research methods eval

Question 1

what are the strengths of lab experiments

Answer 1

well controlled (extraneous/confounding variables are minimised) results in higher internal validity
can easily be replicated

Question 2

what are the limitations of lab experiments

Answer 2

Demand Characteristics
Ethics - deception is often used, making informed consent difficult.
Artificial - lacks ecological validity

Question 3

what are the strengths of field experiments

Answer 3

higher mundane realism
ecological validity- field experiments are less artificial
Participants are not usually aware of being studied so less likely for demand characteristics to appear.

Question 4

what are the limitations of field experiments

Answer 4

less control of confounding/extraneous variables - reduces internal validity
more time consuming
more expensive
ethics - often can’t be debriefed.

Question 5

what are the strengths of natural experiment

Answer 5

allows research where IV can’t be manipulated for ethical or practical reasons.
enables psychologists to study “real” problems.
high ecological validity - less artificial
demand characteristics - participants might not know they’re in a study so their behaviour is more natural.

Question 6

what are the limitations of natural experiments

Answer 6

cannot demonstrate causal relationships because IV is not directly manipulated.
random allocation may not be possible

Question 7

what are the strengths of quasi-experiments

Answer 7

allows comparisons between types of people

high ecological validity - often less artificial than lab experiments.

Question 8

what are the limitations of quasi-experiments

Answer 8

1. Participants may be aware of being observed causing demand characteristics reducing the internal validity of the study.
2. The dependent variable may be a fairly artificial task, reducing mundane realism.

Question 9

What are the strengths of naturalistic observation?

Answer 9

gives a realistic picture of spontaneous behaviour.

high ecological validity

Question 10

What are the limitations of naturalistic observation?

Answer 10

has little control

observer bias

Question 11

What are the strengths of participant observation?

Answer 11

may provide special insights into behaviour from the “inside” that may not otherwise be gained

Question 12

What are the strengths of opportunity sampling?

Answer 12

• easiest method

- less time to locate your sample

Question 13

What are the limitations of opportunity sampling?

Answer 13

• ## inevitably biased since the sample is taken from a small population.

Question 14

What are the strengths of random sampling?

Answer 14

Unbiased- since all members have an equal chance of being chosen

Question 15

What are the limitations of random sampling?

Answer 15

Time consuming

Question 16

What are the strengths of stratified sampling?

Answer 16

• likely to be more representative than other methods

Question 17

What are the limitations of stratified sampling?

Answer 17

Very time consuming to identify subgroups then contact them

Question 18

What are the strengths of systematic sampling?

Answer 18

Unbiased since they’re selected from an objective system

Question 19

What are the limitations of systematic sampling?

Answer 19

Not truly unbiased unless selected using a random method.

Question 20

What are the strengths of volunteer sampling?

Answer 20

Gives access to a variety of participants, which might make it more representative.

Question 21

What are the limitations of volunteer sampling?

Answer 21

participants could be more motivated or need the reward after the experiment (e.g money) which results in volunteer bias.

Question 22

evaluate the mean as a measure of central tendency

Answer 22

1. It’s the most sensitive as it takes into account the exact measure of distance between all the values of all the data.
2. being the most sensitive means that it can easily be distorted by one or a few outliers
3. it can’t be used for nominal data
4. doesn’t make sense to use when you have discrete values e.g no.of legs

Question 23

evaluate the median as a measure of central tendency

Answer 23

1. not affected by outliers.
2. appropriate for ordinal data
3. it can be easier to calculate than the mean
4. not as sensitive as the mean since the exact values aren’t reflected in the final calculation

Question 24

evaluate the mode as a measure of central tendency

Answer 24

1. unaffected by outliers
2. much more useful for discrete data
3. only method that can be used for nominal data.
4. not useful when there are several modes.
5. it tells us nothing. about the other values of the distribution