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A level Psychology AQA > research methods (year 1) > Flashcards

research methods (year 1) Flashcards

1
Q

what is a laboratory experiment

A

experiment that takes place in controlled environment where experimenter manipulates IV and measures DV

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2
Q

what is a field experiment

A

takes place in natural setting in which researcher manipulates IV and measures DV

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3
Q

what are 2 strengths of lab studies

A

high control over confounding + extreneous variables so cause and effect easily identified
High in reliability as can easily be replicated due to high control so can check for validity

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4
Q

what are 2 limitations of lab studies

A

environment is artificial so low in external validity and generalisability.
possible demand characteristics as pps aware they are in lab experiment resulting in unatural behaviour.

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5
Q

2 strengths of field experiments

A

high mundane realism as natural environment so high external validity.
participants often unaware they are being studied so low risk of demand characterstics.

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6
Q

3 limitations of field experiments

A

less control over confounding + extreneous variables so difficult to distinguish cause and effect.
ethical issues as pps unaware they are being studied
low in reliability

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7
Q

what is a natural experiment

A

naturally occuring IV, researcher records the DV

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8
Q

two strengths of natural experiment

A

high external validity and ecological validity producing realistic behaviour
less likelihood of demand characteristics as pps do not know they are being studied

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9
Q

two limitations of natural experiments

A

reduced oppotunities for research as naturally occuring IV’s are rare
no control over extreneous variables so difficult to distinguish cause and effect.

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10
Q

what is a quasi experiment

A

naturally occuring IV that is predetermined (age, gender) researcher measures DV

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11
Q

name one strength of quasi experiment

A

often carried out under controlled conditions. so high in internal validity

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12
Q

limitation of quasi experiment

A

may be confounding variables as IV is not manipulated by researcher so difficult to distinguish cause and effect.

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13
Q

What is a naturalistic observation

A

takes place in setting or context where target behaviour would naturally occur.

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14
Q

strength of naturalistic obseration

A

high external and ecological validity so can be generalised.

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15
Q

limitation of naturalistic observation

A

lack of control over confounding variables so replication is difficult.

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16
Q

what is a controlled observation

A

watching + recording behaviour within structured environment where variables are controlled

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17
Q

strength of controlled observation

A

high in reliability as standardised observation

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18
Q

limitation of controlled observation

A

low in ecological validity so hard to generalise to natural everyday life

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19
Q

what is a covert observation

A

observation that occurs without pps knowledge and consent

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20
Q

what is an overt observation

A

observation that occurs with pps knowledge and consent

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21
Q

what is a participant observation

A

researcher becomes member of group whose behaviour is being recorded

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22
Q

what is a strength of participant observation

A

increased insight into lives of people being studied

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23
Q

what is a limitation of partcipant observation

A

danger of researcher ‘going native’

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24
Q

what is non participant observation

A

researcher remains outside of group whose behaviour is being recorded

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25
Q

what is a strength of non participant observation

A

research remains objective (not biased)

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26
Q

limitation of non participant observation

A

may lose valuable insight that could be gained in pps observation

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27
Q

what is a questionnaire

A

preset list of written questions to which pps responds, can be open ( qualitative ) or closed (quantitative)

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28
Q

what are 3 strengths of questionnaires

A

cost effective
gathers large amounts of data quickly
can be completed without researcher present

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29
Q

what is 3 limitations of questionnaires

A

responses may not be truthful due to social desirability bias
possibility of leading questions distorting answers
not everyone will answer if postal so low in population validity - mainly those who answer will believe they will benefit the researcher ( demand characterstics)

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30
Q

what is a structured interview

A

pre-determined questions that are asked in fixed order and conducted face-face.

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31
Q

what is 2 strengths of a structured interview

A

straightforward to replicate
reduces differences between interviews so easy to compare.

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32
Q

what is a limitation of structured interviews

A

participants can not deviate or explain their answers which may limit the richness of data collected.

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33
Q

what is a non structured interview

A

no predetermined set of questions, participants encouraged to expand and elaborate their answers.

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34
Q

what is a strength of non structured interviews

A

better rapport can be built between interviewer and pps, resulting in more natural answers that are higher in validity and truthfulness

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35
Q

what is 2 limiations of non structured interviews

A

large amount of irrelevant information produced so difficult to analyse and draw conclusions + time consuming.

low in reliability as not standardised so difficult to compare interviews.

