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a level pyschology > RESEARCH METHODS ( ALL ) > Flashcards

RESEARCH METHODS ( ALL ) Flashcards

1
Q

what are research methods?

A

research methods look at the.. different type of research
the basics of experimental designs
relationships between variables

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2
Q

what are ethical issues?

A

ethical issues arise when a conflict exists between the rights of a participant in the research and the goals of the research

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3
Q

define and name the problem..
INFORMED CONSENT

A

we need valid consent.
pps should be made aware of aims, procedure and rights.
problem: pps will know aim of study if consent is given

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4
Q

3 ways to solve informed consent

A
  • consent letter with only the relevant info
  • parental signature required for children under 16
  • presumptive consent ( gain from similar and assume )
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5
Q

define and name the problem..
DECEPTION

A

deliberately misleading/ withholding info.
problem: if we dont deceive the pps they will know the aim of the study

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6
Q

one way to solve DECEPTION

A

at the end of the study, pps should be made aware of the true aims
reassured behaviour was normal
offered counselling

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7
Q

define and name the problem..
CONFIDENTIALITY

A

personal data should be protected
problem: could be sued if not

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8
Q

how do i assure confidentiality in a study?

A

do not record personal data
remind pps during debrief their data is protected

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9
Q

define right to withdraw

A

pps should be given the right to withdraw at any point in the study with 0 consequences

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10
Q

define protection from harm

A

should be protected from physical and psychological harm eg: embarrassment

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11
Q

define ‘the experimental method’

A

manipulating 1 variable to determine if this causes change in another

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12
Q

define research aims

A

general statements about what the researcher intends to investigate ( purpose of study )

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13
Q

whats ‘the independent variable’

A

the IV is what is being changed/ manipulated in the study

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14
Q

whats the dependant variable

A

the dependant variable is the thing being measured within the study

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15
Q

whats operationalising ?

A

being specific and clear about what is being manipulated or measured. it must be testable and repeatable

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16
Q

whats a hypotheses

A

a hypotheses is a statement of what you believe in. Its a precise and testable statement of the relationship of two variables

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17
Q

whats a directional hypotheses

A

a hypotheses that states the direction of a predicted difference between 2 conditions

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18
Q

whats a non directional hypotheses

A

states there will be a difference between the two, but no direction

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19
Q

whats a non directional hypotheses

A

states there will be a difference between the two, but no direction

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20
Q

null hypotheses

A

there will be no significant difference between two conditions

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21
Q

whats an extraneous variable

A

an extraneous variable affects the DV only, its an unwanted factor that could negatively affect data factors such as: age.

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22
Q

whats a confounding variable

A

is a type of extraneous variable which changes the IV, making it hard to tell if the DV is changing due to the IV or the confounding variable

