research methods

Question 1

what are the ethical principles

Answer 1

consent
confidentiality
right to withdraw
protection from harm
deception
debriefing

Question 2

what are the 4 ethical guidelines

Answer 2

integrity
respect
responsibility
competence

Question 3

what is consent

Answer 3

• ensuring that the participants give their permission to participate and are aware as to what they are consenting to

(respect)

Question 4

what is deception ?

Answer 4

• making sure the participants aren’t being lied to, the truth isn’t withheld
• if some details can’t be shared during the study the participants get a full debrief afterwards

(integrity)

Question 5

what is the right to withdraw ?

Answer 5

• participants have the right to stop taking part in the study at any time
• participants should feel comfortable withdrawing and shouldn’t feel pressured to stay

Question 6

what is debriefing ?

Answer 6

• outlining the purpose of the research, is used to reassure participants
• if participants want them, contact details of the research team should be given

Question 7

what is protection from harm ?

Answer 7

• participants should not be exposed to any danger/harm during the study
• for some studies approval may be needed by an ethics team
• assistance should be in on hand if support is needed

Question 8

what is confidentiality ?

Answer 8

• keeping personal information, such as names private
• not sharing any personal data

Question 9

what is integrity ?

Answer 9

• psychologists must demonstrate honesty, equal treatment and openness towards participants

Question 10

why is responsibility important ?

Answer 10

• studies must be carried out professionally and safely

Question 11

what is respect ?

Answer 11

• respecting the rights to privacy and how the participants are
  feeling

Question 12

what is competence ?

Answer 12

• having the correct knowledge and skills to be able to carry out a study
• making sure participants are suitable for a study

Question 13

what are situational variables ?

Answer 13

when participants are affected by the environment they are in

Question 14

what are participant variables ?

Answer 14

the results of the study are affected by participants individual characteristics

Question 15

what are order effects ?

Answer 15

results of a study are improved by the repetition of a task rather than the independent variable

Question 16

what are experimenter effects ?

Answer 16

participants complete an activity differently as they know someone is watching them

Question 17

what is counterbalancing ?

Answer 17

a technique used to control order effects, which involves mixing up the order in which tasks are performed

Question 18

what are independent measures ?

Answer 18

where totally different participants are used across the separate conditions of the experiment

Question 19

what are repeated measures ?

Answer 19

where the same participants take part in all different conditions of the experiment

Question 20

what are matched pairs ?

Answer 20

where participants who are different but have similar characteristics take part in separate conditions

Question 21

what is the target population ?

Answer 21

the type of people experimenters want to participate and find out about

Question 22

what is internal validity ?

Answer 22

if the experiment is well controlled and avoids extraneous variables

Question 23

what is ecological validity ?

Answer 23

if the research takes place in a real world environment

Question 24

what is predictive validity ?

Answer 24

if the study result can accurately predict how someone behaves

Question 25

what are demand characteristics ?

Answer 25

when participants realise the aim of the experiment and start to behave differently

Question 26

what is a null hypothesis ?

Answer 26

says that the independent variable won't have any effect on the dependent variable

Question 27

what is a 1 tailed hypothesis ?

Answer 27

it predicts exactly how the independent variable will affect the dependent variable

Question 28

what is a 2 tailed hypothesis ?

Answer 28

predicts that the IV will affect the DV but not what that effect will be

Question 29

what is objectivity ?

Answer 29

when the results are purely factual

Question 30

what is reliability ?

Answer 30

getting the same findings after repeating the test again and again

Question 31

what is a lab experiment ?

Answer 31

an experiment which takes place in a carefully controlled environment contain an IV that is manipulated and a DV that is measured Has a standardized process

Question 32

what is a field experiment ?

Answer 32

an experiment which takes place in a natural environment

Question 33

what is a control group ?

Answer 33

a group which acts as a baseline/comparison

Question 34

what is randomisation ?

Answer 34

randomly assigning participants to a particular group

Question 35

what is an experimental hypothesis ?

Answer 35

says the IV will have some kind of effect on the DV

Question 36

what is an independent variable ?