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36
Q

what is a correlation

A

A measure of the strength of a relationship between two variables

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37
Q

what are 3 strengths of correlations

A

provide a precise and quantifiable measure of how 2 variables are related
useful as a starting point to assess possible patterns between variables before researcher commits to experimental study
quick + economical as no need for controlled environment

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38
Q

what is a limiation of correlations

A

does not tell us why relationship occurs/does not, no cause and effect. Could be due to third variable which is not identified.

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39
Q

what is difference between experiment and correlations

A

experiment involve manipulating iv and measuring dv- cause and effect established.
correlations you measure variables without manipulating to see if they are linked.

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40
Q

what is a hypothesis

A

testable precise statement of what researcher predicts will be the outcome of the study

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41
Q

what is a difference between extreneous and confounding variables

A

An extraneous variable is any variable that you’re not investigating that can potentially affect the dependent variable of your research study. eg. lighting in lab or age of pps

A confounding variable is a type of extraneous variable that not only affects the dependent variable, but is also related to the independent variable. eg. time of day memory test is completed - later may mean pps are more tired.

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42
Q

what is difference between population and sample

A

population is entire group you want to draw conclusions about, a sample is the specific group you collect data from.

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43
Q

what is sampling bias

A

occurs when some members of population are systematically more likely to be selected in a sample than others.

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44
Q

what is random sampling

A

all members of target population have equal chance of being selected. names usually assigned a number and randomly picked by lottery method

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45
Q

what is a strength of random sampling

A

free from bias + confounding variables equally divided among population increasing validity

46
Q

what is two limitions of random sampling

A

people may refuse to take part, sample may not truly represent population

47
Q

what is systematic sampling

A

every nth member of target population is selected

48
Q

what is a strength and limitation of a systematic sample

A

objective as researcher has no influence on who is picked , however is time consuming

49
Q

what is stratified sampling

A

the composition of the sample reflects the varying proportions of people in particular strata within the wider population.

Firstly you identify the strat, then you calculate the recquired proportion needed for each stratum, based on the target population. Then select the sample at random from each stratum using a random selection method.

50
Q

what is a strength and limitation of stratified sampling

A

representative sample, generalisation is possible, however cannot reflect all differences in people so complete representation is not possible.

51
Q

oppotunity sampling

A

when researchers select anyone who is willing and available

52
Q

strength and a limiation of oppotunity sampling

A

convenient and less costly, unrepresentative of target population + researcher has complete control over who is selected

53
Q

what is volunteer sampling

A

involves pps selecting themselves eg. from advert or newspaper

54
Q

strength and limitation of volunteer sampling

A

pps are more likely to be engaged and interested however possible demand characteristics as pps view themselves as being able to benefit research in some way.

55
Q

what are co-variables

A

variables that have a relationship. when one icnreases the other decreases

56
Q

what is a pilot study and why is it done

A

small scale trial run of actual investigation to check that procedures, measuring scales ect. work and allows researcher to make any necessary modifications.

57
Q

experimental design: independant groups

A

pps allocated to different groups , where each group represents one experimental condition

58
Q

what are 2 strengths of independant groups design

A

reduces chances of demand characteristics
reduces chance of order effect so reduces unatural behaviour displayed

59
Q

what is a limitation of independant groups design

A

pps who occupy different groups will have different participant variables resulting in confounding variables so reduced validity of findings

60
Q

what is a repeated measures design.

A

all pps take part in all conditions of experiment

61
Q

what are 2 strengths of repeated measures design

A

less pps needed so less time spent recruiting pps. Participant variables are eliminated due to same pps in each condition

62
Q

what are 2 limitations of repeated measures design

A

increased chance of order effects resulting in unatural behaviour and low internal validity
can increase chance of demand characteristics

63
Q

what is a matched pairs design

A

pairs of pps are matched on key variables ( eg age, IQ) and then one is allocated to condition A, the other allocated to condition B

64
Q

what is a strength of matched pairs design

A

reduced influence of participant variables so high internal validity + avoids order effects

65
Q

what is a limitation of matched pairs design

A

requires twice the number of pps needed so makes more expensive + still difficult to match people exactly unless they are twins.

66
Q

what is counterbalencing

A

technique used to deal with order effects when using a repeated measures design. With counterbalancing, the participant sample is divided in half, with one half completing the two conditions in one order and the other half completing the conditions in the reverse order.

67
Q

what is random allocation

A

attempt to control participant variables in an independant groups design. when the researchers divide the participants and allocate them to certain groups using a random method. each pps has equal chance at being in a condition

68
Q

what is time sampling

A

dividing the observation period into equal intervals and recording whether behaviour occurs or not within each interval. eg. they record each participant behaviour for 20 seconds every 3 minutes over a 2 hour observation

69
Q

what is a strength of time sampling

A

effective in reducing the number of observations that have to be made by using an objective means of sampling. less likely to miss behaviour as observing for shorter periods.

