A Level Psychology > Research Methods ❎ > Flashcards

Research Methods ❎ Flashcards

(69 cards)

Study These Flashcards
1
Q

Co-variables

definition

A

Two or more measured variables in a correlation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Laboratory experiment

definition

A
  • research method
  • there is an IV, DV, and strict controls
  • looks for a causal relationship
  • conducted in a setting which is not the usual environment for the participant with regard to the behaviour they are performing
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Field experiment

definition

A
  • setting which is the normal environment for the participant with regard to the behaviour they are performing.
  • diifcult to manipulate all variables
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Natural experiment

definition

A

An investigation looking for a causal relationship in which the IV cannot be directly manipulated
* effect of an existing difference or change is investigated
* cannot manipulate variables - variables are naturally occuring

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Standardisation

definition

A

The practice of keeping the procedure for each participant in a study exactly the same, to ensure that measured differences in the DV are likely to be due to the IV

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Controls

definition

A

Ways to keep potential confounding variables constant, to ensure measured differences in the DV are likely to be due to the IV

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Replication

definition

A

Keeping the procedure and materials exactly the same between studies

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Operationalisation

definition

A

The practice of clearly describing a variable such that it can be measured/quantified and accurately manipulated so that the study can be replicated.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Ecological validity

Research methods

A

How generalisable the study’s findings are to other situations or settings.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Population validity

Research methods

A

How well a study’s sample represents other populations or groups.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Explain what is meant by

debriefing

Ethics: Human Participants

A
  • participants are reminded of their ethical rights
  • cover stories must be uncovered
  • participants must be thanked and given contact details for future concerns
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Explain what is meant by

right to withdraw

Ethics: Human Participants

A

participants can leave the research experiment before it starts, during the process or after the process has ended

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Explain what is meant by

privacy

Ethics: Human Participants

A

participants privacy must not be invaded and they have control over what information is published

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Explain what is meant by

confidentiality

Ethics: Human Participants

A

participants’ identities must not be revealed to the public

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

minimising harm and maximising benefits

definition

A

ensuring that participants are not physically or psychologically harmed by the research process

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Explain what is meant by

valid consent including informed consent

Ethics: Human Participants

A

participants are made aware of the benefits and risks of the research, and give unambiguous consent

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Explain what is meant by

lack of deception

Ethics: Human Participants

A

participants should be aware of all the details of the experiment; if deception is necessary, they must be debriefed afterwards

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

species and strain

definition

A

species must be least likely to become distressed;
whilst being able to fulfill the requirements of the study; endangered species must not be used

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Explain what is meant by

numbers

Ethics: Non-human participants

A

The smallest number of animals possible should be used while being enough to achieve reliable results

Numbers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Explain what is meant by

anaesthesia, analgesia, euthanasia

Ethics: Non-human participants

A
  • Procedures that are likely to cause pain and discomfort should be performed only on animals that have been adequately anaesthetised
  • Analgesics should be used before and after such procedures to minimise pain and distress
  • Animals suffering lasting pain must be euthanised

Anaesthesia, analgesia, euthanasia

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

deprivation and aversive stimuli

definition

A
  • Deprivation is doing without something
  • Aversive stimuli is something present that the animal doesn’t like, is afraid of or hurt by
  • Researchers must ensure there is no alternative way of motivating the animal that is consistent with the aims of the experiment
  • Levels of deprivation should be no greater than needed to achieve the experiment’s goals
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

pain and distress

definition

A

Any physical/psychological pain and distress must be avoided.
Any adverse effects on animals must be recognised and assessed, with immediate action taken wherever necessary

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

replacement

definition

A

Researchers should consider replacing animal experiments with videos or computer simulations

