General Flashcards

Question

what would you use a non directional or directional hypothesis?

Answer 1

because previous research suggested it was the most likely outcome * non directional = used if no previous research was done or there's contradictory research * directional = used if previous research suggests that direction and outcome

Answer 2

consistency of results if you repeated the experiment, similar results would be obtained each time

Answer 3

accuracy of study

Answer 4

a participant guesses the nature of the experiment and what behaviour the experimenter is looking for they change their behaviour and ruin the validity of the results

Answer 5

results being extended beyond the present study and into real life by assuming existing trends will continue

Answer 6

internal validity = how accurately an experiment has been carried out in order to be reliable/accurate external validity = the extent to which experimental results and findings can be generalised to populations, places and times beyond the present study by assuming existing trends will continue

Answer 7

ecological validity = the extent to which findings and results can be generalised to settings beyond the present study population validity = the extent to which findings and results can be generalised to other populations as a whole beyond the present study historical validity = the extent to which findings and results can be generalised over time and to different periods of time beyond the present study

Answer 8

FACE VALIDITY CONCURRENT VALIDITY

Answer 9

how well the experiment appears to test what it claims to, how suitable the experiment is for the purpose of the experiment > ask participants to directly rate the experiment validity, suitability and purpose via a questionnaire > high face validity = purpose is clear to all and the experiment must be suitable for that purpose

Answer 10

how well the experiment corresponds to existing findings that are already known to have good validity > compare results to older and similar research with good validity > high concurrent validity = results for this experiment are very similar to other, older experiment results that are known to be very valid and accurate

Answer 11

control as many variables as possible so results aren't interfered with conduct experiments in natural settings so behaviour is reflective of real life use large and representative samples randomise experiment

Answer 12

external reliability = the extent to which results and findings vary from one use to another internal validity = the consistency of results and findings across items within a test, consistent within itself

Answer 13

TEST RETEST INTER RATER/OBSERVER

Answer 14

testing the same participant twice on the same test over a period of time similar scores/results would suggest the test has internal reliability

Answer 15

testing how different observers give constant estimates of the same behaviour researchers would observe the same behaviour independently and compare data similar data would suggest high external reliability

Answer 16

increase sample size control test conditions for precisely training observers in relevant observation techniques ensuring behaviour categories are correctly operationalised assessing reliability of tests through test retest method

Answer 17

independent groups repeated measures matched pairs

Answer 18

how participants are allocated to different IV conditions/levels in the experiment

Answer 19

the order that participants do the tasks may affect the results (e.g. practise or tiredness)

Answer 20

participants are usually split in half and placed in separate and independent groups each group is in a different IV condition (e.g. group A does task with tv on, group B does it with no tv) allocation is done randomly

Answer 21

all participants take part in all of the conditions by repeating the tasks in all of the conditions e.g. each participant does a task with the TV on and then a few days later they do a similar task with the TV off

Answer 22

where each condition is either tested first or second in equal amounts half of the group does task in condition A while the other half does it in condition B and then they swap ABBA or AB then BA

Answer 23

to overcome order effects

Answer 24

match participants based on key and relevant characteristics which may affect the DV one member of the pair is randomly allocated to a group while the other is allocated to the other group each group experiences a different condition

Answer 25

avoids order effects such as practise or fatigue because participants only participate in one condition - they won't get as tired or bored as if they were doing several conditions each participant has an equal chance of being assigned any group as it's done randomly, reduces investigator bias

Answer 26

more participants are needed to its more time consuming and will cost more money participant variables (age, gender, etc) may affect results and it's not always possible to equally separate participants based on this

Answer 27

fewer people are needed as they all take part in all of the conditions, saves time participant variables are reduced because each group takes part in all of the conditions

Answer 28

high chance of order effects, participants may do worse in second condition because they're more tired or they might do better because they know what to do and have now had practise participants may do second test, guess purpose of experiment and change their behaviour (they might do purposefully worse, etc) - demand characteristics and 'screw you effect' which ruins results and reduces validity

Answer 29

reduced participant variables because researcher has tried to pair them up so that each group has an equal spread of people with similar abilities and characteristics avoids order effects because each of the participants only participate in one condition - counterbalancing is not necessary

Answer 30

very time consuming as it's hard to closely match pairs based on key characteristics not possible to control all participant variables, you can only match variables known to be revealing - couldn't not realised an important characteristics until after the experiment