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23
Q

what are pps variables

A

variables linked to people used in the study eg: gender, age

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24
Q

what are situational variables

A

variables linked to the environment of the study eg: noise, time, distractions

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25
define pps reactivity
behaviour of pps is affected by awareness they’re part of a study
26
define social desirability bias
pps change behaviour to fit in with social norms
27
what are demand characteristics
a cue in the experiment that may allow pps to guess the aim of the study and cause them to change behaviour
28
define investigator effects
any effect of the investigator behaviours that affects outcome eg: tone of voice
29
how can we control demand characteristics
1. deception- withhold info 2. single blind procedure, pps unaware of which condition they are in or the research aims
30
how can we control investigator effects
inter- rater reliability independent raters rate same behaviour as researcher double blind procedure both pps investigator are unaware of the groups and which variable they are under randomisation
31
how do we control situational variables
standardisation - use the same, formalised procedures instructions for all pps
32
what are experimental designs
different ways pps can be organised in relation to the experimental conditions
33
what are the 3 types of experimental designs
independent groups repeated measures matched pairs
34
whats independent groups
where different pps are used in each condition of the independent variable. the performance of the 2 would then be compared
35
2 strengths of independent groups
- avoids order effects as pps are only in 1 condition - pps less likely to guess the aim and show demand characteristics
36
2 weaknesses of independant groups
- time consuming as we need more people - individual differences may affect results
37
define repeated measures
all pps take part in all conditions
38
2 strengths of repeated measures
- pps variables are reduced as the same pps are used in each condition - fewer people needed
39
weakness of repeated measures
may be order effects eg: may perform better in the 2nd condition due to practise
40
define matched pairs
pairs of pos are matched based on extraneous variables eg: age and then one is assigned to condition one and the other condition 2
41
2 strengths of matched pairs
- reduces pps variables as they have been based on characteristics - avoids order effects as each pp is in only 1 condition
42
2 weakness’ of marched pairs
- time consuming to match - pps can never be matched exactly
43
what are the 4 types of experiments
lab, field, natural, quasi
44
define lab experiments
conducted under controlled conditions researcher changes IV to see effect on DV
45
define field experiments
carried out in a natural setting researcher manipulates IV to see effect on DV
46
define natural experiments
the change in IV would have happened if the researcher wasnt there eg: heart attack number after smoking ban
47
define quasi experiments
IV simply exists
48
2 strengths of lab experiments
high level of control, inc validity easy to replicate and check results
49
limitation of lab experiment
lacks ecological validity due to control of researcher, findings cant be generalised
50
strength of field experiments
good internal and external validity
51
limitation of field experiment
less control, therefore extraneous variables can affect data, lowering internal validity
52
strength of natural experiments
provides opportunity to research things that may not be ethical if they hadn’t occurred naturally
53
2 limitations of natural experiments
may happen rarely, reducing research opportunities may not be able to randomly allocate pps to conditions
54
strength of quasi
controlled conditions, high external validity
55
weakness of quasi
cannot allocate to conditions, may be confounding variables
56
define a population
a group of people who are the focus of the researchers interest, from which a smaller sample is drawn
57
whats a sample
a sample is the people who take part in study. they’re drawn from target population and presumed to be representative of that population
58
random sample
everyone has equal chance
59
strength, 2 limitations of random sampling
- potentially unbiased, validity - time consumimg - may be biased sample
60
systematic sampling
using a system to select eg: every 4th
61
one strength, 2 weakness of systematic sampling
objective, researcher little influence - time consuming - may end up biased eg: every 4th was male
62
stratified sampling
sample reflects proportions of people in subgroups
63
one strength, 2 weakness of stratified
representative sample - time consuming - subgroups cant reflect how all people are different, therefore complete representation isnt possible
64
opportunity sample
uses pps who are willing and available
65
1 strength , 1 weakness of stratified
easy and inexpensive may be biased ( similarities of interest? )
66
volunteer sample
pps who have volunteered to be in study
67
strength and weakness of volunteer
large samples reached similiar characteristics
68
what are self report techniques
methods of gathering data where pps provide into about themselves without interference
69
difference between qualitative and quantative data
qualitative is detailed and focusses on opinions quantitative is usually numerical
70
open and closed questions
open is usually detailed, closed focusses on one answer questions
71
5 things to include in good questionnaire questions
- filler questions - open and closed - no double negatives - no leading questions - easy to hard
72
4 strengths of questionnaires
- quick and cheap - comfortable to reveal info - reduces experimenter bias - no special training
73
3 weakness of questionnaires
- biased to those willing - timely - cant ask questions
74
difference between structured and unstructured questions
structured has pre determined questions and cant deviate from script, unstructured have new questions and may be based on last answer
75
2 strengths, 2 weakness of structured interviews
easily repeated easy to analyse questions - interviewer bias - comparability difficult if interviewer behaves differently
76
strength, 2 weakness of unstructured
more detail obtained - interviewer with skill needed - expensive
77
why do psychologists observe
- to study natural behaviour - to study behaviours that are unethical
78
name the 3 types of observation
controlled v naturalistic overt v covert pps v non
79
difference between overt and covert
covert is where pps dont know they are being observed over is where the pps knows and have given consent
80
difference between time sampling and event sampling
event sampling is where the number of times the behaviour is carried out is recorded time sampling is a pre determined time frame
81
whats a correlation
measures extent of which two variables are related
82
difference between a positive and negative correlation
a positive is a relationship where both variables move in the same direction, a negative is where an increase in one is a decrease in the other
83
2 strengths of correlations
determines if theres a relationship may suggest ideas for future research if correlation is strong
84
2 weakness’ of correlations
only tell us variables are related, not why dont demonstrate cause and effect ( which variable causes other )
85
3 differences between correlations and experiments
experiments.. - asses effect of IV on DV, correlations dont use seperate conditions - experiments look for difference - bar chart vs scatter graph
86
whats a meta analysis
large scale review where a researcher takes the data from lots of individual studies and analyses to get an overall picture
87
what are the measures of cendral tendancy
averages which give info on the most typical values eg: mean, mode, median
88
when do we use the mean?
when there are all data values we dont use them when theyre extreme values
89
what are measures of dispersion
based on spread of the scores eg: range, standard deviation
90
whats standard deviation
measure which shows to what extend the values deviate from the mean
91
whats a pilot study
a small- scale version of an investigation which takes place before the real one
92
3 aims of pilot studies
no biased results properly operationalised behaviour categories are being properly observed
93
strength of pilot study
pilot studies can be used to identify misleading questions and reduce bias, therefore, the internal validity increases and the reliability
94
weakness of pilot study
just because a pilot study is successful, doesnt guarantee the actual will be therefore we cant accept that the pilot study will be a 100% recreation
95
whats a peer review
all aspects of investigation are checked by experts ‘peers’ in the field
96
3 reasons to peer review
allocate funding amend research validate quality and relevance
97
3 negatives if we didnt peer review
- damage integrity of the field - lead to misinformation - poor quality may be disseminated
98
what happened with the MMR vaccine study, relating to peer review
- 1998 Andrew Wakefield led a study that suggested vaccine caused autism - this was published and parents didnt vaccinate their children, leading to death - a 2014 meta analysis confirmed it was lies - rumours still persist
99
2 strengths of peer review
protects quality preserves reputation
100
2 weakness of peer review
publication bias anonymity of review may be used to criticise rival researchers
101
2 examples of implications of psychological research on economy
- attachment research into role of fathers. modern parents may be better equipped to contribute effectively - mental disorders cause time off work and lead to a negative effect on the economy
102
define reliability
how consistently a method measures something - repeat and obtain - linked to replication
103
define internal reliability
within study consistency, how consistently different items with 1 test measure same concept
104
external reliability
similiar results over time/ situations in different conditions
105
inter reliability
reliability within the study, is the result consistent
106
external reliability
focusses in if the result is still consistent over different time periods and situations
107
split half
split test in half, not only in half but eg: systematic give pps both half 0.8 to be accurate
108
test retest
test is completed over 2 time periods 0.8
109
inter rater test
2 psychologists analyse same situation and compare results

a level pyschology (18 decks)

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