Research methods

Question 1

Aim

Answer 1

a general statement of what the researcher intends to investigate
‘To investigate…’

Question 2

Hypothesis

Answer 2

testable statement predicting the outcome of the study which is made at the start of the study.
Directional: states what the outcome will be
non-directional: states their will be an outcome
Null hypothesis: There will be no outcome

Question 3

How to write a Hypothesis

Answer 3

1. What are the IV and the DV?
2. How is the IV manipulated e.g. what are the levels of the IV
3. How has the DV been measured exactly? E.g. how has it been operationalised?
4. Should the hypothesis be one tailed or two tailed?
   for correlation We are no longer investigating a difference between two conditions, like in an experiment, but
   we are looking at a relationship between two co-variables.

Question 4

Types of experiments:

Answer 4

Laboratory experiments:
- Highly controlled environment
- researcher manipulates IV and records DV
Field:
- researcher manipulates IV and records effect on DV
- conducted in real life setting
Natural:
- researcher takes advantage of naturally occurring IV and its effect on DV
Quasi:
- IV is an existing difference between people
- researcher records effect on DV

Question 5

Strengths and weaknesses of Lab experiments

Answer 5

Strengths of Lab experiments:
- High control over extraneous variables meaning cause and effect can be established.
- Replication is possible due to the high level of control. This also means results can be checked for reliability.
Limitations of lab experiments:
- Participants are often aware of being tested – possible demand characteristics.
- Artificial environment means it may lack generalisability.
- Investigator effects may occur (unless it is a double blind experiment- this is when both the participant and the
researcher conducting the experiment does not know the aims of the investigation)

Question 6

Strengths and weakness Field experiments

Answer 6

Strengths of Field experiments:
- High ecological validity due to being conducted in a real-life setting.
- Behaviour is likely to be more valid & authentic (less demand characteristics).
Limitations of Field experiments:
- There is less control over extraneous variables (these will be different depending on the experiment).
- It is difficult to replicate them completely because they tend to be less controlled.
- Possible ethical issues if participants are unaware they’re being studied

Question 7

Strengths and weakness Natural experiments

Answer 7

Strengths of Natural experiment:
- Provides opportunities for research that may not be otherwise conducted due to practical/ethical reasons
e.g. does smoking when pregnant lead to behavioural problems in infants?
- They have high external validity because they involve the study of real-life.
Limitations of Natural experiments:
- A naturally occurring event may happen, rarely limiting generalisation to other situations.
- Participants may not be randomly, allocated to conditions.