 35

what is ordinal data?

Answer 35

data which has some order to it

Question 36

what are the 3 reasons for choosing a statistical test?

Answer 36

• difference or correlation?
• experimental design e.g. independent groups
• level of measurement: nominal, ordinal or interval