Answer 31

any impact the researcher may have on the results e.g. experimenter bias (if they're trying to prove a theory they believe in), appearance, personality, body language, verbal communication

Answer 32

single blind design double blind design experimental realism

Answer 33

the participants don't know what condition they're in or the research aims of the study eliminates demand characteristics

Answer 34

neither the experimenter or the participants know what condition they're in or the research aims of the study eliminates potential bias, demand characteristics and investigator effects e.g. used with placebos in drug trials

Answer 35

if an experimenter makes a task real and engaging enough, the participant will pay more attention to the task that the fact that they're being observed

Answer 36

ensures that each participant has an equal chance of being placed in any group, therefore reducing investigator effects like bias

Answer 37

randomisation = making the allocation of participants to each group random (e.g. by a computer generator) standardisation = keeping everything the same for all of the participants so the investigation is fair

Answer 38

a small scale, practise investigation before the real thing to check that it works a trial run of a study to test any aspects of the method design

Answer 39

quality of methodology and avoids unnecessary work, saving money and time in the long run

Answer 40

may interview participants afterwards so they can suggest appropriate changes e.g. the instructions were too confusing and vague

Answer 41

allows researchers to check all aspects of the method and see if it works effectively may lead to changes and improvements to the method

Answer 42

reduces amount of time needed and potentially wasted in the real study, particularly when things go wrong. saving money and time in the long run can identify errors in the study easily in order to improve quality of methodology ensures higher validity, checks for reliability and can help identify variables to control

Answer 43

someone acting as a participant who knows the full extent of the study not a real participant but someone who has been instructed how to behave by the investigator

Answer 44

the type of people in the target population

Answer 45

target population = the group of people the researcher wishes the generalise their findings to

