Research Methods

Question 1

Field Experiment (quantitative)

Answer 1

• causal relationships btwn deliberately manipulated IV and DV yet don’t take place in controlled conditions - real-world environments
• participants = unaware that they are being observed as part of an experiment - more natural behaviour & increases ecological validity but decreases internal validity

Question 1

Experiment (quantitative)

Answer 1

• Single variable (IV) which is manipulated and viewed for change in second variable (DV) which is measured in quantitative way
• all other variables which might affect the dependent variable are held constant (controlled) meaning any change in DV can be said to have been caused by IV - findings of experimental studies = strong internal validity

Question 2

Quasi Experiment (quantitative)

Answer 2

• defining feature = not possible to randomly allocate participants to experimental (treatment) and/or control groups as groupings = outside fo control of experimenter
• participants can’t be allocated randomly = findings can be said to lack internal validity as there may be uncontrolled variables which led participants to be in one group and not the other = responsible for any changes in DV

Question 3

Natural Experiment (quantitative)

Answer 3

• characterised by fact that independent variable = naturally occurring - change btwn experimental & control conditions = brought about as consequence of outside factors
• changes = naturally occurring findings = lacking internal validity as changes in DV may have arisen due to extraneous factors

Question 4

Correlational (quantitative)

Answer 4

• (because no independent variable is manipulated, no cause and effect relationship can be determined) no manipulated variable and don’t seek to establish causal relationships; two or more measured variables (co-variables) which = measured using quan data through rating scale

(as one variable changes, the other variable changes. the more hours you spend studying, the better you do on the exam)
- common in areas of psych where it may not be possible to ethically or practically manipulate the variables as part of an experiment - internal validity relates solely to the extent to which the instruments used to measure the co-variables to provide accurate and meaningful data

Question 5

Naturalistic Observation: Participant (quantitative)

Answer 5

• observer collects data from participants’ in their natural environments w/out any deliberate manipulation of the setting - may record field notes to describe behaviours of interest & diagrams and sketches
• researcher becomes actively involved w/in community/group that they are studying - facilitates unique perspective that would not have been possible and can lead to subjectivity but credibility also = enhanced

Question 6

Naturalistic Observation: Non-Participant (quantitative)

Answer 6

• observer collects data from participants in natural environments w/out any deliberate manipulation of the setting
• researcher remains separate from activities of the group & does not interact with participants whilst conducting the observation - lack of involvement means researcher = free to focus entirely on data collection - leads to more accurate record of events

Question 6

Naturalistic Observation: Covert (qualitative)

Answer 6

• collects data from natural environments w/out any deliberate manipulation of the setting - field notes
• participants = unaware of the observer and according to BPS = ethical if study takes place in public setting - data collected = more credible as behaviour will be less inhibited and unaffected by demand characteristics

Question 6

Semi-Structured Interview (qualitative)

Answer 6

• more flexible - than structured interview, pre-determined set of questions but can be deviated/rephrased with follow up questions
• may include open and closed questions - open prompts longer richer questions from respondents allowing them to elaborate in own words w/out being guided in any particular direction

Question 7

Case Study (qualitative)

Answer 7

• typically focus on single individual, group/organisation that is unusual in some way - researcher collects detailed case history including secondary data from school reports to gain necessary insight before collecting primary data
• comprise data that has been gathered using a variety of techniques including interview, observation, and standardised tests - method triangulation and results in insight into behaviours of interest

Question 7

Unstructured Interview (qualitative)

Answer 7

• clear research objective - interview schedule = broad for discussion but can result in other questions
• need more training/experience to collect credible data & can be hard to keep interview on track to achieve research objective

Question 8

Focus Group (qualitative)

Answer 8

• 8-12 people who are interviewed together about topic of common interest - size also works well to allow all members to bond together which develops sense of belonging and trust
• focus group researcher = group facilitator & role = monitor the discussion and keep group on topic if they veer off into irrelevant topic - must ensure all issues = raised and are responded to and explored as fully as possible