research methods (yr2)

Question 1

what are investigator effects, suggest one way in which they could be minimised

Answer 1

investigation effects is when the experiment is influenced by the researchers behaviour. You could use a double blind procedure

Question 2

what does reliability mean

Answer 2

the consistency of the data

Question 3

one reason why it is important for scientific reports to include a referencing section

Answer 3

so you are not plagiarising the work and you give them credit

Question 4

what is a pilot study

Answer 4

a small scale trial run of a planned investigation that takes place before the real investigation is carried out

Question 5

why is a pilot study carried out

Answer 5

aim is to check procedures, materials, measuring techniques and to identify if there are any issues.
this way pilot studies ensures that planned investigations are fit for purpose by allowing the researcher to identify any flaws.
this saves time and money

Question 6

what is a type 1 error

Answer 6

false positive, if you choose 0.1, you might accept your experimental hypothesis when there is really no correlation and you should accept the null

Question 7

what is a type 2 error

Answer 7

false negative, when you accept the null hypothesis when you should be accepting the experimental. this if you choose 0.1

Question 8

how to improve internal validity

Answer 8

do a pilot study

Question 9

how to improve external validity

Answer 9

have a large range of P’s that are representative of the population

Question 10

how to assess internal validity

Answer 10

face validity - look at the research - on the face of it does it look like it is measuring what it intends to, and if it had mundane realism

concurrent validity - compare the findings to a different study that was investigating a similar thing

Question 11

assess external validity

Answer 11

conduct the research again

on diff p’s
in diff settings (ecological)
in diff time periods (temporal)

Question 12

process of peer review

Answer 12

other psychologists check the research report before deciding whether it could be published

• work is considered in terms of its validity, significance and originality
• assessment of the appropriateness of the methods and designs used
• reviewer can accept the manuscript as it is, accept with revisions, suggest the author makes revisions and re-submits or reject without the possibility of re-submission
• editor makes the final decision whether to accept or reject the research report based on the reviewers’ comments/recommendations
• research proposals are submitted to panel and assessed for merit.

Question 13

order of the report

Answer 13

abstract, introduction, method, results, discussions and references

Question 14

abstract

Answer 14

summary (100-150 words), context, aim, participants, method, procedure, findings and conclusion

Question 15

introduction

Answer 15

background theory, aims, hypothesis

Question 16

method

Answer 16

design, participants, materials, procedure

Question 17

results

Answer 17

descriptive statistics, inferential statistics

Question 18

discussion

Answer 18

conclusion, background research, strengths & limitations, implications, further research

Question 19

references

Answer 19

author last name + initals
year of publication
title
publisher + location
volume.

Question 20

kuhn’s paradigm (features of a science)

Answer 20

psychology had many paradigms and would never be able to become a science as it has failed to develop 1 paradigm

Question 21

3 paradigms

Answer 21

behaviorist, humanistic, cognitive

Question 22

what is the humanistic paradigm

Answer 22

places great value on subjective experience

Question 22

what is the behaviorist paradigm

Answer 22

argues scientific knowledge is operational and that events can be verified by experiments. but this means that only observable can be measured in experiments and therefore rules out the human mind.

Question 22

what is the cognitive paradigms

Answer 22

are into consciousness and thought processes - interested in memory, perception and language - these are part of what we call our private and conscious experience

Question 23

what features are there that make something scientific

Answer 23

1. constructing theories and testing hypotheses 2. falsifiability 3. empirical methods 4. replicability 5. objectivity 6. paradigm

Question 24

what is theory construction and hypothesis testing

Answer 24

a theory is a set of ideas that explain something, it generates testable hypothesis

Question 25

deductive process of a theory

Answer 25

observe behavior propose theory generate hypothesis test hypothesis draw conclusions

Question 26

why is theory construction an important feature of how science works

Answer 26

theories help generate testable hypothesis which can then be investigated through empirical research. the date obtained can be used to support, refine or refute the theory.

Question 27

how does psych use theory construction and hypothesis testing

Answer 27

psychology uses deductive reasoning in theory and hypothesis conclusion, so it largely meets this feature of science. however, some areas of psychology are less scientific because their theories make it difficult to form testable hypothesis

Question 28

what is falsifiability

Answer 28

a theory must be testable and capable of being proven false through evidence if we don't have falsifiability, then it is considered unscientific because theories cannot be empirically tested for supported evidence.

Question 29

how does psychology use falsifability

Answer 29

many areas are falsifiable since they involve testable hypothesis and empirical research

Question 30

what is replicability

Answer 30

ability to repeat a study to see if the same result are found when testing the same thing again

Question 31

why is replicability useful

Answer 31

it establishes validity. if the results are the same it adds value to the data and affirms the original results.

Question 32

how does psychology use reliability

Answer 32

most of the research methods used in psych is replicable, meaning other researchers can repeat the study to test the replicability of the findings. however there are research methods used which are difficult to replicate, e.g HM and KF since P's cant be reproduced

Question 33

objectivity and use of the empirical method

Answer 33

people have to have direct experience and evidence to support something. (empirical) researchers must retain objectivity during their empirical research, their personal opinions must not affect the research outcome.

Question 34

how does psychology increase objectivity

Answer 34

double blind procedure controlled methods operationalized variables however, some subjective experiences cannot be directly measured. these rely in interpretation, making objectivity harder to maintain

Question 35

what is a paradigm

Answer 35

a worldview on reality

Question 36

does psych have a paradigm

Answer 36

there is an agreement that psychology studies the mind and behaviour

Question 37

does psychology experience paradigm shifts

Answer 37

it is possible as the major approaches in psych did not emerge all at once

Question 38

why does kuhn believe psych is a pre-science

Answer 38

because unlike true scientific revolution, old paradigms were never completely replaced.