Research Methods

Question 1

What is the IV and DV?

Answer 1

The IV is the independent variable that changes so that an effect on the dependent variable can be observed. They aim to establish a course and effect relationship.

Question 2

What is an extraneous variable?

Answer 2

An extraneous variable is anything that could influence the participants performance or behaviour that needs to be controlled. They are also called nuisance variables

Question 3

What are the types of extraneous variables?

Answer 3

There are situational variables which is something in the environment that could affect the results of the study or there are participant variables that anything in the participants that could affect their behaviour in the study.

Question 4

Give examples of extraneous variables.

Answer 4

Time of day, weather, noise or age, experience, mood and intelligence.

Question 5

How do you get rid of situational variables?

Answer 5

To get rid of situational variables, you need standardisation which involves making both conditions have the exact same environment.

Question 6

How do you get rid of participant variables?

Answer 6

Randomisation, which when you randomly allocate participants to each condition.

Question 7

What are confounding variables?

Answer 7

Confounding labels are variables that are known to have systematically varied the IV, it has confounded or influenced the results of the study.

Question 8

What are the types of experiments?

Answer 8

Laboratory, field, natural and quasi.

Question 9

What is the description strengths and limitations of a laboratory experiment?

Answer 9

The description is that they are in highly controlled environment. The IV is set up and changed by the experimenter. Participants know they are in a study.

The strengths are that it has high control of extraneous variables and it is easily replicated therefore high reliability.

However, it lacks ecological validity because you can’t generalise it to real life behaviour. It’s also more likely to have demand characteristics as participants are aware they’re in a study.

Question 10

What is the description strengths and limitations of a field experiment?

Answer 10

Field experiment is in a real life setting but the IV is manipulated by the experimenter. Participants are often unaware however that they are in an experiment.

The strengths are that it has high ecological ability as it’s in a natural setting. It can also reduce the chance of participant effects like demand characteristics because they do not know that they are in the study.

However, a limitation is that it has no control of extraneous variables and it is hard to replicate

Question 11

What is the description strengths and limitations of a natural experiment?

Answer 11

A natural experiment is when the IV is an event that is already naturally occurring and the experiment is just take use of it. Participants are often unaware.

There is increased ecological validity as it takes place in a natural setting. It can reduce participant effects like demand characteristics because participants are not aware.

However, there is less control of extraneous variables and you will not be able to replicate it.

Question 12

What is the description strengths and limitations for a quasi experiment?

Answer 12

A Quasi experiment is when you cannot randomly allocate participants to a condition. The IV is not set up and participants are automatically assigned to a particular condition like gender.

There is less experiment bias as they do not pick which condition to put participants in

However, there is more chance of extraneous variables especially participant variables as participants are not randomly assigned to each condition.

Question 13

What is a pilot study and what is it for?

Answer 13

Pilot study is a small scale trial run of a study researchers use them to test procedures or check the design, check the instructions are clear. It is not to check results of what the study will be.

Question 14

What are the experimental designs?

Answer 14

Repeated measures, independent groups, matched pairs.

Question 15

What is a repeated measures design?

Answer 15

A repeated measures design is when a single group of people perform all the conditions of the experiment.

A strength is that there are no participant variables and few participants are needed overall however a limitation is that there are demand characteristics and it could affect order effects, confounding variables.

Question 16

What is independent groups design?

Answer 16

This is where you have a different group of people who eat perform only one condition of theIV.
A strength is the date reduces demand characteristics and there are no order effects. A limitation is that there are more likely to be participant variables and more participants are needed overall.

Question 17

What is matched pairs designed?

Answer 17

This is where you pay your participants up on a certain quality that could affect the DV example intelligence, age. Each person from the pair does one condition and results are compared to their partner in the other condition.

A strength is that there are few participant variables and it reduces demand characteristic because the participants only take part in one experimental condition. There is also no order effects.
A limitation is that more participants are needed and it is difficult and time-consuming to match characteristics.

Question 18

What is a correlation?

Answer 18

A correlation is a research method that investigates the relationship between two co-variables.

