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Research Methods Key Words Flashcards

1
Q

Ecological validity

A

The degree to which a research finding an be generalised to another setting

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2
Q

Population validity

A

The degree to which a research finding can be generalised to other groups of people

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3
Q

Historical validity

A

The degree to which a research finding can be generalised over time

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4
Q

Control

A

Refers to the extent to which any variable is held constant or regulated by a researcher

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5
Q

Mundane realism

A

Refers to how a study mirrors the real world. The stimulated task environment is realistic to the degree to which experiences encountered in the environment will occur in the real world

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6
Q

Confidentiality

A

A participants right to have personal information protected

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7
Q

Deception

A

Where a participant is not told the true aims of a study and this cannot give truly informed consent

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8
Q

Informed consent

A

Participants have the right to be given comprehensive information concerning the nature and purpose of the research and their role in it, in order that they can make an informed decision about whether to participate

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9
Q

Privacy

A

A persons right to control the flow of information about themselves

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10
Q

Protection from harm

A

During a research study, participants should not experience negative physical or psychological effects, such as physical injury, low self esteem or embarrassment

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11
Q

Right to withdraw

A

Participants should have the right to withdraw from participating in a study if they are uncomfortable in any way, and should also have the right to refuse permission for the researcher to use any data they produced

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12
Q

Ethics committee

A

A group of people within a research institution that just approve a study before it begins

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13
Q

Ethical guidelines

A

Concrete, quasi-legal documents that help to guide conduct within psychology by establishing principles for standard practise and competence

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14
Q

Presumptive consent

A

A method if dealing with a lack of informed consent or deception, by asking a group of people who are similar to the participants whether they would agree to take part in the study. If this group consents it is presumed the real participants would have also agreed

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15
Q

Directional hypothesis

A

States the direction of the predicted difference between two conditions or two groups of participants

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16
Q

Non directional hypothesis

A

Predicts simply that there will be a difference between two conditions/groups without stating the direction of the difference

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17
Q

Pilot study

A

A small scale trail run of a study to test any aspects of the design with a view to making improvements

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18
Q

Confederate

A

An individual in a study who is not a real participant and has been instructed how to behave by the investigator

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19
Q

Counterbalancing

A

An experimental technique used to overcome the order effects. It ensures that each condition is tested first or second in equal amounts

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20
Q

Experimental design

A

A set of procedures used to control the influence of factors such as participant variables in an experiment

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21
Q

Independent groups

A

Participants are allocated to a group representing an experimental condition, they take part in only this condition

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22
Q

Matched pairs

A

Pairs of participants are matched in terms of key variables such as age or IQ, one member of each pair is placed in the experimental group and the other is placed in the control group

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23
Q

Order effect

A

An extraneous variable arising from the order in which conditions are presented ( in repeated measures design)

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24
Q

Random allocation

A

Allocating participants to experimental groups or conditions using random techniques

