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psychology paper 2 > RESEARCH METHODS > Flashcards

RESEARCH METHODS Flashcards

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1
Q

what is falsifiability?

A

the logical possibility that an assertion, hypothesis or theory can be shown to be false by an observation or experiment

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2
Q

what is objectivity?

A

psychologists should aim to be objective in their work, this means not letting their personal biases affect the results of studies

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3
Q

what is replicability?

A

a study should produce the same results if repeated exactly, either by the same researcher or by another

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4
Q

what is empirical methods?

A

using observations/testing to gain knowledge

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5
Q

what is paradigm?

A

shared set of assumptions about a subject

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6
Q

what is paradigm shift?

A

progress until a scientific revolution occurs (too much contradictory)

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7
Q

what are the three main psychological research methods?

A

objective
controlled
checkable

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8
Q

what is the difference between deduction and induction?

A

deduction is a theory made before the experiment whereas induction is a theory made after the experiment

called the theory construction

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9
Q

what is the dependant variable?

A

the subject/ object that is being measured

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10
Q

what is the independent variable?

A

the subject/object that is being changed

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11
Q

what are extraneous variables?

A

they are anything other than the IV which might have an effect on the DV. these variables can be controlled by the experimenter

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12
Q

what are examples of extraneous variables?

A

age of participants, time limits for tasks, content of word lists

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13
Q

what are confounding variables?

A

these are variables that aren’t controlled for in an experiment

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14
Q

what are examples of confounding variables?

A

weather, mood of participants, personalities

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15
Q

what is operationalising variables?

A

defining variables in terms of how they can be measured so that another researcher could conduct the same experiment again

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16
Q

what are laboratory experiments?

A

experiments carried out in a controlled environment

participates know they are taking part but not the true aim

variables can be manipulated

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17
Q

what are good things about laboratory experiments ?

A

high internal validity - high control over variables so we can be more certain that any change in the DV is due to the IV

easy to replicate - high levels of control and standardised procedures so we can carry it out exactly the same way so we can compare results

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18
Q

what are bad things about laboratory experiments?

A

low ecological validity - participants may not behave naturally so results are not representative of real world settings

demand characteristics - when participants become aware of the investigation so may leas to them behaving in a different way therefore reducing validity

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19
Q

what is a field experiment?

A

conducted in a more natural environment
IV manipulated and DV is measured
participants are usually not aware that they are participating

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20
Q

what are good things about field experiments?

A

high ecological validity - results can be generalised beyond the research setting. due to real-life setting the participants will behave more naturally. there is a higher mundane realism

lack of demand characteristics - participants are not aware of the study so won’t behave differently as a result of this

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21
Q

what are bad things about field experiments?

A

low internal validity - experimenter has less control over the confounding and extraneous variables so cant be sure change in the DV is due to the IV

less easy to replicate - hard for results to be tested and compared due to lower levels of control

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22
Q

what are natural experiments?

A

conducted when it is not possible for ethical or practical reasons to deliberately manipulate an IV

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23
Q

what are good things about natural experiments?

A

allows researcher where IV can’t be manipulated - may be for ethical or practical reasons

high ecological validity - allows psychologists to study the effect of real problems such as the effects of a disaster on mental health

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24
Q

what are bad things about natural experiments?

A

lack of casual relationship - because the iv is not directly manipulated a casual relationship cannot be demonstrated

lack of random allocation - because Iv is naturally occurring the participants cannot be randomly allocated so there may be confounding variables affecting results

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25
Q

what is the quasi experiment?

A

the IV is simply a difference between people that exist eg. gender/age DV is still measured

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26
Q

what is good about the quasi experiment?

A

allows comparison between types of people - no manipulation is carried out but results show difference between people

can be carried out in lab - there is high control / can be replicated

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27
Q

what is bad about the quasi experiment?

A

may be carried out in a lab - therefore low ecological validity

lack of random allocation - IV is naturally occurring so participants cannot be randomly allocated so there may be confounding varaibles

28
Q

what are some non-experimental methods?

A

observations
questionnaires
interview
case studies
content analysis
correlational analysis
meta analysis

29
Q

what are demand characteristics?

A

a participant changing their behaviour to meet the aim of the investigation

30
Q

what is the investigator effect?

A

the effect of the investigation behaviour (conscious or unconscious) on the research outcome

31
Q

how can we deal with the investigator effect and the demand characteristics?

