research methods

Question 1

What is a laboratory experiment?

Answer 1

An experiment set in a lab where the researcher has a high level of control of all the variables, in a control environment using standardised procedures. The IV is manipulates and the DV is measured.

Question 2

Pros of a laboratory experiment

Answer 2

researches can be confident in establishing a cause and effect relationship
high internal validity (DV is due to change in IV)
Easily replicated due to standarised procedures.

Question 3

Cons of Laboratory experiment

Answer 3

Lacks ecological validity a type of external validity
lab studies cannot be applied to the real world and tasks conducted in the lab dont reflect real life situations lacks mundane realism
demand characteristics.

Question 4

What is a field experiment?

Answer 4

Conducting an experiment in naturalistic settings

Question 5

Pros of field experiments

Answer 5

• high ecological validity
• likely to have mundane realism
• no demand characteristics

Question 6

Cons of field experiments

Answer 6

• possible extraneous variables that could be influencing the DV
• cannot randomly assign participants to conditions to separate condition the change in DV may be due to participant variables reducing internal validity

Question 7

What are natural experiments?

Answer 7

The IV would have occurred naturally without the researchers manipulation

Question 8

Pros of natural experiments:

Answer 8

allow research in areas that could not happen in a controlled experimentation due to ethical or cost reasons
high external validity
free from demand characteristics.

Question 9

Cons of natural experiments:

Answer 9

The events have already occurred regardless of the researcher hey have no influence therefore extraneous variables cannot be control
researches cannot claim they have a cause and effect relationship
The events are often rare and cant be replicated to test for their reliability.

Question 10

What are Quasi experiments

Answer 10

Participants cannot be randomly assigned because the Iv is an innate characteristic of the participants

Question 11

Pros of Quasi experiments

Answer 11

they are the only way to ecperimentally study factors that are prexisting characteristics of participants

Question 12

Cons of Quasi experiments

Answer 12

There may be other factors related to the level of IV that cannot be controlled (confounding variables)

Question 13

Informed consent

Answer 13

participants should be aware of the aims, purpose and consequences of taking part of the research and provide their informed consent before the study.

Question 14

Right to withdraw

Answer 14

before taking part in the research participants should be told they have the ability to end heir participation in the study at any stage (destroying any personal data collected on them)

Question 15

Protection from harm

Answer 15

researcher is responsible for designing research that doesn’t risk the psychological well being, physical health, personal values and dignity of the participants.

Question 16

Confidentiality

Answer 16

personal records should be kept securely and when it comes to publishing records keeping away personally identifiable information

Question 17

Debriefing

Answer 17

conversation that tells the participants the reasons for the research, outcomes and existence of any groups. Also can check for any harm cause by taking part and offer assistance.

Question 18

Dealing with ethical issues

Answer 18

revealing the true aims of a study when asking for informed consent can lead to demand characteristics, researchers can use an alternative informed consent

Question 19

Ethics: alternative informed consent
prior general consent

Answer 19

prior general consent: participants agree to long list of potential features that could happen in an experiment not knowing which part will be included in the study

Question 20

Ethics: retroactive consent

Answer 20

the researcher asks for consent after the participant has taken part in the study if the participant does not agree to take part their data is destroyed.

Question 21

Presumptive consent: ethics

Answer 21

the researcher asks a group similar to the sample if they would agree to take part in the research if he group agrees he researcher assumes the participants will consent too

Question 22

cost benefit analysis

Answer 22

if research requires deception or risks harm to participants this occurs assessing the potential harm of the participants and comparing this to the potential benefits of the research to society today

Question 23

reliability

Answer 23

measure of consistency (how consistency results are)

Question 24

external relability

Answer 24

measure we use is repeated another time if the results are the same or another the researcher gets it the second time (consistent with first results) do you get the same results when you use the same method at a different time ?

Question 25

internal validity

Answer 25

how consistent the different parts of measure we use, is the test consistent within itself

Question 26

experimental design : independent groups
advantages and disadvantages

Answer 26

no order effect
individual differences :(
participants may be allocated to conditions randomly

Question 27

repeated measures pros and cons

Answer 27

order effect :(
no individual differences :)
each participants undergo’s all conditionns of the experiment

Question 28

matched paris

Question 29

assessment on reliability

Answer 29

rest - retest = participants take test twice to see if if scores are reliable
use a correlation
inter observer - pilot the study

Question 30

improving internal validity

Answer 30

operationalise variables very carefully
run a pilot study to make sure iv is affecting dv
lack of confounding variables

Question 31

types of external validity

Answer 31

ecological - study relevat to real life
temporal - how relevant time time period is in affecting the findings

Question 32

face validity

Answer 32

whether it looks like what it should measure

Question 33

pilot studies

Answer 33

They are practice small scale studies done prior to the full study to test the methodology in order to remove any possible problems or sources of bias
They are essentially a ‘dry run’

Question 34

concurrent validity

Answer 34

is a type of evidence that can be gathered to defend the use of a test for predicting other outcomes

Question 35

pilot studies advantages

Answer 35

helpful in identifying potential issues early, which can then be rectified before committing to the length and expense of a full investigation.

Question 36

what are confederates?

Question 37

What is an observation

Answer 37

The researcher watches and records spontaneous behavior of participants without manipulating the levels of IV

Question 38

controlled observation

Answer 38

aspects of the environment are controlled in attempt to give all participants the sam eexperience