research methods-experiments Flashcards
1
Q
aims
A
purpose of the investigation
2
Q
hypotheses
A
statement made at the start of a study showing the relationship between the variables in a theory
3
Q
experimental method
A
manipulating the IV to measure the DV
4
Q
directional hypothesis
A
states the direction of the difference/relationship, when research has been done before
5
Q
non directional hypothesis
A
doesn’t state the direction of the difference/relationship, when research hasn’t been done before
6
Q
variables
A
something that can change in an investigation
7
Q
independent variable
A
aspect of the experiment that is changed by the researcher or is a natural difference
8
Q
dependent variable
A
variable measured by the researcher
9
Q
operationalisation
A
defining variables in terms of how they can be measured
10
Q
extraneous variables
A
variables other than the IV that can affect the DV if not controlled
11
Q
confounding variables
A
type of extraneous variable, varies with the IV so we can’t tell if the change is due to the IV or the confounding variable
12
Q
demand characteristics
A
cue from the researcher that may be interpreted by participants as revealing the purpose of the investigation, which may lead to the participant changing their behaviour
13
Q
investigator effects
A
effect of the investigator’s behaviour on the dependent variable e.g gender, bias or facial cues
14
Q
randomisation
A
use chance methods to control the effects of bias when designing the experiment and deciding the order of experimental conditions
15
Q
standardisation
A
use the same formalised procedures and instructions for participants in a research study
16
Q
experimental design
A
different ways the experiment can be organised relating to experimental conditions
17
Q
independent group designs
A
participants allocated to different groups where each group represents one experimental condition
18
Q
repeated measures
A
all participants take part in all conditions of the experiment
19
Q
matched pairs design
A
pairs of participants are matched on some variables that can affect the dependent variable-one is assigned to condition a and one is assigned to condition b
20
Q
random allocation
A
control participant variables in an independent groups design ensuring each participant has an equal chance of being selected
21
Q
counterbalancing
A
control the effects of order in a repeated measures design- half the participants experience it in one order and half in the other order
22
Q
laboratory experiment
A
experiment in a controlled environment where the researcher manipulates the IV and records the effects on the DV whilst strictly controlling variables
23
Q
field experiment
A
experiment that takes place in a natural setting where the researcher manipulates the IV and records the effects on the DV
24
Q
natural experiments
A
an experiment where the IV naturally occurs and they record the effect on the DV from this
25
quasi experiment
IV based on an existing difference between people, the DV may naturally occur or be devised by the experimenter
26
advantages of laboratory experiments
have high control over variables, replication can occur
27
disadvantages of laboratory experiments
low external validity, low mundane realism, may display demand characteristics
28
advantages of field experiments
higher mundane realism, high external validity
29
disadvantage of field experiments
less control over variables, participants may not have given consent
30
advantages of natural experiments
high external validity, no demand characteristics
31
disadvantages of natural experiments
harder to control variables, harder to replicate, the sample may be biased
32
advantages of quasi experiments
controlled conditions
33
disadvantages of quasi experiments
confounding variables
34
target population
large group of individuals the researcher is interested in studying
35
random sampling
all of the target population have an equal chance of being selected, list the population, assign them a number, use a random number generator
36
advantages of random sampling
free from researcher bias
37
disadvantages of random sampling
difficult, time consuming, people may refuse to take part
38
systematic sampling
every nth person is selected, sampling frame produced to organise the population and then a sampling system is nominated, eg every 3rd person
39
advantages of systematic sampling
free from researcher bias, representative
40
disadvantages of systematic sampling
difficult, time consuming
41
opportunity sampling
ask whoever is willing and available
42
advantages of opportunity sampling
convenient, saves time and money
43
disadvantages of opportunity sampling
specific area so hard to generalise, researcher bias
44
volunteer sampling
participants select themselves to be part of the study
45
advantages of volunteer sampling
convenient and cheap
46
disadvantages of volunteer sampling
likely to have a typical volunteer personality
47
stratified sampling
aims to represent the sub groups (strata) realistically
48
advantages of stratified sampling
free from researcher bias, accurately represents the population
49
what is the BPS code of ethics built around? (4)
respect, competence, responsibility and integrity
50
name the 6 ethical issues
consent, right to withdraw, protection from harm, confidentiality, deception and privacy
51
advantages of using independent groups
less demand characteristics, easy to compare
52
disadvantages of using independent groups
different variables in each group, confounding variables, less validity, time consuming
53
advantages of repeated measures
more controlled variables, fewer ppts so cheaper
54
disadvantages of repeated measures
demand characteristics- can use counterbalancing, confounding variables
55
advantages of using matched pairs
less demand characteristics
56
disadvantages of using matched pairs
never an exact match, time consuming and expensive
57
what is a pilot study?
