Research Methods - Factors Affecting Research

Question 1

Define validity

Answer 1

The extent which something measures what is supposed to measure. It includes internal validity and external validity.

Question 2

Internal validity

Answer 2

Refers to whether the results are genuine inside of the study

In the case of an experiment were the effects really caused by the manipulation of the IV or were they caused by other factors?

Love experiments tend of high internal validity because they have high levels of control they tried to control all of the extraneous variables. However, field and natural experiments and non-experimental research methods all have low internal validity due to a lack of control.

Question 3

External validity

Answer 3

Refers to whether the findings of a study can be generalised to other situations other times and other people outside of the study.

It is ecological validity, the extent to which we can generalise other times and places and population validity the extent to which the results can be generalised to other people.

Ecological validity: research that is carried out in real life setting such as fields and natural experiments tend to have high ecological validity because the initial investigation is already representative of real life. And the result are much more easily generalised to other situations than those of artificial lab experiments.

Population validity: this depends on the sample use in the investigation if there was a large sample which was inclusive of different types of people then the population will be high.

Question 4

Name the factors which affect internal validity of investigation

Answer 4

Demand characteristics
Social desirability bias
Hawthorn effect
Investigator effects
Extraneous variables

Question 5

How does demand characteristics affect internal validity?

Answer 5

Cues in the environment help the participant to work out what the research hypothesis is. This may lead to participants altering their natural behaviour to try to go along with the hypothesis. Or they may purposely disrupt the researcher through the screw you effect.

You can control this through
- Deception
- Experimental designs
- Single blind ( participants are told the general aim of the research but are not told which condition they have been placed in)

Question 6

How does social deseriability bias affect internal validity

Answer 6

Participants usually want to be seen in a good light and therefore may not always give truthful answers to difficult questions their behaviour may also be changed in an attempt to betray themselves more positively.

This can be controlled through
1) deception
2) ensuring confidentiality

Question 7

How does Hawthorn effect affect internal?

Answer 7

Peoples behaviour will often be affected simply because they are in a study and aware that they are being watched. For some people this will improve performance but other others it might have a negative effect.

How to control this
1) choice of method in some field and natural observations and experiments participants may not be aware that they are being studied

Question 8

How does investigator effect affect internal validity?

Answer 8

The behaviour and characteristics of the investigator can influence the outcome of the study.

Expectancy affect: the investigator made unknowingly influence the participant to behave in a certain way

Personal characteristics: age ,social class and ethnicity

Mannerisms: smiling ,nodding ,tone of voice

How to deal with this
Avoid contact with the investigator using written instructions
Double blind, research assistance are used to allocate participants to conditions so that neither of the investigator nor the participants know what condition they’re in.

Question 9

How does extraneous variables affect internal validity?

Answer 9

Anything other than the IV that might have an effect on the results, if something is strong enough to provide a possible alternative explanation for the results it becomes a confounding variable

How to deal with it
1) control, provide a carefully controlled situation
2) sampling technique, try to minimise individual differences between conditions

Question 10

Name The factors which affect the external validity of investigations

Answer 10

Mundane realism
Sample
Cultural context

Question 11

How does mundane realism affect external validity?

Answer 11

If a study is too artificial participants will not be behaviour as they would normally. Studies that like mundane realism do not reflect real life and therefore their findings are limited in their value for the real world.

How to deal with it
1) some studies take place in natural real life settings such as field experiment

Question 12

How does a sample affect external validity?

Answer 12

Samples should be representative of the target population. If findings are too be generalised to people outside of the study. For example, information gained from one person in a case study or from 10 people in a small lab experiment cannot easily be applied to the whole of the population.

How to deal with it
1) Sampling technique there are various ways to select a sample choose a representative one.

Question 13

How does cultural context affect external validity?

Answer 13

Ideas and funding come from people with particular ideas and opinions, for example most of the money and research is carried out by white American men.

This cannot be fixed and changed, but should be taken into consideration when analysing validity .

Question 14

Name the methods of overcoming bias in research

Answer 14

1) standardisation, keeping research exactly the same for every participant in the same condition. Control the experiment to the fullest extent. As this limits extraneous variables.

2) randomisation, this means decide in the order of the research using chance not choice. This reduces investigator effects as it means the research cannot affect the outcome knowingly.

Question 15

Define reliability

Answer 15

The extent to which an investigation is consistent.

Question 16

Define the types of reliability

Answer 16

Internal reliability, are the measures and procedures within the study consistent.

External reliability, are the results of the study consistent overtime, if repeated would you get the same result? .

Question 17

How do you test reliability?

Answer 17

Interrater reliability
Split half method
Test retest method

Question 18

Explain interrater reliability

Answer 18

All observers watch the same behaviour
All observers tally data individually
Compare two or more sets of data
High positive correlation above 0.8 means good reliability
A lower correlation indicates inconsistency .

Question 19

How to improve interrater reliability

Answer 19

All observers thoroughly trained using video clips
Operationalised definition should be clearly understood

Question 20

Explain the split half method

Answer 20

It tests internal validity.
Participant answers whole questionnaire
Splits test in half and scores each half separately
Correlate results 0.8 or above indicates consistency

Question 21

How to improve from split half method

Answer 21

If the correlation is weak, test items may need to be changed
Make sure that the wording of the test items is clear
Make sure that instructions to participants are clear

Question 22

Explain test retest method

Answer 22

It test reliability overtime (external reliability)
Tests the same participant with the same test on different occasions
Correlate results
0.8 correlation indicates consistency

Question 23

How to improve test retest

Answer 23

Alter the weight of measuring as it may not be measuring what is intended
Control any variables which may have changed from the 1st to the 2nd to reduce the effects of extraneous variables

Question 24

Define peer review

Answer 24

Peer review is the assessment of scientific research by others who are experts in the same field.

Question 25

Procedure of peer review

Answer 25

Psychologist have researched that they want to publish, they must send their report to a journal The editor examines the topic of the research, then sends copies of the manuscript to other psychologist who are an expert in that topic . They make comments about quality and suitability for publication Using these reports the editor then decide whether the research should be accepted for publication modified or rejected

Question 26

What is the purpose of peer review?

Answer 26

To ensure that research conducted and published is of a high quality that only valid and reliable results are used. It’s important to the scientific reputation of psychology as a science that psychological research is of a high-quality . To help government and funding bodies decide which research projects to fund To help ensure that incorrect or misleading data is not printed in journals .

Question 27

Pros and cons of peer review

Answer 27

(+) peer review is important because it ensures that only high-quality research is published and essential to validating new knowledge (-) research that does not fit with previous findings may be seen as suspect and rejected. Peer review may slow down change in scientific theory. (-) publication bias, peer review tends to favour positive results. (-) subjectivity, it can be argued that is impossible to separate research from cultural political or personal values.

Question 28

Give an example of when research has had implications for the nations economic status?

Answer 28

Attachment research, bowlbys research suggested that emotional separation can have very negative effects on a child and this has had implications for childcare. The role of the father child care to be more equally split meaning people can contribute more effectively to the economy .