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Research Methods Flashcards

(103 cards)

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1
Q

What are the 4 types of experimental methods

A

Laboratory
Field
Natural
Quasi

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2
Q

Give a brief explanation of the laboratory experimental method

A

Carried out in extremely controlled environments, where conditions are highly controlled.

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3
Q

What is a pro of the lab experimental method

A

High control over extraneous and confounding variables. IV and DV are strongly controlled. High internal validity and therefore reliability

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4
Q

What is a con of the lab experimental method

A

Low ecological validity as everything is extremely controlled. Low generalisability. Demand characteristics.

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5
Q

Give a brief explanation of the field experimental method

A

IV is naturally manipulated, done in a public setting where there are unwilling volunteers

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6
Q

Give a pro of the field experimental method

A

High ecological validity as none of the variables are maniupalted to the experimenter’s liking

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7
Q

Give a con of the field experimental method

A

Low reliabilty, as variables aren’t controlled and extraneous variables are more likely to pop up. Also questionable ethics

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8
Q

Give an explanation of the natural experimental method

A

The IV changes without the experimenter’s intervention, researcher just records the effects on the DV. No random allocation. Often takes advamntage of real world events, such as romanian orphans

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9
Q

Give a pro of natural experimental method

A

High validity, allows for more unethical studies to take place as the event has already hapenned

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10
Q

Give a con of natural experimental method

A

Naturally occuring event may not happen often

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11
Q

Give a brief explentaion of quasi experimetnal method

A

IV already exists cannot be manipulated - e.g. gender.

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12
Q

Give a pro of quasi experimental method

A

Take place in lab so can have high validity

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13
Q

Give a con of quasi experimental method

A

No control over environment and therefore extraneous variables

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14
Q

What are extraneous variables

A

A variable which is not being measured or manipulated which can affect the study, e.g. temperature of the room when testing concentration may affect it, but also may not be intended to

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15
Q

Click to see a table that summarises experimental methods

A

Comparison of Experimental Methods

ECOLOGICAL VALIDITY
EXTRANEOUS VARIABLES
REPLICABILITY
LABORATORY
Low
Controlled
High
FIELD
High
Not controlled
Low
NATURAL
High
Not controlled
Low
QUASI
Low/High
Controlled/Not controlled
High/Low

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16
Q

What are the 4 parts of Observational Techniques

A

Covert (overt)
Participant (Non-participant)
Naturalistic (Controlled)
Structured (Unstructures)

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17
Q

Explain Covert observations

A

Known as ‘undisclosed’, where the participants are unaware they are being observed. They may be informed they have been studied after the experiment

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18
Q

Give a pro of covert observations

A

No investigator effects as participant unaware they are being studied. For example, often particpants will attempt to guess the aim of the study, in covert observations they can’t do this.

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19
Q

Give a con of covert observations

A

Ethical issues as participant hasn’t consented to be studied.

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20
Q

Explain an Overt Observation

A

‘Open’, participants are aware they are being studied

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21
Q

Give a pro of overt observations

A

More ethical than the covert method

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22
Q

Give a con of overt observations

A

Investigator effects are likely to occur, an example is a particpant might give bias towards a side of the experiment they want to be seen as, e.g. seeing if people will give a homeless person some money

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23
Q

Explain participant observations

A

When the experimenter also takes part in the study. Can be covert or overt.

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24
Q

Give a pro of particpant observation.

A

Researcher can obtain in-depth data as they are in close proximity the the particpants