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25
Repeated measures
Each participant takes part in every condition
26
Single blind
A type of research design in which the participant is not aware if the research aims or if which condition of the experiment they are receiving
27
Demand characteristics
A cue that makes participants aware of what the researcher expects to find, or how participants are expected to behave. Can change the outcome of the study as participants are changing their behaviour
28
Double blind
Neither the participant not the experimenter are aware of the important details and this have no expectations
29
Experimental realism
The extent to which participants become involved in an experiment and become less influenced by cues about how to behave
30
Hawthorne effect
The tendency for participants to alter their behaviour merely as a result of knowing that they are being observed
31
Investigator bias
The effect that an investigators expectations have on the participants and thus on the result of a research study
32
Investigator effect
Anything that the investigator does that has an effect on the participants performance in a study, other than what was intended
33
Social desirability bias
A tendency for respondents to answer questions in a way that will present them in a better light
34
Mean
An average, add everything together and divide by the amount
35
Measure of central tendency
A descriptive statistic that provides information about a 'typical' response for a data set
36
Measure if dispersion
A descriptive statistic that provides informations about how spread out a set of scores is
37
Median
The middle result
38
Mode
The most frequently recurring score in a data set
39
Qualitative
Data that expresses the quality of things, words, descriptions ect. Can be turned into quantitative data by placing them into categories
40
Quantitative
Data represented in numbers or quantities
41
Quantitative dats analysis
Any means of representing trends from numerical data
42
Range
The difference between the highest and the lowest score in a data set
43
Standard deviation
Shows the amount of variation in a data set. It assesses the spread of data around the mean
44
Field experiment
A controlled experiment conducted outside of a lab. Tend to have low internal validity and high external validity. Less participant effects
45
Laboratory experiment
An experiment carried out in a controlled setting. Tend to have high internal validity and low external validity
46
Difference studies
Studies in which two groups of participants are compared in terms of a DV
47
Natural experiment
A research method in which the experimenter cannot manipulate the independent variable, but where it varies naturally and the effect can be observed on a dependant variable
48
Quasi experiments
Studies that are 'almost' experiments but lack one or more features of a true experiment, such as full control over the IV and random allocation of participants to conditions. This means that they cannot claim to demonstrate causal relationships
49
Behavioural categories
Dividing a target behaviour into a subset of behaviours. This can be done using a behaviour checklist or a coding system
50
Controlled observation
A form of investigation in which behaviour is observed but under controlled conditions
51
Event sampling
An observational technique in which a count is kept of the number of times a certain behaviour occurs
52
Naturalistic observation
A research method carried out in a naturalistic setting, in which the investigator does not interfere in any way
53
Observation techniques
The application of systematic methods of observation in an observational study, experiment, or other study
54
Sampling
The process of taking a sample which is intended to be a representative selection of a target population
55
Systematic(structured) observations
An observer uses various systems to organise observations, such as behavioural categories and sampling procedures
56
Time sampling
An observational technique in which the observer records behaviours in a given time frame e.g. Noting what they are doing every 30 seconds
57
Unstructured observations
An observer records all relevant behaviour but has no system. This technique may be chosen bc the behaviour to be studied is largely unpredictable
58
Behaviour checklist
A list if the behaviours to be recorded during an observational study
59
Coding system
A systematic method for recording observations in which individual behaviours are given a code for ease of recording
60
Covert observations
Observing people without their knowledge e.g. Using one way mirrors. Knowing they are being observed is likely to alter the participants behaviour
61
Inter observer reliability
The extent to which there is agreement between two or more observers involved in observations of a behaviour. Rule=total no of agreements/total number of observations=>80% then the data has high inter-observer reliability
62
Observer bias
In observational studies, there is the danger that observers might 'see' what they expect to see. This reduces the validity of the observations
63
Reliability
A measure of consistency both within a set of scores or items and also over time, such that it is possible to obtain the same results on multiple occasions
64
Opportunity sample
A sample of participant produced by selecting people who are most easily available at the time of the study
65
Random sample
A sample of participants produced by using a random technique such that every member if the target population being tested has an equal chance of being selected
66
Stratified sample
Groups of participants are selected according to their frequency in the population in order to obtain a representative sample. Groups are selected from the target population that needs to be represented, individuals sampled from the group. Individuals are chosen randomly
67
Quota sample
Groups of participants are selected according to their frequency in the population. Groups are selected from the target population that need to be represented. Individuals are chosen from this group(not chosen randomly)
68
Systematic sample
A method of obtaining a representative sample by selecting every 5th or 10th person. Can be random sample if the first person was chosen randomly
69
Target population
The group of people that the researcher is interested in.
70
Volunteer bias
A form of sampling bias because volunteer participants are usually more highly motivated than randomly selected participants
71
Volunteer sample
A sample of participants produced by a sampling technique that relies solely on volunteers to make up the sample
72
Closed questions
Questions that has a range of answers from which respondents select one;produces quantitative data
73
Interview
A research method or technique that involves a face to face real time interaction with another individual and results in the collection of data
74
Open questions
Questions that invite the respondents to provide their own answers rather than select one of those provided. Tend to produce qualitative data
75
Questionnaire
Data is collected through the use of written questions
76
Structured interview
Any interview in which the questions are decided in advance
77
Unstructured interview
The interview starts out with some general aims and possibly some questions, and lets the interviewees answers guide subsequent questions
78
Inter-interviewer reliability
The extent to which two interviewers produce the same outcome from an interview
79
Interviewer bias
The effect on an interviewers expectations, communicated unconsciously, on a respondents behaviour
80
Correlation
Determining the extent of a relationship between two variables
81
Correlation coefficient
A number between -1 and 1 that tells us how closely the co-variables in a correlational analysis are related
82
Intervening variable
A variable that comes between two other variables which is used to explain the relationship between those two variables
83
Scattergram
A graphical representation of the relationship between two sets of scores
84
Significance
A statistical term indicating that the research findings are sufficiently strong for us to accept the research hypothesis under test
85
Case study
A research method that involves a detailed study of a single individual, institution or event. Case studies provide a rich record of human experience but are hard to generalise from
86
Content analysis
A kind of observational study in which behaviour is observed indirectly in written or verbal material such as interviews, conversations, books, diaries, or TV programmes. Behaviour is categorised and may be counted
87
Attrition
The loss of participants from a study over time. This is likely the leave a biased sample or a sample that is too small
88
Cohort effects
One group if participants may have unique characteristics because of time specific experiences during the development of its members, such as being a child in the Second World War
89
Control condition
In a repeated measures experiment, the condition that provides a baseline measure if behaviour without the experimental treatment (IV), so that the effect if the IV may be measured
90
Control group
In an independent groups experiment, a group if participants who receive no treatment. Their behaviour acts as a baseline against which the effect of the IV may be measured
91
Cross cultural study
A kind is natural experiment in which the IV us different cultural practices and the DV is behaviour such as attachment. This enables researchers to investigate the effects of nature and nurture
92
Cross sectional study
One group of participants of a young age are compared with another, older group of participants, with a view to finding out the influence if age in the behaviour in question
93
Effect size
A measure of the strength if the relationship between two variables
94
Experimental conditions
In a repeated measures design, the condition containing the experimental treatment
95
Imposed etic
A technique or theory is developed in one culture and then used to study the behaviour of people in a different culture which has different norms, values experiences etc
96
Longitudinal study
Observation of the same items over a long period if times such studies usually aim to compare the same individuals at different ages, in which case the IV is age
97
Meta analysis
A researcher looks at the findings from a number if different studies i order to reach a general conclusion about a particular hypothesis
98
Role play
A controlled observation in which participants are asked to imagine how they would behave in certain situations, and act out the part.
99
Internal validity
Whether the study has tested what it set out to test; the degree to which the observed effect was due to the experimental manipulation rather than other factors such as extraneous variables
100
Aim
A statement of what the researchers intent to find out in a research study

Psychology Key Words (5 decks)

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