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Psychology A level > Research methods > Flashcards

Research methods Flashcards

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1
Q

what is a confederate

A

someone part of the experiment but they are acting to help the experiment go along

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2
Q

what is ecological validity

A

a form of external validity
concerns the ability to generalise a research effect beyond the particular setting in which is it demonstrated, to other settings. established by representativeness (mundane realism) and generalisability (to other settings)

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3
Q

what is an extraneous variable

A

does not vary systematically with the iv and therefore do not act as an alternative iv but may affect the dv
they are nuisance variables that make it more difficult to detect a significant effect

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4
Q

what are confounding variables

A

not the iv but varies systematically with the iv

changes in the dv may be due to the confounding variable (to confound means to confuse)

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5
Q

what is opportunity sampling

A

taking the sample from people who are available

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6
Q

what is random sampling

A

a sample in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being chosen

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7
Q

what is stratified and quota sampling

A

involves classifying the population into categories and choosing a sample which consists of participants from each category in the proportion they are in the population

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8
Q

what is volunteer sampling

A

participants become part of a study because they volunteer when asked or respond to an advert

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9
Q

what is systematic sampling

A

using a predetermined system to select participants

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10
Q

what is the difference between consent and informed consent

A

in informed consent participants must be given comprehensive info: the nature and purpose of the research and their role in it so they can make an informed decision about whether to participate

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11
Q

what are standardised procedures

A

procedures that are the same for all p’s in order to be able to repeat the study (includes standardised instructions)

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12
Q

what does it mean when a variable has been operationalised

A

it has been turned into something that can be measured

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13
Q

what is the difference between a directional and a non directional hypothesis

A

directional hypothesis states which condition of the IV will perform better or worse than the other eg male p’s will score more basketball hoops than female p’s whereas non directional states there will be a difference but doesn’t state which will perform better or worse

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14
Q

what are the 3 experimental designs

A

repeated measures
matched pairs
independent groups

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15
Q

what are the 3 experimental methods

A

lab,
field
observation
self report

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16
Q

what is a repeated measures design

A

all participants receive all levels of the IV. eg each participant does the task with the tv on and then with the tv off

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17
Q

what are the limitations of the repeated measures design

A

1) order effect- p’s may do better on the second test because of a practice effect or worse because of boredom
2) when p’s do the second test they may guess the purpose which can change their behaviour

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18
Q

how do you deal with the limitations of the repeated measures design

A

counterbalancing- cover story presented about purpose of test to avoid p’s guessing the aim

2 different but equivalent tests are used to reduce a practice effect

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19
Q

what is independent groups design

A

p’s are placed in separate groups where each does one level of the IV

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20
Q

what are limitations of independent groups design

A

1) researcher can’t control effects of participants variables (different characteristics) which can act as confounding variables
2) more p’s needed than repeated measures to end up with same amount of data

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21
Q

what is matched pairs design

A

use 2 groups of p’s but match them on key characteristics believed to affect performance on the dv
one member of the pair allocated to each group

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22
Q

what are limitations of matched pairs design

A

1) time consuming and difficult to match on key variables. researcher needs a large group to start with
2) can’t control all participant variables as you can only match on variables known to be relevant but others could be important

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23
Q

how can you deal with the limitations of independent groups design

A

randomly allocate p’s to conditions which distribute participant variables evenly
eg names out a hat

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24
Q

how can you deal with the limitations of matched pairs design

A

restrict the number of variables to match on to make it easier
conduct a pilot study to consider variables that may be important when matching

