Research Methods

Question 1

What are the 4 types of Experimental Research Methods?

Answer 1

-Laboratory experiment
-Field experiment
-Natural experiment
-Quasi experiment

Question 2

What are the 4 types of Non-Experimental Research Methods?

Answer 2

-Correlations
-Observations
-Interviews + Questionnaires
-Content analysis

Question 3

What is a Closed Question and what are the Advantages and Disadvantages of them?

Answer 3

A question where the answer is selected from a limited set.
Quantitative data (e.g. number of yes vs no vs maybe)
+Allows easy ananlysis
-Might not be an acurate reflection of what people think

Question 4

What is an Open Question and what are the Advantages and Disadvantages of them?

Answer 4

A question where the participant answers in their own words.
Qualitative data
+Allows participants to say what they want (rich data)
-Not easy to analyse

Question 5

What is a Benefit of a Questionnaire?

Answer 5

Easily anonymous so more people do it, so more data.

Question 6

What is an Experimental group?

Answer 6

The group that is going to get ‘messed with’.

Question 7

What is a Control Group?

Answer 7

The group that is not going to get ‘messed with’.

Question 8

What are Placebo/Inert Substances used for?

Answer 8

To remove bias (when needed).

Question 9

What does Gaining Informed Consent involve?

Answer 9

The participant giving them written agreement to take part in the study and they fully understand what the study involves.

Question 10

What does Protection of Participants refer to?

Answer 10

Researchers must make sure the participants are in no more physical and emotional harm than they would be in normal life.

Question 11

What is the Right to Withdraw?

Answer 11

Participants have thr right to withdraw from the study at any point and the researcher must tell them they have this right.

Question 12

When do we Debrief Participants?

Answer 12

-After the research is over. They should be able to discuss the procedure and the findings with the psychologist.
-They must also be given a general idea of what the researcher was investigating and why, and their part in the research.
-Debriefing should happen as soon and full as possible.
-The debriefing aims to provide information and help the participant leaved the experimental situation in the same frame of mind as they entered.

Question 13

What is a Directional Hypothesis?

Answer 13

A directional hypothesis predicts the specific direction of the results.

Question 14

What is a Non-Directional Hypothesis?

Answer 14

A non-directional hypothesis is where you just predict a difference or that one variable will affect another.

Question 15

What is a Null Hypothesis?

Answer 15

-There is no significant relationship.
or
-That one variable will have no effect on another.
or
-There is no significant difference between the two sets of data.

Question 16

What is the Independent Variable?

Answer 16

The variable which is manipulated

Question 17

What is the Dependent Variable?

Answer 17

The variable which is measured.

Question 18

What makes a True Experiment?

Answer 18

-Manipulation of the independent variable.
-Randomised allocation to groups.
-Control over variables.

Question 19

What is a Laboratory Experiment?

Answer 19

-Take place in a controlled/artificial setting.
-Uses a standerdised procedure -> all participants in each condition follow the same procedure -> e.g. all participants in a condition are given exactly the same task -> e.g. Peterson and Peterson - same trigrams.
-Participants are aware that they are taking part in a study.
-Very high level of control over variables.

Question 20

What is a Field Experiment?

Answer 20

-Takes place outside of the laboratory in a natural/real life setting.
-Participants usually are not aware that they are participating in an experiment.
-Less control over variables.

Question 21

What is a Natural Experiment?

Answer 21

-Researcher does no directly manipulate an independent variable, instead they take advantage of naturaly occuring independent variables. -> The IV would be occuring regardless of the researcher.
-Typically used where manipulating the IV would be unethical or practically difficult.
-Natural experiments can be carried out in a lab or in a natural setting.
-Need to be very careful trying to draw casual conclusions because none of the three criteria for a true experiment are met.

Question 22

What is a Quasi Experiment?

Answer 22

-IV is naturally occuring because it is an existing difference between people (e.g. age or gender) -> this is what makes it different from natural experiments
-May occur in a laboratory or natural environment.
-Need to be careful drawing casual conclusions.

Question 23

What are the Advantages of Laboratory Experiments?

Answer 23

-There is a high level of control over variables (both the IV and extraneous/confounding variables).
-Use of technical equipment is possible in this setting.
-Replicability is high due to the use of standerised procedures, meaning it can be repeated by others to see if they get similar results.
-Providing the experiment is well designed it is possible to conclude cause and effect.

Question 24

What are the Disadvanatges of Laboratory Experiments?

Answer 24

-Artificiality -> the tasks in the experiment can sometimes lack mundane realism (this means that the experiment does not reflect everyday experiment) so participants may not behave naturally
-Participants are usually aware that they are being studied so could lead to them behaving less naturally.
-Experimenter bias -> the effect of an experimenter’s expectations on the results of the study (e.g. they may act different towards participants in the different conditions)
-Lack of ecological vailidity due to artificiality meaning findings may not be able to be generalised to other settings.
-Possibility of demand characteristics -> as the participants may try to make sense of the experiment and try help or fistort the results.
-Investigator effects -> participants may be influenced by the presence of the investigator, who they are and their behaviour etc.

Question 25

What are the Advantages of Field Experiments?

