research methods Flashcards

Question

Experimental design

Answer 1

Independant group design Repeated measures design Matched pair design

Answer 2

when 2 seperate groups of participants experience 2 different conditions of the experiment. The performance of the 2 groups would be compared. imitation: the difference would be the groups on the DV, this may be be more to do with participant variable that the effects of the IV. So the difference may act as a confounding variable. To deal with the random allocation. Limitation:less economical than repeated measure as twice as twice as many participant would be needed so therefore increase time and money. Strength: Order effects as participents are less likely to guess the aims

Answer 3

same participants are used in all conditions of an experiment limitation: Order Effects: Participants are exposed to more than one condition, which could lead to order effects, such as practice effects (where participants improve simply by repeating the task) or fatigue effects (where performance declines due to tiredness). Solution: This can be addressed by counterbalancing, which is when the order of conditions is varied for different participants to balance out any potential order effects. Demand Characteristics: Participants may figure out the aim of the experiment because they are exposed to all conditions. strength: Participant Variables Controlled: Since the same participants are used in all conditions, individual differences (like age, gender, intelligence) between participants are controlled, reducing the impact of these variables on the results. Fewer Participants Needed: Because the same group of participants is used for all conditions, fewer participants are required compared to an independent groups design (where separate groups are used for each condition). - cheaper and less time consuming

Answer 4

where different participants are used in each condition, but the participants are paired based on certain characteristics (e.g., age, gender, intelligence). The aim is to match participants as closely as possible so that individual differences are minimised across conditions. limitation: Matching Is Difficult and Time-Consuming: Finding pairs of participants who are closely matched on all relevant characteristics can be very difficult and time-consuming. In some cases, it may not even be possible to find perfect matches. Still Vulnerable to Participant Variables: While matching reduces participant variables, it doesn't eliminate them completely. If important variables aren't matched properly, there may still be differences between the groups. strengths: Reduces Participant Variables: By matching participants based on key characteristics, it controls for individual differences (like age, intelligence, or experience) that might affect the results. This makes the comparison between conditions more reliable. No Order Effects: Since participants are only exposed to one condition, there are no order effects (like practice or fatigue effects), which can be an issue in repeated measures designs.

Answer 5

it is usually impossible to include all members of a target population so the population sample will representative of the target population. Sampling techniques: - random sampling - systematic sampling - stratified sampling - opportunity sampling - volunteer sampling

Answer 6

all the target population have an equal chance of being selected. - contain a list of the names - assign numbers to these - selected these using a lottery method such as picking from a hat. - unbiased - difficult and time consuming as complete list of target population may be extremely difficult to obtain

Answer 7

Every nth member of the target population is selected. sampling frame - it is when there is a list of pp; in the target population organised. - researcher has no influence over who is chosen - time consuming and participants may refuse to take part, resulting in volunteer sample

Answer 8

a type of probability sampling technique where the population is divided into subgroups, known as strata, based on specific characteristics (such as age, gender, ethnicity, etc.). Then, participants are randomly selected from each subgroup in proportion to the size of the subgroup in the population. - generalisation of finding becomes possible due to representative sample - identified strata cannot reflect all the ways that people are different, so complete representation of the target population

Answer 9

anyone willing and available. researcher takes the chance to ask whoever is around at the time of their study. - less costly in terms of time and money - 2 form of bias: sample is unrepresentative of the population, researcher has complete control over the selection of participants and may avoid people that they do not like the look of

Answer 10

involves participants selecting themselves as part of the sample. - requires minimum input from researcher - less time consuming volunteer bias - asking for volunteers attract a certain profile of person, who is trying to please the researcher

Answer 11

Can Do Can't do With participant C - informed consent - particpants to know the aim of the research, so the particpants need to be provided with consent letter or form regarding all detail D - debrief - aware of the true aims C - confidentiality - right of privacy, record no personal detail, use particpant using numbers/initials, particpent are reminded that their data will be protected D - deception - deliberately misleading or witholding info from participant W - right to wthdraw - Individuals have the right to choose to participate or not P - psychological harm - particpant should not be placed at anymore risk than they would in their daily lives., to got councelling

