RESEARCH MATHODS (YEAR 2)

Question 1

When is sign test used

Answer 1

• We are looking for a difference not an association
• We need to use a repeated measures design
• We need data that is organised into categories-nominal data

Question 2

What is critical value

Answer 2

• Significance level desired
• The number of participants (the N value)
• You need to identify whether you are using a one-tailed or two-tailed test and the significance level you desire before you can use the critical table effectively.

Question 3

Statistical testing MUST LEARN

Answer 3

U better have learnt it (steps on Showbie rsm)

Question 4

Significance and probability facts

Answer 4

• All statistical tests employ a significance level.
• You can reject the null hypothesis and claim you have found a significant difference/
correlation
• However: there is a 5% probability that the observed effect occurred by chance

Question 5

Critical value and calculated value facts

Answer 5

• Your results or calculated value needs to be compared to the critical value
• Each test has its own critical value table
• Sometimes the critical value is equal to/ greater than. Sometimes is equal to/ less than

Question 6

What is type I error

Answer 6

Type I: is when the null hypothesis is rejected and the alternative hypothesis is accepted, but it should be the other way around; In reality the null hypothesis is true

This is referred to as an optimistic error or false positive as the researcher claims to find significance that does not exist.

Question 7

What is type II error

Answer 7

Type II: when the null hypothesis is accepted, but the alternative hypothesis should have been. Pessimistic error or false negative

Question 8

Reliability meaning

Answer 8

is the overall consistency of a measure.

Question 9

External reliability meaning

Answer 9

refers to the ability of the test to produce the same results each time it is carried out.

Question 10

Test - retest meaning

Answer 10

A person repeats a test a month or so after doing the test the first time.

Question 11

Internal reliability meaning

Answer 11

is the extent to which a test is consistent within itself.

Question 12

Split half meaning

Answer 12

Compare an individual’s performance on two halves of a test.

Question 13

Inter rater reliability meaning

Answer 13

Two or more interviewers/observers must get the same outcome on 80% or more of the behaviours.

Question 14

The role of peer review in science

Answer 14

This involves all aspects of the psychological research being scrutinised by a small group of two or three experts in a particular field
Peers should be objective and unknown to the researcher(s)

Question 15

Main aims of peer review

Answer 15

To allocate research funding

To validate the quality and relevance of research

The suggest amendments or improvements

Government run funding organisations- medical research council

Quality and accuracy – the formulation of the hypotheses, methodology chosen, statistical tests

Minor revisions and improvements- work is not appropriate and should be withdrawn

Question 16

Anonymity what happens

Answer 16

The peer should remain anonymous to maintain an honest appraisal
- A minority of reviewers may use their anonymity to criticise rival researcher who have crossed them in the past
Direct competition for grants/ funding
Some journals make the names of the reviewers’ public

Question 17

Publication bias

Answer 17

There is a tendency for editors to publish significant ‘headline grabbing’ findings to increase credibility and circulation of their publication
• Could create a false impression of the current state of psychology if editors are selective in what they publish
• File drawer problem- especially in meta-analysis were non-significant or negative results are not published

Question 18

Burying ground breaking research

Answer 18

Reviewers are especially critical of research that contradicts their own and are favourable to those that match theirs.

• Reviewers tend to be established scientists and are more likely to publish research that ‘fits’ with current opinions rather than new and innovative research that challenges

Question 19

Implications for the economy

Answer 19

How does it influence, benefit, or devalue economic prosperity?

Attachment research: multiple attachments in particular the father

-Both parents are equally capable of providing the necessary emotional support for development.
- Can lead to flexible working arrangements within families

Question 20

Development of great means for mental illness

Answer 20

Absences at work cost the economy an estimated £15 billion per year
A third caused by depression, anxiety and stress (The Telegraph, 2014)
CBT/ SSRIs and antianxiety drugs have allowed people with mild mental health disorders to return to work and access medical treatment.