70
Q

what is a limitation of time sampling

A

instances where behaviour is sampled may be unrepresentative of observation as a whole.

71
Q

what is event sampling

A

The researcher records/tallies every time a behaviour (from the behaviour categories) happens
The researcher observes these behaviours on target individuals
All behaviours that are included in the behaviour categories are on a list then that behaviour will be recorded
However, behaviours that are not on the categorised list are not recorded, which means relevant behaviours could be missed

72
Q

what is a strength of event sampling

A

useful when target behaviour is infrequent and could be missed if time sampling is used

73
Q

what is a limitation of event sampling

A

observer may miss some observations if too many things happen at once. Hard to record multiple behaviours all at once. reduces validity of findings

74
Q

what are the 6 codes of ethics

A

informed consent
avoidance of deception
debriefing
right to withdraw
confidentiality
incentives to take part

75
Q

what is deception

A

deliberately misleading or withholding information at any stage of the investigation

76
Q

how should deception be dealt with

A

pps should be given full debrief, should be made aware of true aims of study, told what data will beused for and be given the right to withdraw and withhold information

77
Q

how should informed consent be dealt with

A

pps should be issues with a consent letter detailing all relevant information that might affect their decision to participants, if informed consent is not gained at beginning of study then pps should be fully debriefed at end.

78
Q

what is an empiracle method

A

when data is collected directly through observation or experiment, does not rely on argument of belief.

79
Q

what is falsifiability

A

principle that a theorey could only be considered scientific if it is possible to establish it as true or false.

80
Q

how can we minimise investigator effects

A

using a double blind experiment technique

81
Q

what is qualitative data

A

non numerical data

82
Q

what is quantitative data

A

numerical data

83
Q

strength of qualitative data

A

can provide more detailed information about pps thoughts feelings and motivation

84
Q

limitation of qualitative data

A

more difficult to analyse as doesnt fit neatly into categories

85
Q

strength of quantitative data

A

data can be consistent, precise and reliable

86
Q

limitation of quantitative data

A

data may not be robust eneough to explain complex issues.

87
Q

what is primary data

A

first hand data gathered by researcher

88
Q

what is a meta analysis

A

where researchers combine the findings from multiple studies to draw an overall conclusion.

89
Q

what is nominal, ordinal and interval data

A

Nominal: the data can only be categorised. (mode) Ordinal: the data can be categorised and ranked (median) . Interval: the data can be categorised and ranked, and evenly spaced (mean).

90
Q

what is a strength of the mean

A

most sensitive measure as includes all scores so most representative of data set

91
Q

what is a limitation of the mean

A

can easily be distorted by extreme values resulting in low representation

92
Q

what is a strengh of the mode

A

useful for putting data into categories + easily calculated

93
Q

what is a limitation of the mode

A

crude measurment that is not very representative

94
Q

what is a limitation of the mode

A

crude measurment that is not very representative

95
Q

what is a strength of the median

A

extreme values do not distort median

96
Q

what is a limitation of the median

A

does not include extreme values which may be important.

97
Q

what is a limitation of calculating the range

A

only takes into account the two most extreme values so may be unrepresentative of data set

98
Q

what is standard deviation

A

measure of dispersion within a data set tells us how far each score deviates from mean. High SD means more variation in scores Low SD means more consistency in scoresn

99
Q

how would laboratory information be displayed

A

on a bar chart

100
Q

what type of data are histograms used for

A

continuous

101
Q

what type of data should a frequency polygon be used for

A

ordinal or interval data (correlational data)

102
Q

the correlation coefficient is always a number between….

A

-1.0 and +1.0

103
Q

a positive correlation is shown by a ….. correlation coefficient

A

+1.0

104
Q

what number of correlation coefficient would depict no correlation

A

0

105
Q

where is the distribtution of information on a positive skew

A

to the right of the graph

106
Q

where is the distribution of information on a negative skew

A

to the left of the graph

107
Q

what is the result of an inferential statistic known as

A

the calculated/observed value

108
Q

what is the calculated/observed value compared to

A

the critical value

109
Q

what are the 3 conditions that have to be met to use the sign test

A
  1. research method is an experiment
  2. experimental design is repeated measures
  3. nominal data is used
110
Q

what is a likert scale

A

indicates agreement with statement

111
Q

what is acquiescence bias

A

tendancy of a respondant to a survey to constantly agree with a statement.

A level Psychology AQA (44 decks)

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