Yr9Summer1-Research Flashcards
What is a variable?
A variable is anything that can change or vary in an investigation.
What are the two types of variables?
Independent Variables and Dependent Variables
What is the IV?
The IV is the variable that is manipulated by the researcher or changes naturally, and causes the DV to change.
What is the DV?
The DV is the variable that is measured by the researcher and any change in the DV is caused by the IV.
What is meant by operationalising the hypothesis or variables?
Stating how they will quantify or measure the IV and DV.
What is the aim?
The aim is a general statement that is about the study.
What is meant by the hypothesis or alternative hypothesis?
They mean the same thing and is a precise testable that states the relationship between the variables.
What is the null hypothesis?
The null hypothesis is a statement of no relationship between the variables.
What is meant by a directional hypothesis?
A directional hypothesis states the way in which the results will go.
What is non directional hypothesis?
Doesn’t state the way in which the result will go.
What is cause and effect?
In a properly run experiment the only thing that should effect the DV is the IV.
What is extraneous variables?
Any variable other than the IV that effects the DV. The IV should be controlled by the investigator.
What are the 3 types of variables?
Situational Effects, Investigator Effects, Participants Effects.
What is situational Effects?
Features of the environment that effects participant behaviour.
Examples of situational Effects? And how to stop them
Weather Time of day Temperature Noise Lab environment and do checks before
Investigator Effects
Things that the investigator does that Effects the participants behaviour.
What is participant behaviour?
Any individual differences between the participants that may effect the participants behaviour.
Examples of investigator effect and how to stop them?
Any hint they give that might make the participants work harder.
The way in which the investigator asks a question that may reveal the answer they want to hear.
Using standardised instructions and recordings and script.
Examples of participant behaviour and how to stop them?
Age Mindset Mood. Personal issues
Gender Sleep Deprivation. IQ. Medical Issues. Memory level. Mental Health. Usual routine.
Check doctors report ask test
Standardised
Using exactly the same script, instructions and procedure for all participants for example what they should do if they want to quit.
Randomisation
The use of chance to control the effects bias. For example in a memory recall test, the words should be in a random order.
Write a standardised instruction.
You have 10 minutes to memorise these words
If you want to quit, then you can quietly get up and leave.
Two ways of collecting data
Qualitative- words not numbers
Quantitive- numbers
Difference between experiment and and correlation
Cause and effect and links
What is a correlation
A relationship between two variable such that when one changes so does the other
Co variable
The variables that are investigated in a correlation
Positive ,negative ,zero correlation
When one variable increases so does the other
When one variable increases the other decreases
No relationship between variables
A correlation tells us the what and what of a relationship
Strength and direction
Two strengths plus evaluation of correlations
Correlations investigate two variables and give researchers ideas for further research. Correlations help identify patterns between variables which may lead to new research and theories .
They can be used to explain more complex relationships. This means correlations have many uses as a technique to understand how variables are associated
Two weakness plus evaluation of correlation
We do not know which causes the other eg does stress cause illness or does illness cause stress. It is not possible to show cause and effect which limits the conclusion that can be drawn
That apparent link between two variables maybe due to wha third variable. This means any conclusion may be wrong.
Is there manipulation of a variable in correlation
No
In experiments they are looking for
Cause and effect
Curvilinear correlation
When one variable increase the other reaches its peak the declines
Interview is where
An interviewer asks an interviewee questions to determine their thought and feelings on a particular topic
Interviews can be a way of
Collecting data or measuring the dependent variable
Structured interview
List of questions prepared like a script
Unstructured interview
Like a conversation
Semi structured interview
Reads out a list of prepared questions then asks follow ups depending on the anseres from participants
Weakness of unstructured interview
Provide a lot of data
Open questions are
Questions that ask about people’s opinions or experiences- lot of qualitative data that is time consuming and difficult
Closed questions are plus evaluate
Questions with a set range or choices- provide minimal quantitate data but are not in depth
What is an observation
Researchers recird behaviour by watching
Naturalistic observation plus benefit
Behaviour that is recorded where the behaviour would normally take place and nothing is changed. This means that the participants are in the own environment and provides more reliable results.
