Research Methods

Question 1

Case studies

Answer 1

an in-depth study of an individual or small group, because of this case studies gather information that might not be identifiable by using other research methods. They involve the use of a combination of several research methods such as interviews and observations, the conclusions are more valid than what may be gained from any of these research methods individually.

Question 2

Strengths CS

Answer 2

obtain rich data and information about mediating processes which could not be gained in another way. They are usually used to study a rare phenomena and to stimulate new research into rare phenomena. They are also used to study a particular variable that cant be produced in a lab for example due to ethical restrictions and to gain other information that could you would not be able to get from other methods.

Question 3

Limitations CS

Answer 3

researcher may develop a personal relationship with the participant which may affect subjectivity of results, researcher bias and opinions may also affect the interpretation of data and case studies may be time-consuming and cost a lot of money due to a long time length. Finally, they cant be replicated to test reliability and it is hard to generalize the findings to the whole population and they usually involve a very small sample.

Question 4

Lab experiment

Answer 4

determine the cause and effect relationship between two variables, the independent variable and the dependent variable. Researcher manipulate the iv and measure the dv, they attempt to control as many other variables that may affect results quickly in order to provide controlled conditions. There are different types of experimental settings including lab experiment, quasi experiment and field experiment. Experiments are used as they are considered to be the most scientific of the research methods and because they determine cause-effect relationships between two variables

Question 5

Strengths lab experiments

Answer 5

• replicable=test reliability

- cause and effect can be established

Question 6

Limitations lab experiments

Answer 6

• low ev=low generalisability to rw

- artificial environment=demand characteristics

Question 7

Natural experiments

Answer 7

conducted in the everyday (i.e. real life) environment of the participants, but here the experimenter has no control over the IV as it occurs naturally in real life

Question 8

Strengths natural experiment

Answer 8

• Behavior in a natural experiment is more likely to reflect real life because of its natural setting, i.e. very high ecological validity.
• There is less likelihood of demand characteristics affecting the results, as participants may not know they are being studied.
• Can be used in situations in which it would be ethically unacceptable to manipulate the independent variable, e.g. researching stress.

Question 9

Limitations natural experiment

Answer 9

• They may be more expensive and time consuming than lab experiments.
• There is no control over extraneous variables that might bias the results. This makes it difficult for another researcher to replicate the study in exactly the same way.
• Can’t establish cause and effect relationship