PAPER 2 - Research Methods - Peer review and economics Flashcards
Define peer review.
The assessment of scientific work by others who are specialists in the same field, to ensure that any research intended for publication is of high quality.
Briefly, what are the main aims of a peer review?
To allocate research funding.
To validate and relevance of research.
To suggest amendments or improvements.
Explain the evaluation point on anonymity for peer reviews.
Peer reviews are usually done anonymously as this is likely to produce are more honest review. However, a minority of reviewers may use their anonymity as a way of criticising rival researchers!
This could mean research that does not meet these criteria is ignored or disregarded.
Explain the evaluation point on publication bias for peer reviews.
Editors of journals naturally want to publish significant ‘headline-grabbing’ findings to increase the credibility and circulation of their publication. They also prefer to publish positive results.
This could mean research that doesn’t meet these criteria is ignored or disregarded. This creates a false impression of the current state of psychology if editors are being selective.
Define economy.
The state of a country or region in terms of the production and consumption of goods and services.
What does it mean by the implications of psychological research on the economy?
It looks at how what we learn from the findings of research influence, affect, benefit, or devalue our financial prosperity.
Give 2 examples of findings that have influenced the nation’s financial well-being.
Attachment research into the role of the father.
The developments of treatments for mental disorders.
Explain how attachment research into the role of the father has implicated the economy.
A father may fulfil a different role from the mother that is no less valuable in the child’s upbringing.
Both parents are equally capable of providing the emotional support necessary for healthy psychological development, and this may promote more flexible working arrangements within the family.
Modern parents are now better equipped to maximise their income and contribute more effectively to the economy.
Explain how the development of treatments for mental disorders has implicated the economy.
Absence from the work costs the economy £15 billion a year. A recent government report revealed 1/3 of the absences are caused by mild to moderate mental health disorders such as depression.
Due to the development of drugs and therapies, such as CBT for depression, people with mental disorders are able to manage their condition effectively and return to work.