small scale version of an investigation that takes place before the real thing allowing the researcher to make changes if necessary
58
single blind procedure
participants are not told the true aim of a study to reduce demand characteristics
59
double blind procedure
neither the participant or the researcher are aware of the aim of the investigation, eg in a drug trial
60
controlled observation
some variables are controlled by the researcher, ppts are likely to know they are being studied
61
participant observation
the researcher becomes a member of the group they are recording
62
naturalistic observation
behaviour studied in a natural situation where everything has been left as normal
63
overt observation
participants behaviour is watched and recorded with their knowledge and consent
observer is clearly visible
64
covert observation
participants behaviour watched and recorded without their knowledge and consent
65
non participant observation
the researcher stays outside the group they are watching and recording
66
advantages of naturalistic observations
high external validity
67
disadvantages of naturalistic observations
hard to replicate, extraneous variables
68
advantages of controlled observations
easier to replicate, less extraneous variables
69
disadvantages of controlled observations
low external validity
70
advantages of covert observations
removes demand characteristics, high internal validity
71
disadvantages of covert observations
unethical
72
advantages of overt observations
ethical
73
disadvantages of overt observations
demand characteristics
74
advantages of participant observations
increased insight into the ppts increases the external validity
75
disadvantages of participant observations
lose objectivity if they become too close with participants
76
advantages of non participant observations
keep objectivity
77
disadvantages of non participant observations
may lose valuable insight if too far removed
78
what is an unstructured observation
where the researcher writes down everything they see
79
what is a structured observation
only observe target behaviours
80
what are behavioural categories
when the target behaviour is broken down into operationalised components
81
what is event sampling
a target behaviour is established and the researcher records every time this behaviour occurs
82
what is time sampling
a target individual or group is established and the researcher records how often a target behaviour occurs eg every 60 seconds
83
what is interobserver reliability
observations carried out by at least two researchers , then the data is compared to check that it is reliable
84
what is an advantage of a structured observation
recording data is easier and more systematic
85
what is a disadvantage of an unstructured observation
produce qualitative data which is more difficult to record and analyse
86
what is an advantage of an unstructured observation
more detail and depth to the data obtained
87
what is a disadvantage of an unstructured observation
may have observer bias
88
what is an advantage of using behavioural categories
makes data more structured
89
what do you need to ensure when making behavioural categories
categories must be clear, should check that all forms of the target behaviour are in that category, categories must be exclusive
90
when is event sampling useful
when the target behaviour doesnt happen often
91
what is a potential problem with event sampling
could overlook other important details
92
when is time sampling useful
means less observations can be made
93
what is a problem with time sampling
could be unrepresentative
94
what are self report techniques
a person is asked to state their personal feelings about a topic
95
what is a questionnaire
set of written questions used to assess someones thoughts or experiences
96
what is an interview
a live encounter where an interviewer asks someone questions to find out about their experiences
97
what is an open question
question without a fixed answer, can answer in any way you wish
98
what type of data do questionnaires produce
qualitative
99
what is a closed question
question with a fixed number of responses
100
what type of data do closed questions produce
quantitative
101
what is a structured interview
interview where the questions are predetermined and in a fixed order
102
what is an unstructured interview
more like a conversation, just discuss a general topic
103
what is a semi structured interview
ask specific questions but can also make up more questions based on the response eg a job interview
104
what is a strength of a questionnaire
cost effective and can quickly gather lots of data, easy to analyse
105
what is a limitation of a questionnaire
may not respond truthfully
106
what is social desirability bias
type of demand characteristic, people want to present themselves in a positive way
107
what is response bias