Co-variables are variables that are examined for a relationship to see if they buried together. It differs from an experiment because a correlation is looking for a relationship whereas an experiment is looking for a difference.

Question 19

What are the types of correlation?

Answer 19

Positive correlation, as one variable increases so does the other.
Negative correlation, as one co-variable increases the other covariable decreases.
Zero correlation, co-variables are not related.

Question 20

What is the correlation coefficient?

Answer 20

The correlation coefficient is a statistic that gives a quantitive measure of the strength and direction of the relationship between 2 co variables.

Question 21

What are the strengths and limitations of a correlation?

Answer 21

The strengths are they provide a precise quantitive measure of the strength and direction of relationship between covariables. It can measure things that cannot/should not be manipulated experimentally.

A limitation is that it cannot demonstrate a cause and affect relationship between variables because there may be other intervening variables that could explain the link between them.

Question 22

Name the types of questionnaire.

Answer 22

There is open question which is when participants can give any answer they wish this is qualitative data.

Closed question, which is when there is a set number of responses which the participants can select from this is quantitive data.

And finally likert scales which is when there are a number of responses to a question which demonstrate a degree of agreement this is quantitive data.

Question 23

What is a structured interview?

Answer 23

A structured interview is when the questions are predetermined and the interview sticks to these questions only in a fixed order.

Question 24

What is an unstructured interview?

Answer 24

The interviewer developed questions during the interview as a response to the answers given.

Question 25

What is a semi structured interview?

Answer 25

Some predetermined questions but has the flexibility to adapt questions based on the answers.

Question 26

What are the types of observation?

Answer 26

Participant, non-participant Covert, overt Controlled, naturalistic And structured and unstructured

Question 27

What is event sampling?

Answer 27

Event sampling count the number of times a certain behaviour because in a participant.

Question 28

What is time sampling?

Answer 28

This is when you record what participant is doing at preset intervals of time.

Question 29

What is a naturalistic observation?

Answer 29

A naturalistic observation means the researcher will observe the behaviour of the participants in its natural setting but will not attempt to manipulate any aspect of the situation.

Question 30

What is a controlled observation?

Answer 30

A controlled observation is when some variables are kept constant by the researcher reducing the naturalness of the behaviour being studied. Participants are likely to know they are being studied and the study might be conducted in a lab.

Question 31

What is a structured observation?

Answer 31

A structured observation uses a system to make the research objective and rigourous. Systems include coding systems to various behaviours and sampling procedures to decide what to observe and when.

Question 32

What is an unstructured observation?

Answer 32

This is when a researcher records all relevant behaviour with no system. Often used when the behaviour is unpredictable. Behaviours recorded are often the most visible or eye-catching ones to the observer but they might not be the most relevant or important behaviour.

Question 33

What is a covert observation?

Answer 33

This means the participant is not aware they are being studied.

Question 34

What is an overt observation?

Answer 34

This is when the participant is aware they are being studied but this can have an effect on them altering behaviour.

Question 35

What is a participant observation?

Answer 35

This is when the observer joins in on the activities of the group to gain greater insight and understanding.

Question 36

What is a non-participant observation.

Answer 36

A non-participant is when the observer does not take part and choice to remain a non intrusive.

Question 37

What is content analysis?

Answer 37

Content analysis is a form of observation, but instead of observing people you observe their communications.

Question 38

What is an aim?

Answer 38

An aim is a general purpose of what the research is hoping to discover.

Question 39

What is an alternative hypothesis?

Answer 39

This is a prediction that a study will find significant results.

Question 40

What is an experimental hypothesis/alternative?

Answer 40

This is when they predict how the change in IV conditions will significantly affect the DV.

Question 41

What is a correlational hypothesis?

Answer 41

These predict a relationship between the two co-variables.

Question 42

What is a non-directional hypothesis?

Answer 42

This is when you predict there was going to be a difference/relationship but you do not predict what that change will be. A non-directional experiment would go there will be a significant difference in… Between… And… A non-directional correlation would go there will be a significant relationship between co variable one and covariable two

Question 43

What is a directional hypothesis?