Question 21

Sleep behaviour and Shift workers

Answer 21

Czeisler et al. (1982) studied workers at a factory whose shift patterns appeared to cause sleep and health problems.
Recommended rotating shifts every 21 days and changing shifts forward in time
Previously employees had worked during the night for a week, late afternoons for the second week and mornings for the third week and returning to the night work
The changes indicated increased productivity and job satisfaction

Question 22

What is the title

Answer 22

The title should say what the study’s about and include the independent and dependent
variable.
For example: ‘An Investigation into the Effect of Happiness on Sport Activities’

Question 23

What is abstract (psychology wise)

Answer 23

This is a concise summary of the report- no more than 200 words that tells the researcher about the study. It should include a brief summary of the aims, hypotheses, method and results. Conclusions and limitations can also be included

Question 24

Introduction meaning psychology wise

Answer 24

This is normally a literature review of the general area of investigation. It should begin broadly and then become more specific until the aims and hypotheses are presented. If your research is very new, you may struggle to find existing research that fits into your introduction.

Question 25

What is design

Answer 25

the research method (field, interview etc), the design (e.g. repeated), how extraneous variables were controlled (e.g. random), how materials were chosen (e.g. word lists) and how ethical issues were dealt with

Question 26

What is a sample

Answer 26

this is information about your participants: number of participants, ages, genders, biographical and demographic information, how participants were allocated to conditions

Question 27

What is a procedure

Answer 27

a recipe style list of everything that happened. It should start with how researcher and investigation was introduced to the participants/ how informed consent was obtained.

Question 28

What are results

Answer 28

Descriptive statistics such as tables, graphs, charts and measures of central tendency and dispersion

Question 29

Why is inferential statistics

Answer 29

choice of test, calculated and critical values and levels of significance.
Whether the hypotheses were accepted or rejected
Raw data to be presented in the appendix

Question 30

If qualitative methods are used …

Answer 30

results could be presented as analysis of themes in tables/ categories or direct quotations

Question 31

Meaning of implication of the study

Answer 31

does it relate to real-life?

Question 32

Limitation and modifications RSM

Answer 32

anything that went wrong needs to be addressed and how you would correct them next time

Question 33

What is the relationship to previous research

Answer 33

this should echo your introduction. Data should be compared to previous research

Question 34

Mann whitney

Answer 34

• Test of difference
• Independent groups
• Ordinal data – scores

Question 35

Wilcoxon

Answer 35

• A test of difference
• Ordinal data
• Repeated measures

Question 36

Spearman Rho

Answer 36

• Looking for a relationship or association
• Uses ordinal data- one co-variable can be interval (only one)

Question 37

Pearsons r

Answer 37

• Looking for a relationship or association between two co-variables
• Uses interval or ratio data that is normally distributed
• A parametric test: this means it is robust!

Question 38

Related t tests

Answer 38

• Repeated or matched pairs design
• Uses interval data
• Parametric test looking for a difference

Question 39

Unrelated t tests

Answer 39

• Independent groups design
• Uses interval data
• Parametric test looking for a difference

Question 40

Chi squared test

Answer 40

• Test of difference or association
• The data is nominal and recorded as a frequency
• Independent groups design- unrelated
• Data is presented in a contingency table

Question 41

Paradigm and paradigm shift

Answer 41

• Kuhn (1962) stated that the way to distinguish between scientific and non-scientific disciplines is to the shared set of assumptions and methods
- Social sciences lack a universally accepted paradigm and should be seen as ‘pre-science’
- Progress within an established science occurs when there is a scientific revolution.
- A paradigm shift occurs when there is contradictory evidence to a theory

Question 42

They construct and hypothesis testing

Answer 42

• What is a theory?
- A set of general laws or principles that have the ability to explain particular events or
behaviours
- Theory construction occurs through gathering evidence via direct observations (the empirical method)

• What is a hypothesis?
- Prediction based on theory
- Scientifically tested

Question 43

What is falsifiability

Answer 43

• Popper (1934) ‘genuine scientific theories should hold themselves up for hypothesis testing and the possibility of being proven false’
• Even ‘proven’ research is not true, it has just not yet been proven false!
• ‘this supports’ or ‘this seems to support’ and the null hypothesis

Question 44

Replicability

Answer 44

• An element of Popper’s hypothetico-deductive method

• Trusted findings should be repeatable across a number of contexts and circumstances
• Validity and reliability

Question 45

Objectivity and the empirical method

Answer 45

• ‘critical distance’
• Controlled laboratory studies
• Experience- knowledge is determined only by experience and sensory perception (Locke)