respondents tend to reply in a similar way eg always tick yes
108
what is acquiescence bias
where people tend to agree with a questionnaire regardless of what its asking
109
whats an advantage of a structured interview
easy to replicate
110
whats a disadvantage of a structured interview
limits the depth of the data
111
whats an advantage of an unstructured interview
more flexibiltity
112
whats a disadvantage of an unstructured interview
may be interview bias
113
what is a likert scale
respondent indicates the extent they agree with a statement, eg strongly agree
114
what is a rating scale
picks a numerical value to represent their feelings towards a topic
115
what is a fixed choice option
indicate which options are applicable to them
116
what is important to consider when designing an interview
interview schedule should include standardised questions, make the interviewee feel comfortable and remind them that the answers they give will be treated confidentially
117
what is important to consider when writing questions for self report
use language the interviewee will understand, avoid leading questions and double barrelled questions or negatives
118
what is a correlation
strength and direction of an association between variables
119
what are covariables
variables being investigated in a correlation
120
how are correlations plotted
on a scattergraph
121
what are the types of correlation
positive, negative, zero
122
what is the problem with using a correlation rather than an experiment when making assumptions?
Correlation does not imply causation (casual conclusions)
123
list the advantages of using correlations
can see if variables are related, quick and cheap to carry out, no need for a controlled environment, don't need to manipulate variables, can use secondary data
124
list the disadvantages of using correlations
cannot determine cause and effect, may be an intervening variable
125
what is primary data
original data collected first hand by a researcher by doing an experiment
126
what is secondary data
information that someone else has collected
127
what is qualitative data
data expressed in words
128
what is quantitative data
data expressed numerically
129
what is a meta analysis
combine findings of a study on a certain topic
130
what is an advantage of qualitative data
richer in detail, greater external validity
131
what is a disadvantage of quantitative data
harder to analyse, interpretations may be biased
132
what is an advantage of quantitative data
easy to analyse, less open to bias
133
what is a disadvantage of quantitative data
has less meaning, fails to represent real life
134
what is an advantage of primary data
suitable for the question being asked
135
what is a disadvantage of primary data
time and effort
136
what is an advantage of secondary data
inexpensive, less effort
137
disadvantage of secondary data
information may not be useful or is outdated
138
what is a descriptive statistic
gives measures of central tendency(averages)
139
what is the mean
add all the numbers, divide by how many they are, easily distorted by extreme values
140
what is the median
middle value in a data set from lowest to highest, not affected by extreme values however these may be important
141
what is the mode
most frequently occurring value
142
what are measures of dispersion
spread of the scores
143
what is the range
take away highest and lowest values, add 1
144
what is the standard deviation
how far scores are from the mean
145
what are scatter graphs used for
shows an association between variables
146
what are bar charts used for
show the difference in mean values, discrete data, bars which are separated
147
what are histograms used for
continuous data, shows the frequency which is represented by the area of the bar
148
what is an abstract
summary of aims and hypotheses, method, results and conclusions
149
what is an introduction
several studies are summarised leading to the aim and hypotheses of the research
150
what is the method
needs to have enough detail to replicate the experiment, include design, sampling, materials used etc
151
what are the results
include statistics, and whether we reject or accept the null hypothesis
152
what is the discussion
where the results are verbally explained, discuss the study limitations and how it could be improved in the future
153
what is peer review
when all aspects of an investigation are scrutinised by experts, who are objective and unknown
154
what are the aims of peer review
allocate research funding, see the quality and relevance of the research, suggest improvements
155
what are issues with peer review
anonymity may not always be positive, could be publication bias, discriminates some research
156
what is a correlation coefficient
value between 1 and -1 telling us how strong a relationship between variables is, closer to +1 or -1 means a stronger relationship