Answer 43

This is when you make a prediction where you state exactly what will be found. A directional experiment would go condition one will have significantly… Van condition two A directional correlation would go there will be a significant… Relationship between covariable one and covariable two.

Question 44

What is a null hypothesis?

Answer 44

In any experiment, the alternative hypothesis is tested against the null. This is the prediction that no significant result will be found or that the finding was just due to chance. The null is always non-directional. A null experimental would go there will be no significant difference between… And… In their DV and any different found will be due to chance A null correlation would go, there will be no significant relationship between the co-variable one and co-variable two and any relationship found will be due to chance.

Question 45

What are the ethical issues in psychology?

Answer 45

Ethical issues are determined by the British psychological society. The main issues are privacy, confidentiality, deception, right to withdraw, informed consent and protection from harm.

Question 46

What is informed consent and how do you deal with it?

Answer 46

Participant should be briefed with as much information as possible about a study to enable them to make an informed judgement as to whether to take part or not. How to deal with it is to get people to formally sign to agree to take part, could get retrospective consent or could get presumptiveconsent.

Question 47

What is deception and how do we deal with it?

Answer 47

People have a right not to be lied to, but it is used to avoid participants knowing details which could affect their behaviour. Can be done to prevent demand characteristics. How do we deal with it? We can do not deceive unless it’s necessary or do a debrief a post study description explaining the study to the participants after the experiment has been conducted.

Question 48

What is right to withdraw and how do we deal with it?

Answer 48

We must make participants aware that they are free to leave a study at any time, even if we’ve paid them. We deal with it by making sure you inform participants that they have this right usually done in the consent form.

Question 49

What is protection from harm and how do we deal with it?

Answer 49

Protection from harm is when participant psychological and physiological safety must be insured. People should leave the study in the small/similar state they arrived and we cannot expose them to a greater risk than their normal experiences. We deal with it through possible rescue situations identified and minimised preventing before the study a debrief at the end and giving a right to withdraw.

Question 50

What is privacy and how do we deal with it?

Answer 50

A person’s right to privacy should be maintained. Privacy is concerned with where people are observed and what they are asked people have a right to keep some sensitive information private to themselves. We deal with it by not observing people less in a public place, respect the fact that people may not give information about themselves and give a clear description of the study so people can decline to take part if they do not want to.

Question 51

What is confidentiality and how do we deal with it?

Answer 51

Information about our participants is predicted by the data protection act they must not be identified about in public research. We deal with it by avoid recording any names or personal details and using a coding system to avoid using participants names.

Question 52

What is a target population sample?

Answer 52

This is the people the researcher would like to generalise their results to.

Question 53

What is a sample?

Answer 53

A sample is a subset of people that represent the target population.

Question 54

What are the different sampling methods?

Answer 54

Volunteer, opportunity, systematic, random and stratified

Question 55

What is volunteer sampling?

Answer 55

Placing an advertisement and using participants that volunteer themselves to take part.

Question 56

What is opportunity sampling?

Answer 56

Using those that are available at time of testing example walking past on the street

Question 57

What is systematic sampling?

Answer 57

Generalising a list of all members and then using a system to pick participants

Question 58

What is random sampling?

Answer 58

Each member of the population has an equal chance of being selected, so placing names in a computer program or a hat and pulling out the total number required for the sample.

Question 59

What is stratified sampling?

Answer 59

Sub groups within a population of identified. Participants are selected by a random sample from each subgroup in proportion to their occurrence in the target population.

Question 60

What is validity and what are the types of validity?

Answer 60

Validity is a measure of accuracy of a study and its results. It has three types. Ecological validity which is whether it can be generalised to real life. Population validity, which is when it can be generalised to the target population And temporal validity which is when the results can generalise to modern day behaviour.

Question 61

What is internal validity?

Answer 61

Internal validity is whether or not the study has been conducted accurately, whether the data has been collected accurately and whether or not the study has measured what it is thought to have measured.

Question 62

What are situational variables and participant variables?