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25
what is a lab experiment
carried out in a controlled setting high internal validity as good control over all variables is possible low ecological validity as p’s are aware they’re being studied
26
what is a field experiment
controlled but not in a lab lower internal validity but higher external validity (mundane realism) p’s are usually unaware it is an experiment
27
what is a natural experiment
experimenter has not manipulated IV directly and it would vary regardless of study
28
what are the strengths of a lab experiment
well controlled extraneous/ confounding variables are limited so higher internal validity can easily be replicated- external validity
29
what are the limitations of a lab experiment
a contrived situation p’s may know they’re being studied materials lack mundane realism, environment may be unfamiliar so p’s may not behave naturally leading to lower ecological validity
30
what are advantages of a field experiment
higher mundane realism, less artificial higher ecological validity p’s are usually not aware of being studied
31
what are the limitations of a field experiment
less control of extraneous / confounding variables reduces internal validity more time consuming and thus more expensive
32
what are the strengths of a natural experiment
allows research where IV can’t be manipulated for ethical or practical reasons enables study of ‘real’ problems
33
what are the limitations of a natural experiment
can not demonstrate casual relationships because IV isn’t directly manipulated random allocation not possible so maybe be confounding variables
34
what are ethical rights that the researcher has to ensure
confidentiality no deception protection from harm right to withdraw
35
what are 3 ways of dealing with ethical issues
cost benefit analysis ethics committees punishment
36
what is cost benefit analysis
the costs of the research is judged against the benefits it is difficult to predict both before conducting a study argued that it solves nothing as you exchange one set of dilemmas for another
37
why would you use a sign test
because it is a test of difference with nominal/categorical data and repeated groups design
38
what are the measures of central tendency
mean median mode
39
what does p<0.05 mean
that you can be 95% sure that your results are not down to chance
40
what probability is required for results to be considered significant in the sign test
for a one tailed hypothesis it’s p<0.05 | for a two tailed hypothesis it’s 0<0.01
41
what are the measures of dispersion
range and standard deviation
42
what are the disadvantages of using standard deviation
may hide some characteristics of the data set as extreme values won’t really be represented in the result
43
what is the advantage of using standard deviation
it is a more precise measure of dispersion than range as it takes all values into account
44
why is content analysis used
to transform complex qualitative data into quantitative data so that conclusions about patterns may be drawn more easily
45
how is content analysis carried out
systematic researcher decides what material to sample, decides what themes / categories might emerge from these and create a coding system eg may note each time they find a word/theme/ character and count frequencies of occurrence
46
what are the strengths of content analysis (3)
1) studies can be easily replicated by accessing archived materials so findings can be tested for reliability 2) high ecological validity as it’s based on real communications in natural settings 3) effective way of presenting qualitative data
47
what are limitations of content analysis (3)
1) low validity as researchers may be inconsistent or impose their own meaning on the data 2) time consuming to prepare and analyse large volumes of sample material 3) ethical issues as p’s may be unaware that their material is being used for research
48
what is counterbalancing
an experimental technique used to overcome order effects when using a repeated measures design. ensures each condition is tested first or second in equal amounts
49
what is a pilot study
a small scale trial run of a study to test any aspects of the design with a view to making improvements
50
what is a null hypothesis
when a researcher is confident that the IV will have no effect at all on the DV they select a null hypothesis
51
what is the anagram to remember the british psychological code of ethics
``` Psychology Is Dead Cool Really ( protection from harm (informed consent) (deception) (confidentiality) (right to withdraw) ```
52
advantages of random sampling
chances of selecting a biased sample are slim as everyone has a change of being selected improves population validity
53
weaknesses of random sampling
1) can be hard to obtain a list of the entire target population not everyone you select will be available or willing 2) representative sample is not guaranteed some subgroups may be over represented or not selected
54
what are the advantages of opportunity sampling
1) time and cost efficient technique as participants are readily available sample sizes can be larger as expenses per individual are smaller
55
what are weaknesses of opportunity sampling
1) samples are likely to be skewed in terms of participants background lacks population validity and findings can’t be generalised 2) ethical issues regarding consent and right to withdraw eg students of a lecturer may feel obliged to take part
56
advantage of volunteer sampling
sometimes the only way of locating a niche group of participants who are difficult to identify
57
disadvantages of volunteer sampling
1) only atypical members of population respond eg the most cooperative and motivated reduces population validity and generalisability 2) only those who see the advert have a chance of being selected may reduce sample size and significance of findings
58
what is concurrent validity
a means of establishing validity by comparing an existing test or questionnaire with the one you are interested in and comparing p’s scores. if scores are similar then concurrent validity is confirmed
59
what is face validity
whether a self report measure looks like it is measuring what the researcher intended (only requires intuitive measurement)
60
what is mundane realism
how a study reflects the real world. the simulated task environment is realistic to the degree to which experiences encountered in the environment reflect the real world
61
what is temporal validity
concerning the ability to generalise a research effect beyond the particular time period of the study

Psychology A level (9 decks)

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