Introduction To Psychology Flashcards
Independent variable and dependent variable
Independent - variable is that the experimenter can manipulate or vary in some way.
Dependent - variable that is used to observe and measure the effects of the independent variable.
Informed Consent
Procedures involved in the research must be explained to people and they must be given written consent prior to the study.
Objective data + examples
Data based on measurements of a participants response that can be directly observed and verified by the researcher.
Examples: heart rate, IQ score, behaviour counts
Subjective data + examples
Data determined by the research participants that the researcher cannot directly verify and therefore be certain of their accuracy.
Quantitative examples: responses on checklists, rating scales, questionnaires.
Qualitative examples: content analysis of focus group statements
Define psychology
The scientific study of how people think, feel and behave and the factors which influence these.
Define Hypothesis
A testable prediction about the relationship between at least two events, characteristics or variables.
Voluntary Participant
Participation must be voluntary and it must be ensured that no coercion or pressure is felt to particpate.
Right to withdraw
People must know they are free to withdraw at any time without any negative consequences.
Confidentiality
Participants privacy must be protected and no details about them or their individual results can be disclosed (ID Numbers)
Debriefing
After the investigation, it is essential that people receive an explanation of the study and are helped to overcome any negative effects (counselling).
Accurate reporting
Results must be reported accurately.
Professional conduct
Researchers must behave in a professional way.
Vulnerable groups
Special care and consideration must be taken for vulnerable groups (children, animals, mentally ill).
What is content analysis?
Process used called coding which analyses large amounts of qualitative data and reduces it into fewer categories.
Process of content analysis
- Careful reading of all the responses
- Identifying, naming and sorting core themes within the data
- Identifying sub-themes
- Noting the frequency with which these occur
- Looking for patterns in the responses
Steps followed for Delphi technique (7)
1 - Recruitment of group members
2 - Construction and distribution of a questionnaire
3 - First circulation and administration of the questionnaire
4 - Collation and categorising of results found
5 - Second circulation and administration of the questionnaire
6 - Collation of results
7 - Summary of findings
External validity
whether conclusions drawn from the results are applicable in other situations.
Face validity
whether a measure appears as though it would measure what it is designed to measure.
Limitations of a small/ unrepresentative sample
- Representativeness: Sample must be accurate representation of population interest. If sample is not large/diverse then not valid to generalise population.
- Statistical power: Small sample means higher chance of existing differences between groups. Larger Sample = Greater statistical power (less bias) = Convincing evidence
Small SD leads to …….
High validity and less variability
When is it better to use mean or median?
Mean - large sets of scores
Median - outliers are present
main features of experimental design
- random allocation
- manipulation of the independent variable
- control of other variables
main features of quantitative observational design
- uses pre-existing variables of groups
- independent variable varies naturally
- used for when experiments are not possible, ethical or too costly
main features of qualitative design
- methods produce data in comprehensive verbal and written form
- do not seek to test hypothesis
- good for investigating opinions and perceptions