A

single blind design - when the participant is unaware or the researcher are aware of the research aims of the investigation

double blind design - when neither the researcher or participant are aware of the aims of the investigation this is to avoid demand characteristics and investigator bias

32
Q

what is a control group?

A

a group of participants who do not undergo a change in the IV condition used as a baseline behaviour measure

33
Q

what is confederate?

A

an individual study who is not a real participant but who has been instructed how to behave by the researcher

34
Q

why is random allocation to conditions important?

A

technique used to reduce participant variables so each participant has the same chance of being in any condition

35
Q

what is randomisation?

A

the use of chance methods to control

36
Q

what is standardisation?

A

using some standardised procedures and instructions for all participants in a study to avoid investigator effects

37
Q

what is a pilot study?

A

a small trial run to check procedures instructions work in order to make necessary changes before the real study

38
Q

what is a hypothesis?

A

is a formal unambiguous statement of what is predicted it must contain both conditions of the IV and the expected outcome of the DV be operationalised and measurable

39
Q

what is a directional hypothesis ?

A

states whether the DV outcome is expected to be greater or lesser positive or negative it is used when there has been previous research which suggests the direction

40
Q

what is a non-directional hypothesis?

A

doesn’t state the direction of the DV just that there’ll be a difference it is used when there is no theory / previous research or it is contradictory

41
Q

what is a null-hypothesis?

A

is a prediction of the difference between the two IV conditions on the outcome on the DV

42
Q

what is an example of a directional hypothesis?

A

children who sleep for four hours will test worse than children who sleep for ten hours

43
Q

what is an example of a non-directional hypothesis?

A

amount of sleep the children get will effect there test results

44
Q

what is internal reliability?

A

asses the consistency of results across items within a test

45
Q

what is external reliability?

A

same results found after a repeated test

46
Q

how to asses the reliability?

A

test-retest reliability (external)
inter-observer reliability - compare observations from different observers
measure using a correlation for reliability (+0.80)

47
Q

what is internal validity?

A

research study shows a trustworthy cause and effect relationship

48
Q

what is external validity?

A

the extent to which the findings of a scientific study can be generalised to other situations

ecological - realistic

population - applicable sample

temporal - does it stand the test of time

49
Q

how to asses the validity?

A

face validity - whether it looks like it measures what it should

concurrent validity - whether findings are similar to those on a well established test

50
Q

how can we improve validity?

A

larger sample size
more realistic setting ect

51
Q

what is counterbalancing?

A

procedure in psychology that involves arranging the order of conditions or treatments in a way that reduces the influence of other factors

52
Q

what is opportunity sampling?

A

anyone in the vicinity who is willing and available

53
Q

what are advantages or opportunity sampling?

A

easy to obtain a large amount of data in a relatively short time frame

54
Q

what are disadvantages of opportunity sampling?

A

possibility for bias due to participants not chosen representativeness

difficulty of replicating the study sample may not be consistent across settings or time

55
Q

what is random sampling?

A

all members of the target population have an equal chance of being selected

56
Q

advantages of random sampling

A

reduces risk of error and bias

gives equal chance of selection in units or groups

57
Q

disadvantages of random sampling

A

complex and time-consuming

bias that could occur when the sample set is not large enough to adequately represent the full population

58
Q

what is stratified sampling?

A

reflects the proportions of people in subgroups of the largest population

59
Q

advantages of stratified sampling

A

Reliable source for sampling

Gives a smaller error in estimation and greater precision than the simple random sampling method

60
Q

disadvantages of stratified sampling

A

can lead to inaccurate results if the strata are wrongly selected or do not reflect the population

61
Q

what is systematic sampling?

A

every nth member of the target population is selected

62
Q

advantages of systematic sampling

A

reduces the potential for bias as the selection is not influenced by the researcher

63
Q

disadvantages of systematic sampling

A

greater risk of data manipulation

64
Q

what is volunteer sampling

A

a self selected sample often replying to an advert

65
Q

disadvantages of volunteer sampling

A

highly susceptible to bias, because researchers make little effort to control sample composition

sample is likely to be comprised of strongly opinionated people.

66
Q

advantages of volunteer sampling

A

inexpensive to conduct and requires little effort on the researchers

67
Q
A

psychology paper 2 (1 decks)

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