Research Methods Flashcards
(51 cards)
Define experimental method
The experimental method concerns the manipulation of an independent variable (IV) to have an effect on the dependent variable (DV) which is measured and stated in results
Difference between a directional and non-directional hypothesis
A directional hypothesis states the direction of the impact of independent variable (IV) on the dependent variable (DV) whereas non-directional does not state the direction of the relationship between the IV and the DV
Identify the five types of sampling methods
- opportunity sampling
- random sampling
- systematic sampling
- stratified sampling
- volunteer sampling
Outline how you would take a stratified sample
- Split the population into groups (called strata) based on a characteristic (e.g., age, gender, or occupation).
- Pick a sample from each group in proportion to how big that group is in the population.
- Combine all the selected people to make the final sample.
explain one advantage of using a stratified sampling
more representative of the target population compared to other types of sampling
explain what is meant by operationalisation
the process by which a researcher defines how a concept is measured, observed or manipulated within a particular study.
Example: Concept: Aggression
Operationalised as: Number of times someone shouts or hits in a 10-minute observation period.
What is the difference between the independent variable and the dependent variable ?
IV is the variable that is manipulated (changed) to observe its effect on the DV whereas the DV is the variable that is being measured and is affected by the IV
e.g. effect off sleep on memory recall
IV = amount of sleep (4h vs 8h)
DV = Number of words correctly recalled from a list
What is a solution to the problem of order effects caused by a repeated measures design ?
a solution would be counterbalancing. This is when half of the participants are made to do conditions in one order and the other half in the opposite order. This eliminated order effects and helps to balance out practice and fatigue effects making the results more valid
Example, A psychologist is investigating whether people concentrate better in silence or with background music.
• All participants do both conditions (silence and music) — this is a repeated measures design.
To counterbalance:
• Half of the participants do the silence condition first, then music.
• The other half do music first, then silence.
This way, any improvement or worsening due to practice or tiredness is balanced out across conditions.
explain the difference between the aim and the hypothesis ?
the aim of the study tells us what the study is investigating whereas the hypothesis is a statement that predicts the relationship between the IV and the DV
identify the four types of experiments
laboratory
field
quasi
natural
describe the purpose of carrying out a peer review
- to make sure the research is of good quality and relevant
- to be able to suggest improvements so that faulty or incorrect data is not released to the public
- the peer reviews are unknown so there is no bias
Define the two types of skewed distributions
Positive skew - when plotted on a graph , the data has a long tail on the right
Negative skew - when plotted on a graph, the data has a long tail on the left
check pic on camera roll
content analysis
a type of observational research where qualitative data (like text, interviews, media etc) is categorised or themed so that it can be analysed for patterns of behaviours (quantitative data)
give two strengths of conducting a content analysis
- it has high mundane realism , reflects real-life situations, and external validity , how well the study can be generalised to other people , settings , or times.
- produces a large data set of both qualitative and quantitative data that is easy to analyse
give two limitations of a content analysis
- as it only describe the data it cannot extract any deeper explanation for the data patterns arising
- subjectivity and researcher bias , different researchers may interpret the same data differently
- can be time consuming
case study
an in-depth investigation of one person or a group of people over time. It is usually carried out in the real world. very individualistic.
three limitations of conducting a case study
- as it only concerns one person it is not really generalisable to wider populations
- The information gathered is often based on retrospective data, which might not
be accurate.
• Because it is very difficult to replicate a case study they lack reliability.
positives of conducting a case study
- provide rich, detailed data that gives an insight into behaviour
- can use a range of methods , giving a fuller picture
- useful for studying things that can’t be ethically or practically manipulated in a lab
define reliability
it is a measure of consistency , for example if a particular measurement is replicable then that measurement is described as being reliable
two ways of assessing the validity of research
• Face validity: Whether a test appears to measure what it’s supposed to (based on surface judgement).
• Concurrent validity: Whether a test produces similar results to an already established, valid test.
what are the three factors that help you decide which inferential statistical test to use ?
- the level of data that was collected
- whether the design of the study is related or unrelated
- whether a difference of correlation is being measured
identify the three levels of measurement
- nominal data
- interval data
- ordinal data
describe nominal data and give an example
nominal data is categorical data where info is sorted into named groups with no numerical value , ranking or order
e.g. ethnicity , car brand , or place of birth
describe ordinal data and give an example
ordinal data is data that can be ranked or placed in order, but the intervals between values are not equal or known
e.g. finishing positions in a race (1st ,2nd or 3rd)
