What are the strengths of documents and physical data?
- Provide insight into what people think and do
- Unobtrusive, making reactive and investigator effects unlikely
- Can be collected for past time periods
- Provides useful background and historical data
- Useful for corroboration
- Grounded in local settings
- Useful for exploration
Documents can include personal and official records, while physical data refers to material things created by humans.
What are the weaknesses of documents and physical data?
- Might be incomplete
- Might represent only one perspective
- Access to some content is limited
- Might not provide insight into participants’ personal thinking
- Might not apply to general populations
These weaknesses highlight the limitations in generalizability and completeness of existing data.
What are the strengths of archived research data?
- Available on a wide variety of topics
- Inexpensive
- Often reliable and valid
- Can study trends
- Ease of data analysis
- Often based on high quality or large probability samples
Archived data can be a valuable resource for researchers looking to analyze pre-existing datasets.
What are the weaknesses of archived research data?
- Might not be available for the population of interest
- Might not be available for the research questions of interest
- Data might be outdated
- Open-ended or qualitative data usually not available
- Important findings may have already been mined
These weaknesses can limit the applicability of archived data to current research questions.
What is the primary conclusion that can be drawn from a psychological experiment?
There is a causal relationship between the independent variable (IV) and dependent variable (DV)
This conclusion is based on demonstrating the relationship and ruling out alternative explanations.
What does the independent variable (IV) represent in an experiment?
The variable presumed to cause changes in another variable
It is the causal variable in the study.
What does the dependent variable (DV) represent in an experiment?
The variable that changes because of another variable; measures the effect of the IV
It is the outcome variable in the study.
What are the strengths of observational data?
- Allows direct observation of behavior
- Provides firsthand experience
- Can provide relatively objective measurement
- Helps understand contextual factors
- Useful for participants with weak verbal skills
- Good for description
Observational data can reveal insights that self-reported data might miss.
What are the weaknesses of observational data?
- Reasons for observed behavior might be unclear
- Reactive effects might occur
- Investigator effects may bias results
- Limited sampling of observed people and settings
- More expensive than questionnaires
These weaknesses can affect the validity and reliability of observational studies.
What are the strengths of interviews?
- Good for measuring attitudes
- Allows probing and follow-up questions
- Provides in-depth information
- High measurement validity for well-constructed protocols
- Useful for exploration and hypothesis-testing
Interviews can yield rich qualitative data that surveys might not capture.
What are the weaknesses of interviews?
- Expensive and time-consuming
- Reactive effects may distort responses
- Investigator effects might occur
- Interviewees might lack self-awareness
- Data analysis can be time-consuming
These limitations can impact the feasibility and quality of interview-based research.
What is the purpose of random assignment in experiments?
To ensure no systematic difference between groups
This helps establish the internal validity of the experiment.
What is the definition of qualitative research?
Research based on nonnumerical data
It includes data such as pictures, words, and descriptions.
What does mixed methods research involve?
Combining quantitative and qualitative data or approaches in a single study
This approach allows for a more comprehensive understanding of research questions.
What is the difference between experimental and non-experimental research?
Experimental research involves manipulation to demonstrate cause-and-effect relationships, while non-experimental research studies the world as it naturally occurs
This distinction is crucial for understanding different research methodologies.
What are the three required criteria for establishing a cause-and-effect relationship?
- The IV and DV must be related
- Changes in the IV must precede changes in the DV
- The relationship must not be due to another variable
These criteria are essential for making justified claims of causation.
What is naturalistic observation?
Observations done in real-world settings
This method contrasts with laboratory observation, which occurs in controlled environments.
What is the role of a complete participant in observational research?
The researcher becomes a full participating member of the group
This method requires informing the group and obtaining permission.
What are the major methods of data collection?
- Existing or secondary data
- Documents
- Physical data
- Archived research data
- Observations
- Interviews
- Focus groups
Each method has its own strengths and weaknesses.
What is an independent variable (I V)?
A variable that is presumed to cause changes to occur in another variable; it’s the causal variable.
Example: Amount of anxiety affects performance on a memory task.
What is a dependent variable (D V)?
A variable that changes because of another variable; it’s the effect or outcome variable.
Example: Performance on a memory task is influenced by the amount of anxiety.
What is a mediating variable?
A variable that operates in between two other variables and delineates the intervening process through which one variable affects another variable.
Example: Cognitive distraction as a mediating variable between anxiety and performance.
What is a moderator variable?
A variable that specifies how a relationship of interest changes under different conditions or circumstances.
Example: Fatigue as a moderator in the relationship between anxiety and memory.
What is an extraneous variable?
A variable that can compete with the independent variable in explaining an outcome.
Example: Smoking as an extraneous variable in the relationship between coffee drinking and heart attacks.
