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A-level Psychology > Research Methods > Flashcards

Research Methods Flashcards

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1
Q

What does validity mean?

A

The extent to which an observed effect measures what it claims to be measuring

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2
Q

What does reliability mean?

A

The extent to which findings from research or a measure is consistent within itself and over time

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3
Q

What is an independent variable?

A

The variable that manipulated by the experimenter

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4
Q

What is a dependent variable?

A

The variable that is measured by the experimenter

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5
Q

What is operationalisation?

A

Being specific about how you will manipulate your independent variable and measure your dependent variable

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6
Q

What is a one tailed hypothesis?

A

It is directional/the direction of the results is predicted

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7
Q

What is a two tailed hypothesis?

A

It is non directional/a change or difference is predicted but a direction is not specific

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8
Q

What does population mean?

A

A large group of people you are studying

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9
Q

What does target population mean?

A

A specific group of people which you are studying

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10
Q

What is a sample?

A

Smaller group of people within a target population

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11
Q

What are the 5 different types of sampling?

A
  • Random
  • Opportunity
  • Stratified
  • Volunteer
  • Systematic
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12
Q

What is random sampling?

A

When everyone in a population has a equal chance of being selected
Eg, Putting all names into a hat and pulling them out at random
Strengths - no bias
Weaknesses - might not be representitive,time consuming

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13
Q

What is opportunity sampling?

A

Asking whoever is there at the time of the experiment
Strengths - straightforward
Weaknesses - could be biased

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14
Q

What is Volunteer sampling?

A

People put themselves forward to participate in research
Strengths - easy to carry out
Weaknesses - type of people who volunteers for sample

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15
Q

What is systematic sampling?

A

When every nth member of the target population is selected
Strengths - avoids bias

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16
Q

What is stratified sampling?

A

When the composition of the sample reflects the composition of the target population.
Strengths - avoids bias
Weaknesses - most work

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17
Q

What is repeated measures group design?

A

When the same group of participants complete in condition A and B
Strengths - not affected by individual differences
Weaknesses - might experiences order effect and might take long to carry out

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18
Q

What is independent group design?

A

When 2 seperate groups complete in condition A and condition B
Strengths - no order effects / could be faster
Weaknesses - could be effected by individual differences

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19
Q

What is matched pair design?

A

When 2 seperate groups that are matched into pairs for certain qualities.One person from each pair competes in condition A and other competes in condition B

Strengths - fast to carry out/less likley to be affected by individual differences
Weaknesses - takes a while to organise

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20
Q

What is order effects?

A

They occur in repeated group designs where all participants take place in all experimental conditions
- practices might occur after they have done the first condtion as they are able to practice

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21
Q

What are the three different types of experiments?

A
  • Lab
  • Field
  • Natural
  • quasi
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22
Q

What is a lab experiment?

A

An experiment conducted in a tightly controlled environment where the IV is manipulated and the researcher observes the effect of this on the DV

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23
Q

What is a field experiment?

A

An experiment carried out in a natural environment. The IV is still manipulated but it is done in an environment which is typical to the behaviour being studied

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24
Q

What is a natural experiment?

A

An experiment carried out in a natural environment and the IV is not directly manipulated. Instead the IV is naturally occuring

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25
What are extraneous variables?
All variables which are not independent but could effect your experiment
26
What are confounding variables?
A variable that manipulates both the IV and the DV
27
What are demand characteristics?
Where the participant changes their behavior to fit the experiment
28
What is generalisability?
The extent to which the findings of a study can be applicable to other settings
29
What is internal validity?
The extent to which a piece of evidence supports a claim about cause and effect
30
What is external validity?
Validity of applying the conclusion of a scientific study outside the context of the study
31
What are the main ethical issues when designing a study?
- Informed consent - Deception - Protection from harm - Privacy and confidentiality - Right to withdraw
32
What is a pilot study?
A small scale 'trial run' of the investigation which takes place before the real one is condcuted
33
What is the aim of a pilot study?
The aim is to check the procedure,materials etc.This is to allow the researcher to iron out any potential problems and make any modification that may be nessacary.
34
What are single blind procedures?
When the aim of the research is with held from the participant to reduce characteristics
35
What are double blind procedures?
When netheir the participant nor the researcher is aware of the aim to prevent bias from both sides.
36
What are observations?
Studies which involve watching and recording peoples behaviour.
37
What are the 6 types of observations?
- Naturalistic - Controlled - Convert - Overt - Participant - Non participant
38
What is a naturalistic observation?
An observation that can take place in a natural situation
39
What is a controlled observation?
An observation that can take place where some variables are controlled and manipulated by the experimenter.
40
What are covert observations?
An observation that is kept secret from the participants.The observer is undercover
41
What are overt observations?
An observation that is open and participants know they are being observed and why.
42
What are participant observations?
When the observer acts as part of the experiment group
43
What are non participant observations?
When the experimenter doesnt become part of the group observed
44
What is a unstructured observation?
When the researcher records everything that they see.It is much more detailed but harder to analyse.
45
What is a structured observation?
It needs clear data categories that can be operationalised.It is a lot more useful in a busy situation
46
What is event sampling?
Number of times behaviour occurs in a individual
47
What is time sampling?
Number of times behaviour is done in set time frame
48
What is quantitive data?
numbers
49
What is qualitive data?
words
50
What are self reports?
studies involving asking participants questions
51
What is a questionaire?
A self reporting technique where a set of pre determind written questions are used to collect data
52
What are open questions?
Type of questions that allow people to elaborate on their answers
53
What are closed questions?
Type of questions which force participants to chose an option
54
What is a correlation?
When there is a association between two variables
55
What are the features of science?
- paradigm and paradigm shift - replicability - falsifiability - objectivity and empirical method - theory reconstruction and hypothesis testing
56
What is included in a scientific report?
- Abstract - introduction - method - results - discussion - referencing
57
What is a type I error?
Too lenient - false positive - rejected the null hypothesis when you should have accepted it.
58
What is a type II error?
Too strict - false negative - accepted the null hypothesis when you should have rejected it.
59
What is nominal data?
categories
60
What is ordinal data?
rank, median, range
61
What is interval data?
accepted measures (time, HR)
62
What is temporal validity?
whether the findings remain true over time
63
What is ecological validity?
whether findings can be generalised from one setting to another
64
How do you test for validity?
- Face validity - does the test look like it measures what its supposed to? - Concurrent validity - are findings similar to those on well-established tests
65
How can you improve validity?
- use a control group and standardisation - make sure good categories are being used
66
How do you remember the stats table?
Carrots Should Come Mashed With Swede Under Roast Potatoes NOIR
67
How can you test for reliability?
- Test-retest (test the same person more than once on different occasions to see if you get similar results - takes time) - Inter-observer reliability - compares observations from different observers) - both measure using a correlation - has to be higher than +0.8 to be reliable
68
How can you improve reliability?
- Rewrite questions in a questionnaire - improve training of interviewers - operationalisation of behaviour categories - standardised procedures

A-level Psychology (7 decks)

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