Answer 46

``` opportunity volunteer stratified systematic random ```

Answer 47

use whoever is immediately available, most convenient and willing to take part e.g. people in your school or passers by on the street

Answer 48

easiest way to get participants, just use first suitable people you find so you don't spend as much time locating your sample therefore saves time and money

Answer 49

inevitably bias and harder to generalise as it only has participants from a specific and small part of the population sample may also be bias as researcher may have chosen a specific area to prove their point

Answer 50

use whoever puts themselves forward through an advertisement in a newspaper, notice board or on the internet

Answer 51

less likely to drop out as they've signed up for it and know what they have to do

Answer 52

increased demand characteristics as they're more motivated, they might try to be helpful or appear a certain way might not be representative of the population as the method of advertisement may only attract a certain type of person e.g. younger people

Answer 53

identify subgroups within a population (age groups, gender, etc) participants are obtained from each group in proportion to their occurrence in the population done randomly

Answer 54

likely to be much more representative of the target population due to proportional representation of subgroups therefore more easy to generalise to the target population

Answer 55

more time consuming as you have to identify subgroups, randomly select participants and contact them

Answer 56

participants are selected systematically from the population selecting every nth person from the list, starting at a random number

Answer 57

unbiased as participants are selected using an objective system

Answer 58

more time time consuming not truly unbiased or random unless you select a number using a random method and start at that number, selecting every nth person

Answer 59

every member of the target population has an equal chance of being selected selected from a computer generator

Answer 60

least likely to have sample bias as all members of the sample have an equal chance of selection

Answer 61

time consuming, need to have a list of all the members of the population and then contact everyone selected, asking if they wish to take part

Answer 62

the British Psychological Society (BPS) has put safeguards in place to protect participants in studies, their are ethical guidelines that need to be stuck to: * informed consent * privacy * deception * protection from harm * right to withdrawal

Answer 63

4 types of consent: * informed consent = must obtain informed consent before research is conducted, parental consent is needed for participants under 16 years old * presumptive consent = consent from someone else with a similar background or someone who knows the participant * retrospective consent = consent obtained afterwards, only if an alternative procedure is not possible, usually used in conjunction with presumptive consent * prior general consent = consent obtained before participation without detailed knowledge of the whole procedure, participants only know the basics

Answer 64

keeping participants information private anonymity = using code numbers instead of names, no names or addresses are given confidentiality = no information is shared with anyone else

Answer 65

should be avoided as far as possible if the experiment will obtain more robust results with participants being deceived (for example, avoiding demand characteristics) then investigators may gain retrospective, presumptive or prior general consent

Answer 66

protection from both physical and psychological harm participants are supposed to leave the study in a similar or better state if in doubt, the experimenter is responsible for checking that it’s safe to continue the experiment study must be stopped if harm occurs

Answer 67

should always let participants know that they can withdraw at any time participants have a right to withdraw personally or withdraw their data from the study at any time, even afterwards experimenter is responsible for stopping data collection if participants show signs of distress

Answer 68

used to address ethical issues briefing itself is only an ethical issue if it does not occur or fails to gain informed consent, etc involved briefing participants before a study by proving relevant information of the procedure debriefing provides support after the research if necessary, such as counselling — important especially if deception occurred or participants did not give fully informed consent, debriefing about the true nature of the experiment is essential

Answer 69

respect competence responsibility integrity

Answer 70

cost benefit analysis — comparing the benefits of the studies with the costs, the benefits should always outweigh the costs ethics committees — a group of people who must approve a study before it begins, they look at all possible ethical issues and how they’ll be dealt with

Answer 71

* basic aim * procedure * right to withdraw * assurance of confidentiality * opportunity to ask questions * signature of participant, says they have read and understood the information

Answer 72

* thank participant * aims and purpose of study * possible applications of study * remind them of confidentiality and right to withdraw * explain deception if it occurred * suggests counselling if necessary * contact information

Answer 73

naturalistic controlled overt covert participant non participant structured unstructured

Answer 74

researcher watches or listens to participants engaging in whatever behaviour is being studied

Answer 75

observation conducted in everyday, natural settings everything has been left as it would be normally and the researcher does not interfere in any way

Answer 76

* gives a relative and reflective view of natural behaviour, high ecological validity which makes it easier to generalise * avoids researcher bias * not all variables can be controlled

Answer 77

may be in a laboratory variables can be controlled and regulated by the researcher reduces naturalness of environment and behaviour of participants participants are likely to know they’re being studied (overt observation)

Answer 78

* variables can be controlled | * unnatural environment

Answer 79

obvious observation in which the participants are aware that they’re being observed researchers try to be an unobtrusive as possible but it’s likely to affect how natural the participant’s behaviour is

Answer 80

* unnatural behaviour | * easier to gain consent

Answer 81

hidden observations in which the participants are unaware they’re being observed will be informed afterwards

Answer 82

* more natural behaviour | * lack of informed consent

Answer 83

the researcher is observing while taking part in the task

Answer 84

* provides special insight into behaviour from inside the group * more likely to be overt, issues of unnatural behaviour but it’s its covert then there are issues of deception

Answer 85

the research observes from a distance and doesn’t interact with the participants

Answer 86

* unnatural behaviour if participants are aware of observation * harder to gain accurate results when observing from a distance

Answer 87

set categories of behaviour with systems to record behaviour and organise observations behavioural categories and sampling procedures are used

Answer 88

* produces more reliable data | * behavioural categories are subjective

Answer 89

all behaviour is observed but there is no systematic way of recording

Answer 90

* too much info to record, not all is relevant which makes it hard to analyse * behaviours recorded will be the most eye catching and visible, not necessarily the most relevant ones * detailed data, includes unexpected behaviours found to be important

Answer 91

recording behaviours in an objective and systemic way using various codes and categories dividing a target behaviour such as aggression into a subset of specific and operationalised behaviours should avoid waste basket, irrelevant categories of behaviour while being mutually exclusive (should not have to mark 2 categories at one time)

Answer 92

event sampling — recording the number of times a behaviour occurs time sampling — recording the behaviours in a given time frame (e.g. every 30 seconds the observer noted what the individual is doing)

Answer 93

able to focus on specific behaviours ignores other possibly important behaviours

Answer 94

difficult to record everything if a lot of behaviours happen at once avoids overlooking other behaviours as it doesn’t focus on specifics

Answer 95

questionnaires interviews

Answer 96

a set of written questions designed to collect information on a topic or number of topics open questions — likely to receive a long and opinion based answer closed questions — can be answered by a single word or short phrase, usually requires a yes or no response

Answer 97

gives more detail as well as insight into opinions and feelings can generate quite vague and often irrelevant answers

Answer 98

gives objective facts that are clear and relevant easy and quick to answer lacks detail given by open questions

Answer 99

involves face to face interaction and spoken questions in order to collect information structured interview — pre determined questions decided in advance, no deviation from original questions unstructured interview — less structure

General Flashcards

(123 cards)