Research Methods Flashcards
Define experimental method.
The experimental method concerns the manipulation of an independent variable (IV) to have an effect on the dependent variable (DV) which is measured and stated in results.
What is the difference between a directional and non-directional hypothesis?
A directional hypothesis states the direction of the impact of independent variable (IV) on the dependent variable (DV) whereas non-directional does not state the direction of the relationship between the IV and the DV.
Identify five types of sampling methods.
• Opportunity sampling.
• Random sampling.
• Systematic sampling.
• Stratified sampling.
• Volunteer sampling.
Outline how you would take a stratified sample.
- Identify the strata.
- Calculate the required proportion for each stratum based on the size of the target population.
- Select the sample at random from each stratum.
- To do this, you can use a random selection method e.g. using a computer.
Explain one advantage of using a stratified sample.
The sample is able to be more representative of the target population compared to other types of sampling.
Explain what is meant by operationalisation.
Operationalisation is the process by which a researcher defines how a concept is measured, observed, or manipulated within a particular study. For example, social anxiety can be operationally defined in terms of self-rating scores, behavioral avoidance of crowded places, or physical anxiety symptoms in social situations.
What is the difference between the independent variable and the dependent variable?
IV is the variable that is manipulated to observe its effect on the DV whereas the DV is the variable that is being measured and is affected by the IV.
What is a solution to the problem of order effects caused by a repeated measures design?
A solution would be counterbalancing. This is when half of the participants are made to do conditions in one order and the other half in the opposite order.
This eliminates order effects.
Explain the difference between the aim and the hypothesis.
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Explain the difference between the aim and the hypothesis.
The aim of the study tells us what the study is investigating whereas the hypothesis is a statement that predicts the relationship between the IV and the DV.
Identify the four types of experiments.
• Laboratory
• Field
• Quasi
• Natural
Describe the purpose of carrying out a peer review.
The main purposes of carrying out a peer review are:
• To allocate research funding to projects that is worthwhile.
• To make sure the research is of good quality and is relevant.
• To be able to suggest improvements so that faulty or incorrect data is not released to the public.
Define the two types of skewed distributions.
• Positive skew - when plotted on a graph, the data has a long tail on the right.
• Negative skew - when plotted on a graph, the data has a long tail on the left.
Give two strengths of conducting a content analysis.
• It has high mundane realism and external validity as what is being studied is already out there in the real world.
• Produces a large data set of both qualitative and quantitative data that is easy to analyse.
Give two limitations of a content analysis.
• Causality cannot be established as it merely describes the data
• As it only describes the data it cannot extract any deeper meaning or explanation for the data patterns arising.
Give three limitations of conducting a case study.
• As it only concerns one person it is not really generalisable to wider populations.
• Retrospective studies may rely on memory which can be unreliable.
• They are time consuming.