methodological issues unit 2

Question 1

Key methodological issues

Answer 1

Validity
Reliability
Ethnocentrism

Question 2

validity

Answer 2

Whether a piece of research is accurately measuring the concepts it intends to.

Question 3

types of validity

Answer 3

• ecological
• population
  -construct

Question 4

ecological validity

Answer 4

Does the study measure behaviour in a way that is true to real life?

Question 5

population validity

Answer 5

Is the sample of participants diverse enough to generalise their results to others (range of ages studied, different genders, occupations, etc.)?

Question 6

construct validity

Answer 6

Is the study measuring what it intends to or could there be other factors (extraneous variables) influencing the results found?

Question 7

reliability

Answer 7

Reliability refers to whether a study is measuring behaviour in a consistent way

There are two questions to ask when considering if research is reliable:
Is the procedure being followed in a standardised way for all participants so it can be replicated (repeated)?
Is the sample large enough to suggest a consistent effect in the results (i.e. the results are not a fluke)?

Question 8

ethnocentrism

Answer 8

Ethnocentrism relates to whether the findings of the study represents a range of different cultures.