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research methods Flashcards

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1
Q

what is deductive reasoning?

A
  • observation of behaviour
  • forming of theory
  • creation of testable hypothesis
  • test and refine hypothesis using a study
  • modify , repeat
  • support/reject theory
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2
Q

what is inductive reasoning?

A

observation of a behaviour

look for patterns

test and refine hypothesis using a study

formulate theory

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3
Q

what are empirical methods?

A

using observation/ testing to gain knowledge

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4
Q

what is objectivity?

A

measurement not affected by expectations of researcher. researchers should remain unbiased in their investigations

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5
Q

what is replicability?

A

the results of the study should be found consistently if all variables are kept constant. a study should be written up with enough detail to replicate

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6
Q

what is falsifiability?

A

possibility that a hypothesis could be false

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7
Q

what the 4 main features of science?

A

empirical methods, objectivity,replicability,falsifiability

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8
Q

what is the independant variable?

A

what is being changed

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9
Q

what is the dependant variable?

A

what is being measured

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10
Q

what is the extraneous variable?

A

anything other than the IV which effects the DV, these should be controlled by the experimenter

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11
Q

what is operationalising variables?

A

clearly defining the behaviour in a way that makes a broad construct specific and measurable

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12
Q

what is a research aim?

A

the statement intentions of what questions are planned to be answered

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13
Q

what is a hypothesis?

A

a precise, testable statement of what the researcher predicts will be the outcome of the study

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14
Q

what is a directional hypothesis?

A

predicts the direction of the effect based on prior-non-contradictory research

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15
Q

what is a non-directional hypothesis?

A

anticipates a difference but not the direction. no relevant prior research

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16
Q

what is a null hypothesis?

A

a statement predicting no significant difference in result for each condition of the IV

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17
Q

what are independent group designs?

A

different ppts are used in each condition of the independant variable

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18
Q

what are the advantages of indpendent group designs?

A

cheap and quick

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19
Q

what are the disadvantages of independent group designs?

A

individual differences impact DV

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20
Q

what is repeated measures design?

A

the same ppts take part in each condition of the iv.

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21
Q

what are the advantages of repeated measures design?

A

ppts variables are controlled as ppts do both conditions

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22
Q

what are the disadvantages of repeated measures design?

A

demand charcteristics more likely as ppts exposed to both conditions

order effects - ppts may get bored effecting results

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23
Q

what are matching pairs?

A

ppts who are matched in terms of key variables, one member is randomly asigned to the experimental group and the other is controlled

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24
Q

what are the advantages of matching pairs?

A

ppts variables are controlled whilst avoiding order effects. demand characteristics less likey

