Research Methods

Question 1

What is a hypothesis ?

Answer 1

A prediction that is also a statement

Question 2

What is an independent variable ?

Answer 2

Causes change to the dependent variable

Question 3

What is a dependent variable ?

Answer 3

Measured and effect

Question 4

What is an aim ?

Answer 4

Purpose of the experiment

Question 5

What is a variable

Answer 5

A factor that can change

Question 6

How do you write a hypothesis ?

Answer 6

IV - (effect) - DV - (compared to) - IV

Question 7

What is a directional hypothesis ?

Answer 7

States the direction of the difference or relationship

Question 8

What is a non - directional hypothesis ?

Answer 8

Does not state the direction

Question 9

What is an extraneous variable ?

Answer 9

(uncontrolled)
Anything apart from the IV that can change the DV
Situational: temp, lighting (environment)
Participant: individual differences

Question 10

What is a confounding variable ?

Answer 10

Any variable other than the IV, that may have affected the DV

Question 11

What is a single blind ?

Answer 11

Participants don’t know which is which

Question 12

What is a double blind ?

Answer 12

Participant and investigator don’t know which is which

Question 13

What is standardisation ?

Answer 13

Keep everything the same apart from IV

Question 14

What are investigator effects ?

Answer 14

Any effect of the investigators behaviour on the research outcome

Question 15

What is randomisation ?

Answer 15

Use of chance in order to control the effects of bias

Question 16

What method would be said to complete randomisation ?

Answer 16

. Get all names/words and put in bowl
. Pick 1, allocate name/word to condition A
. Pick another, allocate name/word to condition B
. Carry on until no names/words left

Question 17

What is operationalisation ?

Answer 17

Defining exactly what is going to be measured and how they’re going to be measured

Question 18

What are experimental designs ?

Answer 18

refers to the way in which participants are used in experiments

Question 19

What are independent groups ?
What are the evaluation points for them ?

Answer 19

When 2 separate groups of participants experience 2 different conditions of the experiment. The preformance of the 2 groups would then be compared
Evaluation Points:
individual differences (criticism)
no order effects (advantage)

Question 20

What are order effects ?

Answer 20

demand characteristics
fatigue
practice - done it before

Question 21

What are repeated measures ?
What are the evaluation points ?

Answer 21

All participants take part in all conditions of the experiment
Evaluation:
no individual differences (advantage)
order effects (criticism)

Question 22

What are matched pairs ?
What are the evaluation points ?

Answer 22

Pairs of participants are first matched on some variable that may affect the DV. Then 1 member of the pair is assigned to condition A and the other condition B
Evaluation:
no individual differences (advantage)
no order effects (advantage)
very inconvenient (criticism)

Question 23

What are the points of lab experiments ?

Answer 23

artificial environment - somewhere your not used to
Researcher changes IV

Question 24

What are the points of natural experiments ?

Answer 24

natural environment
IV manipulated naturally - changes naturally

Question 25

What are the points of field experiments ?

Answer 25

natural environment - environment your not used to researcher changes IV

Question 26

What are the points of Quatsi - experiments ?

Answer 26

natural experiment IV is determined by biology

Question 27

What are the 3 evaluation points for types of experiments ?

Answer 27

Internal validity = whether the IV is affecting the DV (makes psych scientific) Ecological validity = generalising the findings from a study to real situations Ethical Issues

Question 28

What is sampling ?

Answer 28

Groups of people (participants) that form part of research studies are selected through the process of 'sampling'

Question 29

What are the 5 types of sampling ?

Answer 29

. random . systematic . stratified . opportunity . volunteer

Question 30

What is the target population ?

Answer 30

Study based on

Question 31

How will the sample size be dictated ?

Answer 31

Usually be dictated by the time and resources available. BUT, the larger the sample the more likely its to find a true picture of the data you're sampling

Question 32

What is the definition, method and evaluation of random sampling ?

Answer 32

. members of a population have equal chances of being selected Method = put all names in a bowl and pick out so many Evaluation = not representative, no experimenter bias, convenient (yes/no)

Question 33

What is the definition, method and evaluation of systematic sampling ?

Answer 33

. sampling data at equal distances apart, alphabetical order method = same as definition evaluation = not representative, no experimenter bias, not convenient

Question 34

What is the definition, method, evaluation of stratified sampling ?

Answer 34

. split entire population into catergories - names in separate bowls - random sampling based on ratios method = same as definition evaluation = representative, no experimenter bias, not convenient

Question 35

What is the definition and evaluation of opportunity sampling ?

Answer 35

. whoever is available evaluation = not representative, experimenter bias, convenient

Question 36

What is the definition and evaluation of volunteer sampling ?

Answer 36

. self select evaluation = not representative, no experimenter bias, convenient

Question 37

What are observations ?

Answer 37

Recording frequency of behaviour

Question 38

What are naturalistic observations ? What are controlled observations ?

Answer 38

Natural environment Artificial environment

Question 39

What are covert observations ? What are overt observations ?

Answer 39

Participants don't know they're being observed Declare you are being observed

Question 40

What are participant observations ? What are non - participant observations ?

Answer 40

involved in everyday life of participants just look from afar, not involved

Question 41

What are the evaluation points for observations ?

Answer 41

. Ecological Validity - (naturalistic) . Ethical - (Overt) . Demand Characteristics - (Overt, covert, naturalistic, controlled) . Reliability - conistency

Question 42

What is high interobserver reliability ?

Answer 42

When 2 observers have similar results/outcomes

Question 43

What is an observation schedule ?

Answer 43

List of behaviours

Question 44

What is event sampling ? What is time sampling ?

Answer 44

. Pick particular situation and time . Over certain time intervals