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25
Give a con of particpant observation
Presence of the investigator can cause investagator effects, influencing the other participant's behaviour
26
Explain non-particpant observation
When the person who is conducting the experiment doesn't take part in the experiment
27
Give a pro of non-particpant observation
Investigator effects less likely to occur due to the lack of presence of an investiagot
28
Give a con of non-participant observation
Because of a lack of proximity to the particpants, the result of the experiment may be less reliable.
29
Explain naturlistic observations
An observation carried out in an unaltered, unmanipulated setting where the observer does not intefere.
30
Give a pro of naturlistic observations
High ecological validity as there is little to no control over extraneous variables
31
Give a con of naturalistic observations
Issues with reliablity, as the little control over variables means extraneous variables can affect the outcome of the experiment
32
Give an explanation of controlled observations
Take place under strict conditions, in a laboratory setting where extraneous variables can be controlled to prevent interference with the results
33
Give a pro of controlled observations
High reliabilty as extraneous variables are controlled
34
Give a con of controlled observatiosn
Low ecological validity as extraneous variables aren't controlled, which isn't always accurate to real life
35
Give an explanations of structured observations
In structured observations, the researcher uses coded ‘schedules’ according to a previously agreed formula to document the behaviour and organise data into behavioural categories. A behavioural category is when psychologists must decide which specific behaviours should be examined, e.g. when particpants look away from test they are taking
36
Give a pro of structured observations
Easier to compare behaviours between groups
37
Give a con of structured observations
Investigator may miss behaviours that aren't part of the behavioural categories chosen
38
Explain unstructured observation
When the experimenter documents anything they deem to be useful or important, or recording every instance of behaviour
39
Give a pro of unstructured observation
As data is recorded in great detail, the results are often reliable and contain a lot of useful information
40
Give a con of unstructured observation
Prone to observer bias due to the lack of categories.
41
What are the two main types of self-report techniques
Questionnares, Interviews
42
Give a brief description of questionnares
Where particpants give opinion on pre-determined questions that can be open or closed
43
Give a brief description of Open Question Questionnaires and a pro and con
Particpants may answer how they wish to a question Pro - provides detialed data Con - particpantss may incorrectly answer a question or answer in a biased way
44
Give a brief description of Closed Question Questionnaires and a pro and con
Participant can only answer pre-determined answers (e.g a checklist). Quantative data Pro - Easy to display and collect data Con - Limitation when it comes to data provided
45
Give a brief description of interviews
Three types, unstructured and structured, semi-structured. Face to face.
46
Give a brief description of structured interviews with a pro and con
Questions are chosen in advance and done with a schedule. Pro - Qunatative data so easier to graph Con - Investigator effects may play a role
47
Give a brief description of unstrcutrued interviews with a pro and con
More like a conversation with no pre-determine dquestion. Pro - produces rich qualatative data Con - More time consuming and costly
48
Give a brief description of semi-structured interviews with a pro and con
Mainly consist of pre-determined questions but the interviewer may ask more if they feel they should Pro - Increases validity Con - Analysis of data is hard as qualatiative data produced
49
What are the 3 types of correlation techniques (+ give a description of each)
Positive - As one variable increases so does the other Negative - As one variable decreases so does the other No correlation - No relationship between two variables
50
Give a definition of the IV
Independenet Variable, the variable that the researcher manipulates and has a direct effect on the dependent variable
51
Give a defintion of the DV
Dependent variable, the variables that the research measures. The variable that is affected by changes in the independent variable
52
What are the two types of hypotheses
Directional and non-directional
53
Give an explanation of a directional hypotheses
A hypotheses that attempts to predict the outcome of an experiment (sometimes called one-tailed).
54
Give an explanation of a non-directional hypotheses
A hypotheses that doesn't guess the outcome of an experiment (sometimes called a two-tailed hypotheses).
55
What are the five types of sampling
Random, Systematic, Stratified, Oppurtunity, Volunteer
56
Give an explanation of random sampling
Every member of the public has an equal chance of being selected
57
Give a pro and con of random sampling
Pro - Free from researcher bias Con - Difficult and time-consuming
58
Give an explanation of Systematic sampling
A pre-determined system is used to determine who will be choses (e.g. every 5th person)
59
Give a pro and con of systematic sampling
Pro - No researcher bias Con - Not reprsentative of the wider community
60
Give an explanation of Stratified sampling
Subgroups are identified within a populations. participants are obtained from each stratum in proportion with their occurence in the populations (e.g. if a class had 18 male and 2 females and reseracher wanted 10 particpants, 9 boys and 1 female would be selected)
61
Give a pro and a con of stratified sampling
Pro - More representative, therefore generalisable Con - Diffucult and time consuming
62
Give a brief explanation of opportunity sampling
This consists of selecting anyone who is available or willing to take part in the study at that time
63
Give a pro and con of opportunity sampling
Pro - easy and convenient Con - There is an issue of bias as people will be selected from a specific area
64
Give a brief explanation of Volunteer sampling
Consists of participants self-selecting to take part in a study, either via a survey or advert or stuff like that
65
Give a pro and con of Volunteer sampling
Pro - Quicker and easier Con - Bias as not everyone will be able to sign up to it
66
What is a pilot study