Answer 12

a small scale trial run on the actual investigation. involves a handful of participants rather thn the total participants

Answer 13

The participant will not be told the aim of the research. This is to control the confounding effects of demand characteristics

Answer 14

neither the participant nor the researcher will know the aim of the investigation so therefore expectations cannot influence participant behaviour

Answer 15

- Naturalistic - Controlled - Overt - Covert - participant - Non participant Evaluation: + Observations of behaviour has the benefit of capturing people what they actually do, which may be an unexpected behaviour. So observational methods are useful as they give insights into behaviour. - One limitation of observation is observer bias. The observer's interpretation of a situation may be affected by their experience. This may be reduced by using more than one observer.

Answer 16

takes place in a setting where the target behaviour would usually occur. Evaluation: + tends to have high exterrnal validity as findings can be generalised to everyday life as the behaviour is studied within the environment where it would normally occur. - Lack of control over the research studies makes replication of this investigation difficult. And also there may be many uncontrolled confounding and extraneous variables that make it more difficult to judge any pattern of behaviour useful to control some aspects of the research situation. control over variables such as confounding and extraneous variables Evaluation: + Confounding and Extraneous variables may be less of factor so replication of the observation becomes easier. _May produce findings that cane be produced as as readily applied to everyday life.

Answer 17

Participant behaviour is watched and recorded without their knowledge or consent +more ethically acceptable as some behaviours may be their own private business - the knowledge participants have that they are being observed may act as a significant influence on their behaviour Participant behaviour is watched and recorded with their knowledge and consent + may reduce the problem of demand characteristics and ensures any behaviour observed will be natural so increases internal validity - ethics of this study may be questioned as people may not wish to have their behaviour noted down (right to privacy)

Answer 18

the researchers becomes a member of the group whose behaviour he or she is watching and recording + reseracher can experience the situation as the participants do, giving them increased insight into the lives of the people being studied. This may increase external validity of the findings - research may come to identify too strongly with those they are studying and lose objectivity. The line between being a researcher and being a participant becomes blurred. The researcher remains outside of the group whose behaviour he or she is watching + maintain an objective psychological distance from their participant so less danger of adopting a local lifestyle - may lose valuable insights to be gained in a participant observations as they are too far removed from the people and behaviour they are studying.

Answer 19

Choose target population set of behavioural categories operationalise so it is obervable and measureable. The 2 observers shoud be clear with the categories and should not be vague at all. Then they obeserve seperately and make a tally chart every time an event from the behavioural categories occurs. they then come together and comapre the 2 results. positive 0.8 correlation. thisis also knowns as inter - observer reliablity. + data produces quantative data. means analysing nd comparing data te obesrved behaviout is more straightforward

Answer 20

event sampling: involves counting the number of times a particular behaviour occurs. - specified event is too cmplex it can be overlooked time sampling: record behaviour with a pre-established time frame. - events could be missed therefore unrepresentative

Answer 21

Questionnaire: Open questions:- Do not have a fixed range of answers and respondents are free to answer in their wish. Leads to qualitative data. Closed questons:- offer a fixed number of response. can be qualitative and quantitative data. quantative data: It lacks depth and detail. qualitative data: can be turnd into quantitative data + cost effective, gather large amount of data as they can be distrubed to large number of peoples - not always truthful as they ay want to show themselves in positive light - social desirability bias Interviews: Structured iterviews:- pre-determined qs that are asked in a fixed order. + easier to replicate due to standidaised format - limit the richness of the data as they might o be able to explain. Unstructured interviews:- no set qs, general aim will be discussed, free flowing. + gain insight into the worldview of the interviewee - lead to interviwer bias, not straightforward, reserarcher might have to sift through much irrelevant info and so drawing concusions ay be hard Semi-structured interviews:- list of questions, ut interviews are free to ask follow up qs based on their previous answer

Answer 22

primary data; orginal data. it arrives first hand from the partiipant