psych research methods Flashcards

Question

type 1 vs type 2 errors

Answer 1

type 1 error is when the null hypothesis is rejected and the alternative hypothesis is accepted when the null shouldve been accepted false positive usually if significance lvel is too high (10% vs 5%) type 2 error is when the null hypothesis is accepted and alternative hypothesis is rejected alternative was actually true false negative usually if significance level is too low 5% balances between type 1 and 2 errors

Answer 2

the process of developing an explanation for the causes of behaviour by systematically gathering evidence by direct observation and then organising this into a coherent account as a theory

Answer 3

method of falsifying theories a theory must produce statements which can then be tested

Answer 4

any unwanted influence from the researcher - conscious or unconscious that affects the DV eg interactions with each ppt varying

Answer 5

experiment where the IV has not been determined by the researcher and naturally exists eg: gender differences

Answer 6

IV is not brought about by the researcher and would have appeared even if the researcher wasn't there eg: changes after an earthquake

Answer 7

informed consent, protection from harm, right to withdraw, confidentiality, debriefing, deception

Answer 8

small scale trial study run before an investigation involves few ppts to see if procedure works as it should researcher makes changes as necessary saves time and money in long run

Answer 9

watching and recording behaviour in its normal state where it occurs vs recording behaviours in a structured environment

Answer 10

researcher becomes a member of thee group and records observations records from a distance ant not part of the group

Answer 11

un = continuous recording when the researcher writes everything they se during observation structured = researcher quantifies what they are observing using predermined list of behaviours and sampling method

Answer 12

time sampling = recording of a behaviour within a timeframe that is pre established before the observational study event sampling = this involves the counting of the number of times a particular behaviour is carried out by the target group or individual you're watching

Answer 13

bar charts = discrete data divided into categories bars do not touch and show separate conditions

Answer 14

bars touch each other so continuous data

Answer 15

continuous data

Answer 16

show association between co variables

Answer 17

positive = peak to left more data on right negative = peak to right more data on left median = middle mode = peak mean remaining

Answer 18

assessment of scientific work by experts in the same field ensures published work is of high quality important to: know what work is worth funding validate relevance and quality of research suggest amendments

Answer 19

categorical data that's discrete use mode

Answer 20

based on numerical scales which are of equal precise units use mean and SD

Answer 21

data represented in ranked form no equal intervals - subjective use median and range

Answer 22

if S is less than critical value - reject null as there's a significant difference if S is greater than critical value accept the null as there's no significant difference

Answer 23

likert scale = agreement with a statement rating scale = identifying a value representing their strength of feeling about a particular topic fixed choice = options

Answer 24

have clarity avoid overuse of jargon have sequencing qs from easy to hard no filler qs pilot study the qs

Answer 25

the researcher needs to ensure that the two groups are matched for key variables * example of at least one key variable – any that might reasonably be expected to affect memory in this situation, eg eyesight, age, intelligence * all participants should be pre-tested / assessed for the key variable / variables * for each person in one condition, the researcher should assign a ‘matched’ person in the other condition.

Answer 26

Strength: can study relationship between variables that occur naturally. Can measure things that cannot be manipulated experimentally. Can suggest trends that can lead to experiments. Weakness: It is not possible to say that one thing causes another. Just because there is a correlation between stress scores and days off it does not mean that stress caused people to take days off work, or there may be another variable connecting them. Elaboration through the use of an appropriate example can also receive credit. Any other appropriate answer can get credit.

Answer 27

ways in which procedures/materials/instructions within an investigation are kept the same for all participants

Answer 28

a method of quantifying qualitative content via coding/categorisation - a form of (indirect) observation that examines artefacts/communications/form of media that people produce

Answer 29

the researcher could compare the two questionnaires and note any differences * the researcher could (identify and) remove/deselect any items on his questionnaire that are problematic * items might be problematic because they are leading, ambiguous, too complex, double-barrelled etc

Answer 30

case studies can be longitudinal and so changes (in Patient X’s experience) can be observed over time whereas questionnaires tend to provide just a ‘snapshot’ of experience * case studies usually involve several methods (observation, interviews, etc.), enabling checks for consistency/reliability/validity whereas a questionnaire is a single method of data collection * case studies produce rich, detailed qualitative data, whereas questionnaires tend to produce less detailed information.

Answer 31

Primary data are obtained ‘first-hand’ from the participants’ themselves so are likely to lead to greater insight: eg into the patients` experience of treatment, whether they found it beneficial, negative, etc. x Secondary data, such as time off work, may not be a valid measure of improvement in symptoms of depression. Primary data are more authentic and provide more than a surface understanding: eg participants may have taken time off work for reasons not related to their depression. x The content of the data is more likely to match the researcher’s needs and objectives because questions, assessment tools, etc. can be specifically tailored: eg an interview may produce more valid data than a list of absences.

Answer 32

Any (unintentional) influence of the researcher’s behaviour/characteristics on participants/data/outcome prevent this by:  provide a standardised script for the interviewers to use so that they all asked the same questions in the same way to avoid any bias in the students’ responses  the interviewers could have been trained to greet the students in the same way and ask questions with a neutral tone  ensure all interviewers were female or all interviewers were male  ensure that the students were interviewed by someone of the same gender as themselves.

Answer 33

Test-retest reliability  content analysis repeated on a second occasion using the same interview data  compare the results of the two separate analysis (number of occurrences of each)  researchers could calculate the correlation between the two ratings  researchers generally accept 0.8 correlation between the test and the re-test . Inter-rater reliability -  use a second person to work with the original researcher  they could read the interviews (separately) and devise a set of categories (and agree operational definitions)  they could tally the occurrences of each of the categories of the interviews (separately)  they could compare their tally charts looking for agreement  researchers could calculate the correlation between the two ratings  researchers generally accept 0.8 correlation between the test and the re-test.

Answer 34

high concurrent validity is where there is close agreement between the data produced by the new test compared to the established test. Close agreement is indicated if the correlation between the two sets of data produced by the two tests exceeds +0.8.

Answer 35

aim = general statement of what the researcher intends to study hypothesis = clear precise testable statement that states the relationship between variables investigated

Answer 36

use of chance methods to control for the effects of bias when designing materials and deciding order of experimental conditions

Answer 37

using the exact same formalized procedure and instructions for all ppts in a study

Answer 38

population = group of people who are the focus of the researchers interest sample taken from population sample = group of people who take part in an investigation and are representative of popualtion

psych research methods Flashcards

(64 cards)