A pilot study is a smaller, less expensive version of a study done to test an experiment before carrying out the full one. This checks for problems and also tests the hypotheses slightly
67
What are the three types of experimental design
Repeated measures, Independent Groups, Matched pairs
68
Give an explanation of the repeated measures experimental design
This is where participants take place in each condition of the experiment.
69
Give a pro and con of the repeated measures experimental design
Pro - fewer participants needed, also data can be compared more reliably Con - Order effects may occur, often in the form of fatigue or boredom.
70
Give an explanation of the independent groups experimental design
Where each participant only takes part in one condition by random allocation. This ensures there no researcher bias from picking participants for a condition,
71
Give a pro and con of the independent groups experimental design
Pro - Avoids order effects and demand characteristics Con - More participants needed, also participant variables likely to get in way (age, sex etc.)
72
Give an explanation of the matched pairs experimental design
Pairs of participants are matched from the sample in terms of key variables such as age or IQ. After they are matched, it is then treated like independent measures. One member will take part in one condition, and the other will take part in the other condition.
73
Give a pro and con of the matched pairs experimental design
Pro - reduces participant varibles and order effects Con - Individual differences may still affect the study, more participants required, time-consuming
74
What are the two types of extraneous variables
Situational Particpant
75
Explain situational variables
Variables connected with the research situation, e.g temperature, amount of light. Controlled through standardisation.
76
Explain participant variables
Variables connected with the research participants. For example age, intelligence, sex. They are controlled through the experimental desing
77
What are the 4 methods of removing extraneous variables
Random Allocation Counterbalancing Randomisation Standardisation
78
Explain random allocation
Randomly allocating participants to their groups, This will decrease the possibility that participant variables in the form of individual differences will affect the results
79
Explain Counterbalancing
To combat the problem of order effects with repeated measures design, researchers can counterbalance the order of the conditions. The sample is split in half with one half completing the conditions in reverse order, e.g. studying in a loud room before a quiet room
80
Explain randomisation
Where the trials are presented in a random order to avoid any bias that the order of the trials present.
81
Explain standardisation
When all the situtional variables are kept the same between trials so that we can be certain the IV is what is affecting the DV
82
What is a confounding variable
A variable which affects the outcome of the experiment
83
What are the two types of confounding variables
Demand characteristics, investigator effects
84
What are demand characteristics
When participants try to guess the aim of the research and display unnatural behaviour.
85
What are investigator effects
Where a researcher acts in a specific way to support their prediction.
86
What is a single-blind experiment
Only the researcher knows the true aim of the experiment, used to combat demand characteristics
87
What is a double-blind experiment
Neither the participants or researcher know the true aim of the experiment, only the person who originally designed it. Used to combat investigator effects
88
What are the Six points of the code of ethics
Deception Right to withdraw Informed Consent Privacy and Confidentiality Protection from harm
89
Give an overview of deception in terms of ethical guidelines
When information is deliberatly withheld from participants. This prevents participants from giving fully informed consent
90
How do we deal with deception in terms of ethics
At the end of the experiment, participants should be fully debriefed and told the the aim of the experiment. They should then be given the right to withdraw their data
91
Give an overview of the right to withdraw in terms of ethics
Particpants should be allowed to withdraw from their experiment whenever they ask. If they are not able to withdraw, they are at potential risk of being harmed
92
How do we deal with the right to withdraw if broken
At the end of the experiment, participants should be fully debriefed and told the the aim of the experiment. They should then be given the right to withdraw their data
93
Give an overview of informed consent in terms of ethics
When someone consents to particpate in research, they must be fully informed about the aims of the research. Lack of consent may put the particpant at harm
94
What are the four ways to deal with consent if it is broken
Presumptive Consent Prior General Consent Retrospective Consent Children as Participants
95
Explain presumptive Consent
Takes a random sample of the population and tells them about the research, including any deception used. If they agree to take part, the consent is generalised
96
Explain prior general consent
Prior general consent involves asking participants to give their permission to take part in a number of different studies, including one that will involve deception. By consenting, participants are effectively consenting to be deceived.
97
Explain retrospective Consent
After an experiment takes place, particpants can look back on the experiment and give consent to their data being used if they choose to
98
Explain how Consent is gained if children are used as particpants
Children under the age of 16 are unable to give consent, so it is up to the parents
99
Explain privacy in terms of ethics
Privacy is the right of individuals to decide how or if they want their data to be shared.
100
How to you deal with privacy in terms of ethics
Particpants should be give fully informed consent, and have the right to withdraw
101
Explain Confidentiality in terms of ethics
Where a participant's private information is protected.
102
What do you do if confidentiality is broken
Provide participants with a fake identity to assure their anonymity and protect their identity
103
Explain protection from harm in terms of ethics
Psychologists have the responsibilty to protect their participants from physical or mental harm. Participants shoudl leave in the same state as they entered.

Psychology (8 decks)

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