Answer 62

These are things that are externally or things in the environment that can affect the DV or things that are features of the participants, individual differences.

Question 63

What is investigator effects?

Answer 63

Whether the researcher could unintentionally have influenced the participants of the study in someway this can be solved by a double blind whether a researcher does not know the study either

Question 64

What are demand characteristics?

Answer 64

Where participants have guessed the aim of the study to help or hinder this can be done all fixed through double blind or deception

Question 65

What is social desirability bias?

Answer 65

This is where participants change answers or behaviour to make themselves look better. This can be overcome by making questionnaire an anonymous or study people without their knowledge.

Question 66

How do you check validity?

Answer 66

Concurrent validity is a check that the measuring tool you are using is equal to an existing validated measuring tool or face validity. This is where a test scale or measure appears on the face of it to measure the thing that it’s supposed to measure.

Question 67

What is reliability?

Answer 67

Reliability includes something that is dependable. It does the same thing every time in psychology. It is just the same it in it assesses consistency of a study and it’s results like the procedure and measuring tools.

Question 68

What are the ways of checking reliability?

Answer 68

The ways of checking are in rate of reliability which is when it checks the observers assessing behaviour or consistent/reliable with each other or test retest this checks the reliability of a measuring tool.

Question 69

What are the types of data?

Answer 69

Quantitive data is numerical data produces numbers/illustrates the quantity of a psychological measure plus it is easy to analyse and compare its scientific and objective but the minus is that it lowers internal validity. Quality data is non-numerical data this produces descriptive word data which illustrates the quantity of a psychological measure .

Question 70

What are descriptive statistic?

Answer 70

Descriptive statistics are used to describe the basic features of the data in the study. It includes the mode median mean range and standard deviation.

Question 71

What are the types of graphs that can be used?

Answer 71

Bar chart used for comparing data in categories Histogram data that is continuous. Pie chart representing the proportion of a hole. And scattergraph correlational data which is numerically and continuous.

Question 72

What are distribution graphs?

Answer 72

Distribution show the amount of people that score certain marks on a test or measure Normal distribution is where most people in a population fit near to the middle point. The end bits are called the tales. Skewed distributions are not all distributions of data form the bell curve. Outliers can cause skewered distribution. Sometimes the distributions lean right or left.

Question 73

What are positive and negative skews

Answer 73

A negative skew is when it leans towards the right and has a long tail to the left of the peak. Most people have scored high on a test to cause this distribution. A positive skew is when it leans towards the left and has a long tail to the right of the peak if the mean is the highest of the MMM then it is a positive skew. Most people have scored low on a test or measure two cause this kind of distribution.

Question 74

What is primary and secondary data?

Answer 74

Primary data is data collected directly first hand from the participants for the purpose of the study. Secondary data is data which was collected for another purpose/different study and then used in the new study and meta analysis is a large scale review study where a researcher takes the data from lots of studies and then analyses to get the overall picture.

Question 75

What are the levels of data?

Answer 75

Nominal, ordinal and interval.

Question 76

What is nominal data and given example?

Answer 76

This data is in separate categories or groups – counting the number of times a behaviour is shown for example using a frequency table or tally chart.

Question 77

What is meant by ordinal data and give an example?

Answer 77

This means the data is in someway bank ordered. This includes subjective data as the scale is based on peoples rankings.

Question 78

What is interval data and give an example

Answer 78

Data is measured using units of equal fixed intervals. This is because the interval between each number along the scale is to have equal size.

Question 79

What is probability?

Answer 79

This estimates the percentage chance of an event occurring.

Question 80

What is the traditional accepted level of significance/probability?

Answer 80

P. More or less than 0.05.

Question 81

What is the sign test

Answer 81

See booklets page 76

Question 82

What is descriptive statistics?

Answer 82

Allows us to draw conclusions through the use of graphs, range standard deviation, et cetera

Question 83

What is influential statistics?

Answer 83

Allows us to say whether difference is significant.

Question 84

Learn the stats table

Answer 84

See page 83 in booklet.