1B - Planning and conducting investigations (Part 1) Flashcards
Plan and conduct investigations (33 cards)
Sampling techniques
involves procedures for selecting participants form the population
What is the population
the wider group of people that a study is investigating
What is a sample?
smaller group of people selected from population
- participants in investigation
Random sampling
- selecting participants
- an equal chance of being selected
+ - Improves external validity if large enough
- Reduces bias in selection
_
* Decreases external validity if too small
* Time consuming
* hard to obtain all names
Stratified sampling
dividing population into subgroups
- randomly selecting participants from subgroup
- in proportion that they appear
+
*Improves external validity if large enough sample
* Important subgroups are ensured fair representation
_
* Difficult or impossible to obtain names of all population members
* More time-consuming than random sampling
Convenience sampling
involves selecting readily available members of the population, rather than using a random or stratified approach
Investigation methodology
the particular type of research study
Allocation
dividing a sample into groups
Random allocation
dividing sample randomly
- equal chance of being in Cg or Eg
+ and - of controlled experiment
+
* Identify cause-and-effect relationships between IV and DV
* Results may be generalized to the population of interest
* Can be repeated to gather more data and test reliability
_
* Difficult to maintain controlled conditions
* Participant behavior may be influenced by the artificial setting
* External validity may be low if conditions are too artificial
Experimental group
the group the is exposed to the independent variable
- receives the experimental treatment
Control group
the group that forms a baseline to compare with Eg
Investigation designs
a framework that determines how participants experience the experimental and control conditions.
Between subject designs
an investigation in which participants are randomly allocated to either Cg or Eg
+
* no pre-testing required
* time efficient
* lower rate of participant withdrawal
_
* more participants needed
* less control over extraneous variables, lowering validity
Within subjects design
design in which all participants are involved in both the Eg and Cg
+
* No extraneous variable
* Fewer participants are needed
_
* More time-consuming
* Higher rate of participant withdrawal
Mixed design
combines elements of within and between subjects design
+
*can test effect of multiple IV’s on a DV in one experiment
* test more IV’s means its more time effective
_
*Higher rate of withdrawal
*Less control of participant knowledge of study
*Less control over differences in participant variables, lowering validity
Case study
an investigation of particular activity, behaivour, event or problem
- contains a real or hypothetical situation
- includes real-world complexities
+
* Useful with limited participants
* Ethical for rare situations
* Provide rich qualitative data
* Basis for further research
_
* Low external validity
* Researcher bias
* Not repeatable
* Time consuming
Correlational study
- An investigation involving planned observation
- to understand relationships between variables without manipulation.
- Positive correlation
- Negative correlation
- Zero correlation
+
* Determine direction and strength of relationships
* Gather initial information
* Observe real-life behaviours
_
* Correlation does not imply causation
* Bi-directional relationships
* Requires large amounts of data
Fieldwork
a type of investigation that involves collecting information
- through observing and interacting with a selected environment
Methods:
* Direct qualitative and/or quantitative observations
* Sampling
* Participant observation
* Qualitative interviews
* Questionnaires
* Focus groups
* Yarning circles
+
* info gains on sensitive topics
* large amounts of quantitaive data can be gathered
* used when impossible or unethical for controlled experiment
_
* observed behaviour is open to interpretation and bias by researcher
* Qualitative data may be difficult to summarise
* Time consuming
*minimal control over extraneous variables
* lack of informed consent in come cases
What factors should be considered when designing an investigation?
- Sampling technique (random and stratified)
- Sample size
- Equipment and procedures
- Potential sources of error and uncertainty
What should be included when describing a sample?
- Number of participants
- Age
- Sex
- Location
- Other relevant characteristics
What is the purpose of a pre-test and post-test in an experimental design?
Pre:
To determine participants’ baseline scores before the intervention.
Post:
Whether participants’ scores improved after the intervention.
What is classification and identification in research?
A type of investigation that involves arranging phenomena into manageable sets and recognizing phenomena as belonging to a particular set.
+
* Narrows focus of research
* Allows for efficient information processing
* Helps make prediction
_
* Can lead to stereotyping
* Subjective criteria
* Requires large amounts of information
What is a positive correlation?
A relationship where both variables increase or decrease together.
