Research Methods

Question 1

What’s a lab experiment

Answer 1

Controlled environment

IV is manipulated in order to measure the effects of the DV.

Standardised instructions

Question 2

Strength of lab exp

Answer 2

High level of control

Extraneous variables minimised

Can easily be replicated

Question 3

Weakness of lab exp

Answer 3

Artificial environment, lacks mundane realism as it doesn’t represent everyday life

Low ecological validity

Aware of being studied so may behave unnaturally

Question 4

What’s a field experiment

Answer 4

Natural environment
(Out of the lab)

Question 5

Strength of field exp

Answer 5

High ecological validity

Avoids demand characteristics

No researcher bias- not aware of being studied

Question 6

Weakness of field exp

Answer 6

Less control over extraneous variables

More time consuming

Ethical issues

Question 7

What’s a quasi experiment

Answer 7

The iv is naturally occurring

Not a natural experiment

Question 8

Strength of a quasi exp

Answer 8

More ethical- iv isn’t manipulated

Enables psychologists to study ‘real problems’

Question 9

Weakness of quasi exp

Answer 9

Less control

Unethical as participants may not be aware of being studied

Question 10

What does it mean when you operationalise variables

Answer 10

HOW the iv is manipulated and dependent variable is being measured,

Question 11

What’s a one tailed hypothesis

Question 12

What’s a two tailed hypothesis

Question 13

What’s a null hypothesis

Question 14

What is independent measures design

Answer 14

Participants only take part in one condition
Different group of participants in each condition

Question 15

Strength of independent measures

Answer 15

No order effect

More time and cost efficient

Question 16

Weakness of independent measure

Answer 16

Low levels of control over individual differences

More participants required

Question 17

What’s repeated measures design

Answer 17

Everyone takes part in all conditions

Question 18

Strength of repeated measures

Answer 18

You can control individual differences

Less participants needed

Question 19

Weakness of repeated measures

Answer 19

Unable to use the same task

Order effects present as they experienced both conditions

Question 20

What is matched pairs design

Answer 20

Participant are matched in pairs based on characteristics in each condition

Question 21

Strength of matched pairs

Answer 21

High control over individual differences

Can use the same task

Question 22

Weakness of matched pairs

Answer 22

Time consuming

Can be subjective

Waste of finding

Questions validity

Question 23

What is an observation

Answer 23

Watching an recording some aspect of a persons behaviour

Question 24

Advantages of observations

Answer 24

High ecological validity. Helps us identify actual behaviours , rather than what people say they do

Allow spontaneous and unexpected behaviour can be captured

Question 25

Weakness of observations

Answer 25

Observe bias may lead to unreliable data as they may see what they expect to see

Ethical- participants don’t know they’re observed- invasion of privacy, deception

Don’t tell us anything about how people think or feel, only how they outwardly behave

Question 26

What’s a covert observation

Answer 26

Also know was undisclosed observations
Participants not aware of being observed
One way mirrors are used to prevent participant being aware of observation (can raise ethical issues)

Question 27

What’s an overt observation

Answer 27

Also know as disclosed observations.
Participants know that they are being observed which may alter their behaviour

Question 28

What’s a structured or unstructured observation

Answer 28

Structured: rely on the use of coding schemes in order to record behaviour. Generally provide quantitative data.

Unstructured: involve merely recording behaviour that can be seen and can involve the use of a video camera in order to gain qualitative data.

Question 29

What a controlled or naturalistic experiment

Answer 29

Natural= in a natural environment where everything has been left as it is normally.

Controlled= some variable are controlled by the researcher, possibly in a lab. Reduces the naturalness of behaviour being studied

Question 30

What’s a participant observation

Answer 30

Observer is also a participant in the activity being observed. This may be with or without the participants knowledge.

Question 31

What does the self report method contain

Answer 31

Questionnaires- asking people to write about themselves

Interviews- asking people to talk about themselves

Question 32

Are questionnaires structured or semi structured?

Answer 32

Questionnaires are ALWAYS structured and do no change

Question 33

What are structured interviews

Answer 33

Researcher used a list of pre set questions and participants choose their response from a list of fixed responses

Question 34

What’s a semi structured interview

Answer 34

A researcher uses a list of pre set questions but the participants responses are not fixed as they can express their own views.
Participants may add some more questions if it is needed.

Question 35

What’s an open ended questionnaire

Answer 35

Researcher does NOT use pre set questions. Instead asking participants to comment on a particular topic in their own words, thereby allowing them to express their views freely

Question 36

What are open ended questions

Answer 36

Invites people to describe what they think or feel about a particular topic in their own words

+ Rich in quantitative data. Provides an explanation as to WHY participants behave a certain way

• Hard to analyse. Can be misinterpreted.
• low validity if data given by participant has not been analysed correctly.

Question 37

What’s a closed question

Answer 37

Forces people to choose from a list of possible answers, usually by ticking a box. May include “yes/no” or “agree/disagree/don’t know”

+ Quantitative data.

+ Easy to analyse

• lacks in depth descriptions. Can’t see people’s full views

Low validity

Question 38

Strengths and weaknesses of questionnaires

Answer 38

+ time efficient

• low response rate
• social desirability- participants answer to make themselves look better
• ethics- participant need to be mindful not to cause psychological harm by invading privacy causing them embarrassment or potentially lowering their self esteem

+ allows researcher to find out things that cannot easily be discovered by experiments or observations. More valid as we are measuring views and opinions first hand