Research Methods Flashcards
what is a directional/one-tailed hypothesis and when would they be used
-predicts direction that change is expected to occur
-used when previous research has suggested direction of change
what is a non-directional/two-tailed hypothesis and when are they used
-predicts that change occurs, not specifying which direction
-used when there is no previous research
what is a null hypothesis
-suggests any results obtained from research is due to chance and not the IV the researcher has changed or the situation they created
4 types of experiment (brief)
-lab
-field
-quasi
-natural
what is a lab experiment + eval
-research done in an artificial lab env w max control over situational variables so IV can be clearly studied
-strengths: high reliability, control, quantitative data, able to use tech equipment
-limitations: LO ecological validity, demand characteristics
what is a field experiment + eval
-research done in a natural environment to the ppts (real-life setting). IV still manipulated
-strengths: ecological validity, LO demand characteristics
-limitations: potential ethical issues, LO control, low reliability
what is a natural experiment + eval
-research into the effects of an IV that the researcher is not controlling (naturally-occuring/would have still happened)
-strengths: ecological validity
-limitations: low reliability, difficult to randomise
what is a quasi experiment + eval
-experiment that compares 2 variables that cannot be changed (naturally occurring differences eg. between men and women)
-strengths: LO demand characteristics, ecological validity
-limitations: LO control over variables
what are demand characteristics
-subtle clue from researcher that makes the ppt aware of what the experimenter expects to find/how they are expected to behave
-reduce validity of research as behaviour is not natural
what is social desirability
-ppt changing their behaviours or answers to look good/be socially acceptable
-reduces validity of research as behaviour is not natural.
what is researcher bias/investigator effect
-researcher influencing the outcome of the research
what are situational variables and how are they controlled
-outside influences on the experiment eg. time of day, weather, noise
-controlled by: standardisation - all variables are the same for each ppt
what are order effects and examples
-occur when a ppt is asked to do a task more than once eg. in a repeated measures design
-eg. fatigue, boredom, practice
how are order effects controlled
- counter-balancing - switching order of tasks for each condition in RM design
- randomisation - order of tasks/presentation of data is decided at random
3 types of experimental design (brief)
- independent measures
- repeated measures
- matched pairs
what is the independent measures design + eval
-each ppt is used in only 1 condition - diff ppts in each condition
-strengths: control of order effects, less demand characteristics (less likely to guess aim)
-limitations: individual differences, requires more ppts
what is the repeated measures design + eval
-same ppts used in each conditions
-strengths: LO individual differences, fewer ppts needed
-limitations: order effects
-what is the matched pairs design + eval
-similar but different ppts used in each condition eg. twins
-strengths: no order effects, less demand characteristics
-limitations: small individual differences may affect results, time consuming to find matched pairs
what is a structured observation
-researcher decides in advance what behaviours they will look for during an observation that can be recorded in a tally chart
-could involve event sampling or time sampling
what is event sampling
-how many times a particular behaviour occurs
what is time sampling
-count of all behaviours in a certain time period
what is an unstructured observation
-researcher records all behaviour that occurs during obs
what is a pilot study
-small scale, preliminary study to evaluate the feasability of the key steps in a future, full-scale project
-helps spot any confusion w info given to ppts or problems w task eg. too easy/hard
what is a peer review
-2 or more psychologists working in a similar field review the findings without payment to assess methods and designs used, originality and validity of findings