Controlled environment
Researcher may want to change some aspects if the situation
Covert Observations plus benefit or weakness
Participants are not aware that their behaviour is being recorded
This presents ethical issues due to consent to use data
Means that participants behaviour doesn’t change and the results are more reliable
Overt behaviour
Means that participants know they are being watched which may influence behaviour and results
Participant observations
Researcher participates with group;participants may find out and researcher may overlook key details
Non participant observation
Researcher remains separate from participants which means result rare more reliable as participants don’t know they are being watched
Categories of behaviour
To make collection of data better researcher may break target behaviour into categories with ranges or ticks and crosses to quantify and make data easier to read
Inter observer reliability
A single researcher may overlooks key details or only record the data that fits with their expectations of the study. Hence two researchers are paired up, observe the same type of behaviour and will hopefully match each other’s results
Two strengths of observation plus evaluation
One strength is that it provides a better indication than questionnaires as people may not be truthful when they have to report their how they think and act. Therefore observations have a high validity.
Another strength is that it looks at real life behaviour especially with covert observation where the participants do not know that they are being observed hence provide more realistic and valid results .
Two weaknesses of observation plus evaluation
One weakness is that there are ethical issues as people may not consent to their behaviour being recorded whether it is covert or overt. This prevents the data of that participant from being used.
Another weakness is that investigators have expectations of certain behaviours from the study and this may influence what they see and hear . This would skew the results. This is called observer bias.
A case study is
An in depth investigation of something high could be an individual group event or institution
Case studies tend to - and -
Involve unusual or unique people or events and be longitudinal so over along period of time
Case studies are generally what type of data
Qualitative
What is a case history
Describes past events in individuals life that leads up to the particular events.
Strengths of case studies plus evaluation
Researchers are more open minded as they don’t have a particular aim or hypothesis. This means that unexpected results or unusual insights are put discarded even if sub consciously by the researcher
Another strength is that it is the best way of studying unusual behaviour because they serve rare and can’t be studied using experiments that require many people. This also provides useful insight about usual behaviour- case studies provide important knowledge about general functioning.
Two weaknesses of case studies plus evaluation
One weakness is that it concer one unique person or event so can not be vernalised beyond that particular event or person. Therefore case studies may not provide useful information.
Another weakness is that studies are objective as the conclusions that are drawn by one researcher may be differently drawn by another researcher. This affects the validity of the conclusions
Case studies don’t ALWAYS
Involve individuals who are unique
Informed consent
Participants need to know enough about the experiment including their right to withdraw midway. At the end they must know everything including the aims and must be able to withdraw. At the start they do not need to know the aims just the general gist as this may affect the validity of the experiment.
To deal with informed consent
You prepare a consent form. Better if at start sometimes at the end but needs strong justification to not at all give consent.
Deception
Misled or lied to participants, mild deception is allowed until the end of experiment. Major deception is only allowed if the benefits of the research are major.
Protection from harm.
Participants should not be physically or mentally stressed could be embarrassment as well. They need to know that they are free to leave the investigation at any time.
To deal with protection from haram and deception.
They need to be offered counselling and assured that there behaviour was normal.
A full debriefing, true aims, right to withhold data, other participant groups.
Privacy
Participants should be able to control information about themselves.
Confidentiality
Their identity and results should be protected.
To deal with confidentiality and privacy.
Participants should be anonymous and their data should be protected.
Validity
How true or real the experiment is
Reliability
Measure of consistency
One strength of random sampling
It eliminates bias hence more valid.
One weakness of random sampling
Is that it is a long process, and the participants that are selected may back out hence the sample ends up biased anyway.
One strength of opportunity sampling
Quick and cheap
One weakness of opportunity sampling
Likely to be unrepresentative of the target population as participants are drawn out of one place.
Systematic sampling is where every third name on a list is picked
One strength of this is..
Avoids researcher bias and increases representativeness
Weakness of systematic sampling( where every third name on a list is chosen)
Although it is usuallyrepresentative you may still end up with a sample that is bias for example an all male group.
Strength of stratified sampling
Most representative of all sample methods as sample is proportional in terms of sub groups to target population
Weakness of stratified sampling is that
Lengthy process and some participants may not participate hence sample becomes biased.
