Non-experiemental Methods [S&W]

Question 1

Name 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses of Correlations

Answer 1

Strengths
- used when unethical to manipulate variables experimentally. Findings can form basis for later experimental research.
- make use of secondary data, so it is quicker

Weaknesses
- only show relationship between 2 co-variables, not how or why they’re related. No assumptions about cause and effect
- secondary data nay lack validity if researcher not aware of how it was originally collected

Question 2

Name 2 strengths and weaknesses of participant observations

Answer 2

Strengths
- Less chance of demand characteristics
- Can research people who are difficult to observe

Weaknesses
- Observer bias
- Difficult to take notes during observation

Question 3

Name 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses of non-participant observations

Answer 3

Strengths
- Watches from a distance, less observer bias
- Behaviour easily seen may result in more valid results

Weaknesses
- Subjective when watching from a distance
- Unethicak when don’t know they’re being observed

Question 4

Name 2 strengths and weaknesses of time sampling

Answer 4

Strengths
- Shows how behaviours are spread across the observation
- Less likely to ibe overwhelmed

Weaknesses
- Missed behaviours when outside time interval
- More complicated as time must be tracked

Question 5

Name 2 strengths and weaknesses of event sampling

Answer 5

Strengths
- When done well, all events recorded
- More straightforward as only start and finish time needed

Weaknesses
- Overwhelming
- Hard to see when in the observation the behaviour occurs

Question 6

Name 2 strengths and weaknesses of general observations

Answer 6

Strengths
- High ecological validity (often in field)
- More accurate representation of behaviour compared to a questionnaire

Weaknesses
- Observer bias
- Difficult to replicate, affecting external reliability

Question 7

Name 2 strengths and weaknesses of questionnaires

Answer 7

Strengths
- Asssss variables such as attitudes and personality that isn’t obvious by observing someone
- More likely to reveal info as they aren’t face to face

Weaknesses
- No guarantee of truthful answers (social desirability)
- participants may interpret the same question in different ways leading to inconsistent results

Question 8

Name 2 strengths and weaknesses of general interviews

Answer 8

Strengths
- None for general

Weaknesses
- Not respond truthfully due to social desirability
- Easy to ask leading questions

Question 9

Name 2 strengths and weaknesses of structured interviews

Answer 9

Strengths
- Standardised, increasing reliability of the method
- Requires no skill from the interviewer

Weaknesses
- Not flexible, interesting info may be overlooked
- More formal, difficult to put interviewee at ease

Question 10

Name 2 strengths and weaknesses of semi-structured interviews

Answer 10

Strengths
- Very flexible, can deviate from script to follow up on questions. Better insights
- A trained interviewer can make interviewees more comfortable as its more informal

Weaknesses
- Lack Standardised procedures, making replication hard
- High level of interviewing skilss

Question 11

Name 2 strengths and weaknesses of unstructured interviews

Answer 11

Strengths
- Very flexible
- More depth in answers as any questions can be asked

Weaknesses
- Lack of Standardised procedures so can’t be replicated
- Social desirability bias

Question 12

Name 2 strengths and weaknesses of MRI scans

Answer 12

Strengths
- No evidence that magnetic fields or radio waves are risky
- More detailed image of soft tissue of the brain

Weaknesses
- Claustrophobia can be a big issue
- MRIs are expensive so not very accessible

Question 13

Name 2 strengths and weaknesses of PET scans

Answer 13

Strengths
- Brain function as well as structure on live participants as supposed to reliance on postmortems
- Reveals scientific, objective and biochemical info that isn’t available anywhere else

Weaknesses
- Radioactive substance limits number of pet scans per year
- Expensive, limited number if activities to investigate, person is in the scanner if they want to complete any activities during the scan

Question 14

Name 2 strengths and weaknesses of Case studies

Answer 14

Strengths
- Highly detailed and in depth data collected
- may be only method suitable for studying some forms of behaviour that may be unethical to investigate

Weaknesses
- Very difficult to replicate due to uniqueness of the participants experiences
- Subjective interpretations if they attempt to consciously or unconsciously fit the data with their theory

Question 15

Name 2 strengths and weaknesses of Quantitative data

Answer 15

Strengths
- Easy to analyse and present graphically, easy to draw comparisons
- Objective: not as open to bias as in-depth interpretation of the data isn’t required

Weaknesses
- Hard to draw meaningful conclusions as data lacks insight
- Participants may have felt ‘forced’ into Standardised answers that don’t really reflect their true feelings. Therefore less likely to be valid.

Question 16

Name 2 strengths and weaknsesses of qualitative data

Answer 16

Strengths
- Provides detailed informarion: greater insights into behaviour
- Meaningful conclusions can be discovered, makes the data more valid

Weaknesses
- Difficult to analyse and present graphically or draw conclusions
- Hard to collect lots of it as it is time consuming

Question 17

Name 2 strengths and weaknesses of Primary data

Answer 17

Strengths
- More valid than secondary as the researcher’s investigation had been designed for their personal hypothesis
- More ethical as researcher has control over how data is collected

Weaknesses
- Time and effort required to collect the data first
- No historical trends can be seen, data collected at one point in time

Question 18

Name 2 strengths and weaknesses of secondary data

Answer 18

Strengths
- Less time and effort ad it saves time on data collection
- Examination of historical trends

Weaknesses
- Data may not fit the aims of the study
- Cannot be sure of the data quality