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25
what are the disadvantages of matching pairs?
matching ppts take time / money not everyone has a match meaning smaller sample sizes
26
what is a laboratory experiment?
taking place in a controlled setting, which is unnatural for the participants. all variables are controlled except IV.
27
what are the strengths of a laboratory experiment?
high internal valitidy, cause and effect can be established
28
what are the weaknesses of a laboratory experiment?
low ecological validity demand characteristics are more likely
29
what is a field experiment?
a natural setting for an experiment, where the IV is still deliberately manipulated
30
what are the strengths of a field experiment?
high ecological valitidy less demand characteristics
31
what are the weaknesses of a field experiment?
less control no cause and effect
32
what is a natural experiment?
the IV naturally occurs, as it may be unethical or impractical to manipulate
33
what is a quasi experiment?
where the IV also naturally occurs but is simply a difference between people
34
what are the strengths of natural and quasi experiments?
-less likelihood of demand characteristics -can be used in situations in which manipulating the IV is unethical
35
what are the weaknesses of natural and quasi experiments?
-may be more expensive and time consuming than lab exp. -no control over extraneous variables that might bias variables -lack of random allocation means they aren't true experiments because conditions aren't random
36
what is valitidy?
wether a study does what it intended to do
37
what is internal validity?
if the study measures what it is supposed to measure no investigator effects no demand characteristics standardised instructions large random samples
38
what is external validity?
measuring the generalisability of a study
39
what is concurrent validity?
a measure of how well a particular test correlates with a previously validated measure
40
what is face validity?
the degree to which a procedure, especially a psychological test appears effective in terms of it's stated aims
41
what is ecological validity?
how well the study reflects real life
42
what is population validity?
how representative the sample is of the target population
43
what is temporal validity?
wether findings from research at a point in time will reflect the way behaviour would occur at a different point in time
44
what are demand characteristics?
ppts try to guess the overall aim of the study and then change their behaviour
45
how do you deal with demand characteristics?
ppts aren't told the true aim of the study ( single blind design) or the study is so engaging, ppts forget they are being observed ( experimental design)
46
what are investigator effects?
any cues from the investigator which might impact the findings
47
how do you deal with investigator effects?
double blind design: standardised instructions use the same investigator for both conditions
48
what are ppt variables?
characteristics of the individual ppts that might affect the DV
49
how do you deal with ppt variables?
eliminate using repeated measures, control by using matched pairs or randomly allocating on independent groups
50
what are situation variables?
features of research that might impact ppts behaviour and therefore confound results
51
how do you avoid situational variables?
test all ppts in the same room at the same time
52
how to measure external reliability?
test same ppts using same design + controls after a wait
53
what is opportunity sampling?
selecting individuals who are willing and available to partake
54
what is random sampling?
sample should represent the target population and eliminate bias
55
what is stratified sampling?
ensures the key characteristics of the population are represented in the same proportion in the sample
56
what is systematic sampling?
a mathematical technique , whereby the population is divided by the sample size which ppts are selected for the sample
57
what is volunteer sampling?
people volunteer to participate
58
what is a pilot study?
an initial run through of the procedures to be used in an investigation, it involves selecting a few people and trying out the study on them
59
what is the BPS?
the british psychological society -created a code of conduct outlining how all human ppts must be treated during research
60
what are the four core principals relating to ethics?
respect competance responsability integrity
61
what are some requirements to avoid ethical issues?
informed consent no deception the right to withdraw protection from harm confidentiality privacy
62
dealing with ethical issues
code of conduct - consent form , full debrief cost-benefit analysis ethics comittee punishment
63
how do you remember ethical issues?
can-confidentiality do-deception cant-consent do-deception with-withdraw psychology-privacy participants-protection from harm
64
how do you deal with informed consent?
-gain fully informed consent - get parental consent from u16s
65
how do you deal with deception?
-should only occur if the researcher has no alternative at all -ppts must be told about the true nature of the research in debrief - no distress can be caused with deception
66
how do you deal with the right to withdraw?
-ppts need to be informed at the start of the experiment that they can withdraw - but some ppts could feel they couldn't withdraw because it will ruin the experiment
67
how do you deal with protection from harm?
- avoid risks greater than in everyday life - but harm may not be apparent at time of experiment
68
how do you deal with confidentiality?
- researchers shouldn't record names - but its possible to work out ppts from info given
69
how do you deal with privacy?
-don't study people without informed consent -but there is no universal agreement for a public space
70
what is a naturalistic observation?
studied in a natural setting, everything is left as it would be normally
71
what is a controlled observation?
some variables are controlled by the researcher, ppts know they are being studied
72
what is overt observation?
ppts are aware of observation
73
what is covert observation?
ppts are not aware of being observed
74
what is participant observation?
observer join's group
75
what is non-participant observation?
observer watches from a distance and does not interact with those being studied
76
what is structured observation?
an organised observation where behavioural catergories and sampling procedures are used
77
what is unstructured observation?
the researcher records all relevant behaviour without a system in place
78
what are behavioural catergories?
operationalised objective unambiguous mutually exclusive cover all possible behaviours no "other" catergory
79
what is event sampling?
counting the number of times a specific behaviour occurs within a set period of time
80
what is time sampling?
recording any behaviours which occur in a given set time interval
81
what is self-report?
where ppts provide info about themselves
82
what is a correlation co-efficient of 1?
perfect positive correlation
83
what is a correlation co-efficient of 0?
no correlation
84
what is a correlation co-efficient of -1?
perfect negative correlation
85
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