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

housing

definition

A
  • Isolation and overcrowding should be avoided
  • Caging should take into consideration the aspects of the animal’s natural environment that are important to its welfare and the social behaviour of the species
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
reward | definition
The researcher should consider the animal's usual eating and drinking habits and metabolic requirements | Reward
26
laboratory experiments | features
**strengths** high reliability - variables are controlled and manipulated high internal validity - causal relationship is clear and variables are controlled **weaknesses** low ecological validity - setting is controlled low mundane realism - setting is unlike normal environment of participants
27
# Strengths of field experiments
1. High ecological validity - realistic setting 2. Limited demand characteristics from participants
28
field experiments | features
**strengths** high ecological validity - realistic setting limited demand characteristics **weaknesses** low internal validity - situational variables are difficult to control deception - participants do not know that they’re taking part in a study low reliability - setting is not controlled
29
# Strengths of natural experiments
1. High ecological validity because the IV is naturally occurring 2. Valid representation of a person’s behaviour
30
# Weakness of natural experiments
* Difficult to know whether the IV caused an effect on the DV * Low reliability - the event investigated is naturally occurring * Low generalisability
31
experimental condition | definition
one or more of the situations in an experiment which represent the different levels of the IV * compared with one another or with the control condition
32
2 types of self-reports
questionnaires and interviews
33
4 types of questionnaires
1. **Likert scales:** questions asking whether the participant likes or dislikes something. 2. **Rating scales:** questions that require the participant to represent their answer on the numerical scale provided to them. 3. **Open questions:** questions which allow the participant to give detailed answers without any restrictions. 4. **Closed questions:** questions which allow the participant to respond using a few, stated responses without the opportunity to expand on their answers.
34
# Define interviews
Interviews are a research method using verbal questions asked directly to the participants.
35
3 types of interviews
1. Structured: an interview with questions in a fixed order which may be scripted. Consistency might also be required in the interviewer’s posture, voice, etc., and hence these are highly standardized. 2. Semi-structured: an interview with a fixed list of questions, however, the interviewer could add more questions if required to clarify or get details on any previous answers. 3. Unstructured: an interview in which most questions depend on the respondent’s answers. A list of topics may be provided that need to be covered for the interview.
36
# What are the **features** of an independent measures design?
* Two participant groups * One group performs the control condition * The other performs the experimental condition of the IV
37
# What are the **features** of a repeated measures design?
* One participant group * Participant group carries out both the control and the experimental condition
38
# **Advantages** of independent measures design
* less order effects * less demand characteristics
39
# **Disadvantages** of independent measures design
* more participant variables * more participants needed, more time-consuming
40
# **Advantages** of repeated measures design
* less participant variables * less participants needed, less time-consuming
41
# **Disadvantages** for repeated measures design
* more order effects * more demand characteristics
42
covert observation | definition
participants are unaware that they are being observed
43
questionnaires | features
**strengths** high reliability - standardised procedure large amount of data collected easily easy to administer **weaknesses** social-desirable answers/demand characteristics close-ended questions are restricting
44
interviews | features
**strength** more detailed responses to collect in-depth data **weaknesses** social desirability bias / less truthful answers
45
# Define case study
A detailed investigation of a single instance, usually a person, family or institute, that produced in-depth data specific to that instance.
46
case studies | features
**strength** high ecological validity - participants are studied in their everyday lives in-depth data - researchers only focus on a small group/singular participant **weaknesses** subjectivity - data gained is based on the sample who is unique low reliability - sample has naturally-occuring unique characteristics low generalisability - sample is unique
47
# Define observation
A research method that involves **watching** human or animal behaviour. | An observer can be **overt/covert** or **participant/non-participant**
48
Correlation co-efficient
A number between -1 and +1 that shows the strength of a correlation * a co-efficient of -1 meaning there is a perfect negative correlation * a co-efficient of +1 meaning there is a perfect positive correlation
49
Experiment | definition
an investigation looking for a causal relationship in which an IV is manipulated and is expected to be responsible for changes in the DV.
50
Correlation
A research method that looks for a relationship between two measured variables, where a change in one variable is related to a change in the other.
51
Causal relationship
A link between two variables such that a change in one variable is responsible for the change in the other variable.
52
control condition | definition
a situation in which the IV is absent. This is compared to the experimental condition(s)
53
mundane realism | definition
the extent to which a task represents the real-world situation
54
face validity | definition
a measure of validity indicating whether a measure appears to test what it claims to
55
concurrent validity | definition
when a test correlates well with a measure that has previously been validated
56
objectivity | definition
an unbiased viewpoint that is not affected by an individual’s feelings, beliefs or experiences, so should be consistent between different researchers
57
subjectivity | definition
a personal viewpoint which may be biased by one’s feelings, beliefs or experiences and may differ between researchers
58
inter-rater reliability | definition
the extent to which two researchers interpreting qualitative responses will produce the same records from the same raw data
59
methods of testing reliability
1. **test-retest method:** do the task twice and then comparing the results of each time to check their similarity 2. **split-half method:** the questions are the same in both halves of the task but presented in different a manner; the results of the first half must be the same as the results of second half
60
negative correlation
relationship between two variables where as one variable goes up, the other goes down
61
population | definition
Individuals who share a common characteristic
62
sample | definition
individuals who participate in a study
63
order effects | definition
consequences of doing tests/tasks more than once
64
practice effects | definition
participants improve with repetition
65
fatigue effects | definition
participants get worse with repetition
66
opportunity sampling
**strength** many participants can be obtained quickly and easily using the people available **weakness** sample may not be diverse enough to allow generalisation
67
volunteer sampling
**strength** the people are willing because they have volunteered so are likely to be prepared to complete the experiment/are unlikely to withdraw the participants come to the experimenter which is easy/quick **weakness** sample may not be diverse enough to allow generalisation
68
random sampling
**strength** easy to generalise to general population **weakness** a sample representative of the target population cannot be guaranteed
69
questionnaire | definition
research method asking questions, mainly written, to gain information from the participants
A Level Psychology
flashcards
Decks in class (32)
# Cards
Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2026 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions