research methods-book 1

Question 1

What is an aim?

Answer 1

A general statement of what the research intends to investigate.
The purpose of the study.

Question 2

What is a hypothesis?

Answer 2

A clear, precise, testable statement that states the relationship between the variables being investigated.
Predicts the outcome of the study.

Question 3

What is a directional hypothesis?

Answer 3

Will state the direction of the difference.
“more”, “less”, “higher”, “lower”, “worse”, “better”

Question 4

What is a non directional hypothesis?

Answer 4

Will state a difference but not what this will be.
Not specific.

Question 5

What do you need when writing a hypothesis?

Answer 5

• Need to consider past research
• If there has been previous research that already suggests an outcome use a directional hypothesis.
• If there is no previous research use a non directional hypothesis.

Question 6

Give reasons why experiments are used in psychology?

Answer 6

• To form conclusions.
• To prove a hypothesis.
• Education purposes.
• Introduce new information/explanations.

Question 7

What are experiments?

Answer 7

An experiment is a scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis or demonstrate a known fact.
All experiments involve a change in an independent variable with the research measuring the dependent variable.
How the independent variable changes and under what circumstances depends on what experiment you use.

Question 8

Describe lab experiments and the strengths and weaknesses.

Answer 8

Description:
-high control.
- Conducted in a highly controlled environment.
- Not always a lab.
Strengths:
- Safety.
- Other factors can be minimised - cause and effect.
Weaknesses:
- Unnatural behaviour - demand characteristics .
- Participants know they are being observed.

Question 9

What are demand characteristics?

Answer 9

Demand characteristics are when participants start to behave in a way they think the researcher wants them to.

Question 10

Describe field experiments and the strengths and weaknesses.

Answer 10

Description:
- Medium control.
- Natural environment.
- Can control some elements but does take place in the participants natural environment.
Strengths:
- No/less demand characteristics.
- More likely to reflect real life - more valid.
Weaknesses :
- Ethical issues - consent.
- Can’t control everything - extraneous variables.

Question 11

Describe natural experiments and the strengths and weaknesses.

Answer 11

Description:
- Low control.
- Takes place in a natural setting/natural occurring event.
Strengths:
- Research unethical situations.
- High external validity - can be applied to real life.
Weakness:
- Rare opportunity.
- No control.
- Unpredictable.

Question 12

Describe quasi experiment and the strengths and weaknesses.

Answer 12

Description:
- Low control.
- Experimenter looks at a naturally occurring event between people that can’t be changed.
- Variables just exist. e.g. age.
Strengths:
- Lab conditions - easily replicable - reliable.
- Natural - real life.
Weaknesses:
- Takes time.
- Might have to wait for changes.

Question 13

What is a true experiment?

Answer 13

• Only lab and field are true experiments.
• Have control over independent variable.
• Needs a control group and experimental group.

Question 14

What is an independent variable?

Answer 14

The variable that is manipulated/changes in an experiment.
It can influence the dependent variable.

Question 15

What is a dependent variable?

Answer 15

The variable that is measured in the experiment.
It is influenced by changes in the independent variable.

Question 16

What is an extraneous variable?

Answer 16

Any variable other than the independent variable that can effect the dependent variable if not controlled.

Question 17

What is a confounding variable?
“confused”

Answer 17

Any variable other than the independent variable that may have an effect on the dependent variable, but researchers are unsure of the true source of changes to the dependent variable.

Question 18

What is operationalisation?

Answer 18

Clearly define variables in terms of how they can be measured.

Question 19

What is a control group?

Answer 19

A group of participants that are treated normally to give researchers a measure of how people behave when not exposed to experimental conditions.

Question 20

What two groups can extraneous variables be divided into?
and give examples of each.

Answer 20

Participant (individual differences) and situational (environment).
Examples of participant:
- Age, Gender, Hunger level, Intelligence, Personality, Motivation, Concentration, Instructions.
Examples of situational:
- Noise, Weather, Temperature, Time of day, Lighting, Instructions.

Question 21

What are experimental designs?

Answer 21

The difference ways in which the testing of participants can be organised in relation to the conditions.

Question 22

What is counterbalancing?

Answer 22

An attempt to control order effects (the order of conditions can impact the outcome) in a repeated measured design.

          Group A:                                                            Group B: Learn words + Loud noise                             Learn words + No noise  Learn words + no noise                                 Learn words + Loud noise

Question 23

What are the three experimental designs?

Answer 23

• Repeated Measures.
• Matched Pairs.
• Independent Groups.

Question 24

Describe repeated measures and the strengths and weaknesses.

Answer 24

Participants experience both conditions of the experiment.
Mean scores of both conditions are compared to see if there was a difference.
Strengths:
- No individual differences.
- Confounding variables reduced.
- Fewer participants.
Weaknesses:
- Order effects - differences in participant responses that result from the order. e.g. 1st, 2nd, 3rd.

Question 25

Describe matched pairs and the strengths and weaknesses.

Answer 25

Pairs of participants are matched on similar participant variables. One participant in Condition A and the other in Condition B. Attempts to control confounding variables. Strengths: - Individual differences are reduced (participant variables). - Avoid order effects. Weaknesses: - Time consuming. - Impossible to remove all individual differences.

Question 26

Describe independent groups and the strengths and weaknesses.

Answer 26

Participants are allocated to different conditions. They only experience one level (condition) of the independent variable. Strengths: - Less demand characteristics as you are less likely to guess the aim. Weaknesses: - More participants. - More participant variables.

Question 27

What is a sample?

Answer 27

A sample is a group of people who take part in a research investigation. The sample is drawn from a target population and is presumed to be representative of that population. For example, does it stand "fairly" for the population being studied. However, most samples contain some level of bias due to the diverse nature of people within the population.

Question 28

What is a population?

Answer 28

A population is the large group of individuals that a particular researcher is interested in studying. For example, students attending colleges in the northwest, children under 6 with autism, women in their 30's,etc. This is often called a target population because it is a subset of the general population.

Question 29

What does representative mean?

Answer 29

The target population matches the sample in terms of key variables.

Question 30

What does generalisation mean?

Answer 30

When groups researched respond to stimuli in a similar way representing the population. - Produce similar results.

Question 31

What does bias mean?

Answer 31

A group is over or under represented. - Too many or not enough of a variable, e.g. gender,culture.

Question 32

What does target population mean?

Answer 32

The entire group a researcher is interested in. e.g. all of Year 12.

Question 33

What are the five sampling methods?

Answer 33

- Random Sampling. - Opportunity Sampling. - Systematic Sampling. - Volunteer Sampling. - Stratified Sampling

Question 34

What is random sampling? and evaluation.

Answer 34

Every member of the target population has an equal chance of being selected. e.g. names in a hat or a random online generator. Evaluation: - High effort - time consuming. - Low bias due to equal chance. - Highly representative.

Question 35

What is opportunity sampling? and evaluation.

Answer 35

Sample consists of who ever happens to be available at the time. Evaluation: - Low effort. - High bias. - Not representative as you may not research participant variables fairly (extraneous variables).

Question 36

What is systematic sampling? and evaluation.

Answer 36

Researcher picks participants according to a system. e.g. every third person on a list. Evaluation: - Medium level of effort. - Medium level of bias. - Medium level of representation.

Question 37

What is volunteer sampling? and evaluation.

Answer 37

People who opt in to be participants. Evaluation: - Low effort for the researcher. - High bias due to demographics of those volunteering. - Low representation.

Question 38

What is stratified sampling? and evaluation.

Answer 38

Target population is broken down into demographics. Participants are selected from each demographic. Evaluation: - High effort - time consuming. - Low bias due to each demographic being represented - high representation.