Answer 25

-Participants are often not aware that they are being studied, meaning their behavious might be more natural. -Less artificial and usually has higher mundane realism (reflects everyday experience) and ecological validity (can be applied to other settings).

Question 26

What are the Disadvantages of Field Experiments?

Answer 26

-There is less control over possible extraneous/confounding variables (uncontrolled variables that could have an impact on the dependent variable). This can reduce internal validity (i.e. cannot be sure if the observed effect is due to the IV). -Investigator effects. -Experimenter bias.

Question 27

What are the Advantages of Natural Experiments?

Answer 27

-Allows research where the IV cannot be manipulated by the researcher for practical or ethical reasons. -Enables researchers to study real problems such as effects of disasters on health and therefore has increased mundane realism and ecological validity. -Participants are often not aware that they are being studied which could make their behaviour more natural (depending on the study).

Question 28

What are the Disadvantages of Natural Experiments?

Answer 28

-There is less control over extraneous/confounding variables. -Cannot demonstrate casual relationships because the IV is not directly manipulated. -Random allocation to conditions is not possible as the researcher is taking advantage of a naturally occuring IV meaning there is a lack of control so confounding variables may occur. -Can only be used when conditions vary naturally. -Investigator effects -Experimenter bias.

Question 29

What are the Advantages of Quasi Experiments?

Answer 29

-Participants are often not aware that they are being studied which could make their behaviour more natural (depending on the study). -Allows research where the IV cannot be manipulated by the researcher for practical or ethical reasons. -Enables researchers to study real problems such as effects of disasters on health and therefore has increased mundane realism and ecological validity.

Question 30

What are the Disadvanatges of Quasi Experiments?

Answer 30

-Enables researchers to study real problems such as effects of disasters on health and therefore has increased mundane realism and ecological validity. -There is less control over extraneous/confounding variables. -Cannot demonstrate casual relationships because the IV is not directly manipulated. -Random allocation to conditions is not possible as the researcher is taking advantage of a naturally occuring IV meaning there is a lack of control so confounding variables may occur. -Investigator effects -Experimenter bias.

Question 31

What are Demand Characteristics?

Answer 31

Cues that lead participants to guess the aim of the study/work out what the researcher expects to find (which may have an impact on their behaviour.

Question 32

What are Investigator Effects?

Answer 32

Something about the investigator (e.g. their behaviour, their presence, gender etc) that has an impact on the participants behaviour.

Question 33

What is Ecological Validity?

Answer 33

The extent to which the findings can be generalised to other settings (e.g. from a lab setting to a natural settings).

Question 34

What are Independent Groups?

Answer 34

Participants take part in one condition of the IV only. Participants are randomly allocated to one of the two (or more) seperate groups, e.g. one group does one condition (A) and the other group does the other condition (B).

Question 35

What are Matched Pairs?

Answer 35

Pairs of participants are created by matching them closely on specific criteria. One half of the pair participants in condition A, the other in condition B.

Question 36

What are Repeated Measures?

Answer 36

All participants take part in all conditions. This means that in effect the participant acts as their own control.

Question 37

What are Participant Variables?

Answer 37

This refers to the ways in which each participant varies from one another, and how this could affect the results, e.g. ability, anxiety, concentration etc.

Question 38

How can you deal with Order Effects?

Answer 38

Counterbalancing (alternating the order of conditions, ABBA design - half do AB, other half do BA), delay between conditions,use independent groups or matched pairs.

Question 39

What are the Advantages of the Independent Groups Design?

Answer 39

-It is possible to use the same stimulus materials for both/all conditions. -There are no order effects. -Reduced chance of demand characteristics.

Question 40

What are the Disadvantages of Independent Groups Design?

Answer 40

-Least effective design for controlling participant variables. -More participants required for this design.

Question 41

What are the Advantages of the Matched Pairs Design?

Answer 41

-It is possible to use the same stimulus materials for both/all conditions. -There are no order effects. -Reduced chance of demand characteristics. -Partially controls participant variables.

Question 42

What are the Disadvantages of the Matched Pairs Design?

Answer 42

-Difficult to match participants exactly. -More participants required for this design -Although reduced, some participant variables are still present because different participants are performing under different conditions.

Question 43

What are the Advantages of the Repeated Measures Design?

Answer 43

-Eliminated participant variables -> as the same individual has performed under both/all conditions, then the possibility of participant variables (e.g. differences in ability) between conditions has been removed. -Fewer participants are required for this design.

Question 44

What are the Disadvantages of the Repeated Measures Design?

Answer 44

-Cannot use the same stimulus material in both conditions as this would result in order effects and demand characteristics. -May not be able to complete the second conditiion immediately and therefore may lose participants between conditions. -Increased chance of demand characteristics occurring -> as the participants may not be "naive" for the second condition and may try to guess the aim. -Order effects -> participants' performance in the second condition would be affected by the fact that they had already comleted the first condition.

Question 45

What is a Conceptual Variable?

Answer 45

-Theoretical concept or construct. -> e.g. capacity of STM.

Question 46

What is an Operationalised Variable?

Answer 46

-Clear definition of what we will take as a measure of the conceptual variable so it can be manipulated or measured more correctly. -> e.g. the number of digits (numbers or letters) correctly recalled in a free recall test (digit span).