research methods Flashcards
independent variable
some aspect of the experimental situation which is directly manipulated by the experiment to see id it causes a change in some other behaviour
dependent variable
Any change in performance that occurs after the independent variable has been applied is called the dependent variable
Sampling
Sampling is the he process by which research psychologists attempt to select a representative group from the population under study (target population)
why is sampling useful?
An entire population is too big to study, therefore a smaller group must act as a representative sample
what are the six sampling methods?
Random Sampling Stratified Sampling Quota Sampling Systematic Sampling Opportunity Sampling Self-selected Sampling Volunteer Sample
why do we need a representative sample?
because of how you need a sample that represents everyone
how would you pick a random sample out of 20 people
you would pick random names and use those people e.g using a computer program or pulled names out of a hat
why do a few studies actually use random sampling?
he advantages are that your sample should represent the target population and eliminate sampling bias
why do a few studies actually use random sampling?
the advantages are that your sample should represent the target population and eliminate sampling bias
why do some people not like random sampling?
because it is very time consuming since some people may not wish to be involved in the sample or may not be available or you may not want to pick someone because of their physical appearance etc
what are quantitive methods?
they are those which focus on numbers and frequencies rather than meaning and experience
quantitive methods such as experiments and questionnaires which is easy to analyse statistically and fairly reliable
what are qualitative methods?
methods are ways of collecting data which are concerned with describing meaning, rather than with drawing statistical inferences
What qualitative methods (e.g. case studies and interviews) lose on reliability they gain in terms of validity. They provide a more in depth and rich description
•There are 3 measures which give us an idea of the “central tendency” of data – a bit like the middle value, what are they?
- Mean (this is what most people call the average value)
- Mode (this is the value that occurs most frequently)
- Median (this is the middle value when all other values are placed in rank order)
There are 3 measures which give us an idea of the “central tendency” of data – a bit like the middle value, what are they?
- Mean (this is what most people call the average value)
- Mode (this is the value that occurs most frequently)
- Median (this is the middle value when all other values are placed in rank order)
what are measures of dispersion?
range
standard deviation
