Research Methods

Question 1

Define experimental method.

Answer 1

The experimental method concerns the manipulation of an independent variable (IV) to have an effect on the dependent variable (DV) which is measured and stated in results.

Question 2

What is the difference between a directional and non-directional hypothesis?

Answer 2

A directional hypothesis states the direction of the impact of independent variable (IV) on the dependent variable (DV) whereas non-directional does not state the direction of the relationship between the IV and the DV.

Question 3

Identify five types of sampling methods.

Answer 3

• Opportunity sampling.
• Random sampling.
• Systematic sampling.
• Stratified sampling.
• Volunteer sampling.

Question 4

Outline how you would take a stratified sample.

Answer 4

1. Identify the strata.
2. Calculate the required proportion for each stratum based on the size of the target population.
3. Select the sample at random from each stratum.
4. To do this, you can use a random selection method e.g. using a computer.

Question 5

Explain one advantage of using a stratified sample.

Answer 5

The sample is able to be more representative of the target population compared to other types of sampling.

Question 6

Explain what is meant by operationalisation.

Answer 6

Operationalisation is the process by which a researcher defines how a concept is measured, observed, or manipulated within a particular study. For example, social anxiety can be operationally defined in terms of self-rating scores, behavioral avoidance of crowded places, or physical anxiety symptoms in social situations.

Question 7

What is the difference between the independent variable and the dependent variable?

Answer 7

IV is the variable that is manipulated to observe its effect on the DV whereas the DV is the variable that is being measured and is affected by the IV.

Question 8

What is a solution to the problem of order effects caused by a repeated measures design?

Answer 8

A solution would be counterbalancing. This is when half of the participants are made to do conditions in one order and the other half in the opposite order.
This eliminates order effects.

Question 9

Explain the difference between the aim and the hypothesis.

Answer 9

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Explain the difference between the aim and the hypothesis.
The aim of the study tells us what the study is investigating whereas the hypothesis is a statement that predicts the relationship between the IV and the DV.

Question 10

Identify the four types of experiments.

Answer 10

• Laboratory
• Field
• Quasi
• Natural

Question 11

Describe the purpose of carrying out a peer review.

Answer 11

The main purposes of carrying out a peer review are:
• To allocate research funding to projects that is worthwhile.
• To make sure the research is of good quality and is relevant.
• To be able to suggest improvements so that faulty or incorrect data is not released to the public.

Question 12

Define the two types of skewed distributions.

Answer 12

• Positive skew - when plotted on a graph, the data has a long tail on the right.
• Negative skew - when plotted on a graph, the data has a long tail on the left.

Question 13

Give two strengths of conducting a content analysis.

Answer 13

• It has high mundane realism and external validity as what is being studied is already out there in the real world.
• Produces a large data set of both qualitative and quantitative data that is easy to analyse.

Question 14

Give two limitations of a content analysis.

Answer 14

• Causality cannot be established as it merely describes the data
• As it only describes the data it cannot extract any deeper meaning or explanation for the data patterns arising.

Question 15

Give three limitations of conducting a case study.

Answer 15

• As it only concerns one person it is not really generalisable to wider populations.
• Retrospective studies may rely on memory which can be unreliable.
• They are time consuming.

Question 16

Define reliability.

Answer 16

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Define reliability.
It is a measure of consistency, for example if a particular measurement is replicable then that measurement is described as being reliable.

Question 17

Explain two ways of assessing the validity of research.

Answer 17

Face validity: A measure is scrutinised to determine whether it appears to measure what it is supposed to.
• Concurrent validity: Checking the extent to which a psychological measure relates to an existing and well-established similar one.
• For example, if you are measuring depression using a new scale, you would want to have a portion of your participants also use an established depression measure or scale, e.g. the Beck Depression Inventory. If there is a strong positive correlation between scores on your scale and scores on the established scale, there is good concurrent validity.
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Question 18

What are the three factors that help you decide which inferential statistical test to use?

Answer 18

• The level of data that was collected.
• Whether the design of the study is related or unrelated
• Whether a difference or correlation is being measured

Question 19

Identify the three levels of measurement.

Answer 19

• Nominal data.
• Interval data.
• Ordinal data.

Question 20

Describe nominal data and give an example.

Answer 20

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Describe nominal data and give an example.
Data that describes characteristics or groups, for example ethnicity, car brand, place of birth. There’s no ranking or natural order.

Question 21

Describe ordinal data and give an example.

Answer 21

Data that, like nominal data, describes characteristics or groups, for example political orientation or income level. Unlike nominal data, it can be ordered or ranked, e.g. left-of-centre -> centre -> right-of-centre, or low income, middle income and high income.

Question 22

Describe ordinal data and give an example.

Answer 22

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Describe order data and give an example.
Data that, like nominal data, describes characteristics or groups, for example political orientation or income level. Unlike nominal data, it can be ordered or ranked, e.g. left-of-centre -> centre -> right-of-centre, or low income, middle income and high income.

Question 23

Describe interval data and give an example.

Answer 23

Based on numerical scales - units of equal defined size
- for example, the temperature can be OC but that doesn’t mean there’s no temperature or heat.

Question 24

Describe the difference between a single-blind procedure and a double-blind procedure.

Answer 24

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Describe the difference between a single-blind procedure and a double-blind procedure.
In a double-blind procedure, neither the researcher nor the participant are aware of the aims, procedures and conditions of the study. In a single-blind procedure it’s only the participant who isn’t aware of them - the researcher is.

Question 25

Describe the difference between unstructured and structured observation.

Answer 25

An unstructured observation consists of continuous recording where everything the researcher sees is written down, whereas structured observation has a predetermined list of behaviours and sampling methods with which the researcher quantifies their observation with (e.g., notes the number of times a participant crosses their arms).

Question 26

Describe how correlations differ from experiments.

Answer 26

Firstly, with correlations variables are simply measured not manipulated. Secondly there is no DV or IV involved which means there is no cause and effect relationship found, only an association is found.

Question 27

Identify three measures of central tendency.

Answer 27

• Mode.
• Median.
• Mean.

Question 28

Describe the difference between primary and secondary data.

Answer 28

Primary data is obtained firsthand by the researcher whereas secondary data has already been collected by someone else other than the researcher.

Question 29

Outline three things a researcher should think about when constructing a questionnaire.

Answer 29

• Clarity - the researcher should make sure it is clear what each of the questions are asking:
• Analysis - the questionnaire should be written in a way that can be easily analysed.
• Sequencing questions- the researcher should think about the order of questions, maybe easy ones first then harder ones last to build up the confidence of the participants.

Question 30

Give two strengths of conducting an unstructured interview.

Answer 30

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  Give two strengths of conducting an unstructured interview.
  • Lots of data is collected which has more depth and detail.
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  • It can be tailored to individuals giving more insight into the subjective experience of the person being interviewed.

Question 31

Identify various types of observation.

Answer 31

• Naturalistic.
• Controlled.
• Overt.
• Covert.
• Participant.
• Non-participant.

Question 32

What are the different ethical issues that research may present?

Answer 32

• Informed consent.
• Deception.
• Protection from harm.
• Privacy and confidentiality.