Answer 36

variables which are changed or manipulated by the researcher

Question 37

what is a dependent variable ?

Answer 37

the variable the researcher is measuring; the results

Question 38

what is an extraneous variable ?

Answer 38

variables which affect the dependent variable/results of the study variables which could ruin the validity of research

Question 39

what does operationalising variables mean?

Answer 39

making variables measurable/testable

Question 40

what is a sample ?

Answer 40

a smaller group of people out of the target population who participate

Question 41

what is sampling technique ?

Answer 41

the way people are selected for the experiment

Question 42

what is opportunity sampling ?

Answer 42

participants who are the most convenient to select

Question 43

what is random sampling ?

Answer 43

where participants are randomly selected

Question 44

what is volunteer sampling ?

Answer 44

where participants choose to take part

Question 45

what is stratified sampling ?

Answer 45

participants are representative of the target population

Question 46

Independent measures design - strengths

Answer 46

- Lower risk of demand characteristics - No order effects such as boredom, fatigue, or practice effects - Practically, less cost as same test can be used twice

Question 47

Independent measures design - weaknesses

Answer 47

- Higher risk of participant variables - More participants are needed

Question 48

Repeated measures design - strengths

Answer 48

- No participant variables - Fewer participants are needed

Question 49

Repeated measures design - weaknesses

Answer 49

- Risk of demand characteristics - Risk of order effects; boredom, fatigue and practice effects - Two tests needed which may become an extraneous variable

Question 50

In repeated measures design, what can carrying a task out repeatedly lead to -

Answer 50

- deterioration as pps get tired or bored - improvement due to practice

Question 51

In repeated measures design how can we deal with the risk of order effects

Answer 51

counterbalancing

Question 52

Matched pairs design - strengths

Answer 52

- Participant variables are reduced - No order effects - Less risk of demand characteristics

Question 53

Matched pairs design - weaknesses

Answer 53

- Participants can never be completely matched - Time consuming and expensive - More participants required

Question 54

Lab experiment - strengths

Answer 54

- Most scientific method - manipulation of IV indicates cause and effect - Increases control and accuracy - Often standardised so easy to replicate

Question 55

Lab experiments weaknesses

Answer 55

- Total control over every variable is not possible - Artificial environment = may produce unnatural behaviour which lacks ecological validity - Results may be more biased by sampling, demand characteristics, experimenter expectancy - May be unethical, e.g deception

Question 56

Field experiments - strengths

Answer 56

- Ecologically valid = behaviour occurs in its own natural environment - Less bias from sampling and demand characteristics

Question 57

Field experiments - weaknesses

Answer 57

- More bias from extraneous variables due to lack of control in these experiments - More difficult to replicate - More difficult to accurately record data - Ethical issues, e.g deception

Question 58

natural experiment

Answer 58

IV is changed by natural occurence, researcher just records effects of DV

Question 59

Natural experiment - strengths

Answer 59

- Ecological validity = a natural change, not dictated by experimenter occurs - Very little bias from sampling or demand characteristics

Question 60

Natural experiment - weaknesses

Answer 60

- Hard to interfere cause and effect - due to little control over extraneous variables and no direct manipulation of IV - Impossible to replicate exactly - Ethics = deception, invasion of privacy

Question 61

Lab experiment - evidence

Answer 61

Bandura - - Manipulated IV of exposure to aggression to see if it affected imitation of aggression to children - Children either saw an adult being aggressive to a bobo doll or an adult not being aggressive - number of aggressive acts was noted

Question 62

Field experiment - evidence

Answer 62

Feshback and Singer - - Manipulated IV, exposure to aggression to see what effect it had on imitation of aggression by showing boys in a school either - aggressive television - non aggressive television - conducted over 6 weeks, boys aggression was rated

Question 63

Natural experiment - evidence

Answer 63

Joy et al - - Investigated IV of exposure to aggression to see what effect it had on imitation of aggression in children by measuring aggression levels of children in a Canadian town: - before television was introduced into town - after television was introduced into town