RM- observations/selfreports/casestudies/pilot Flashcards
(19 cards)
types of observations
-naturalistic (observing natural behaviour)
-controlled (researcher attempts to control certain variables)
-overt (pps are aware)
-covert (pps are unaware)
-participant (observer joins group)
-non participant (observer remains external)
behaviour categories
the way researchers operationalise behaviour. should be objective and exclusive (only one behaviour can fit into a category)
types of sampling
-event sampling
-time sampling
event sampling
researcher watches the entire time and records every time they see the behaviour happen (ticking a box/tally)
time sampling
recording behaviour at a set time interval during the observation
what are closed and open questions in questionnaires for self report techniques?
-closed= quantitative data (e.g. circling answers, ticking boxes, yes or no)
-open= qualitative data (what are your views? explain? expand?)
evaluation of questionnaires (2+ 2-)
+simplicity, easy to analyse, can gather large sample to increase population validity
+less influence of interpersonal variables, pp is less likely to lie if they fill questionnaire away from researcher (which they do), less likely to give socially desirable answers, increases internal validity
-wording the questions may be difficult, not everyone will understand the words (therefore ambiguous), not internally valid
-response rate, around 30% actually complete and return the questionnaire, not representative
structured interviews
-standardised questions
-same order
-presents quantitative data
semi-structured interviews
-same questions, but with flexibility in order and wording
-follow ups allowed
-allows pp to give more personal responses due to natural flow
unstructured interviews
-informal
-interviewee is largely in control, interviewers may prompt
-purposeful conversation
evaluation of interviews (2+ 2-)
+may lead to more accurate data, pp feels more comfortable to be honest, higher internal validity
+detailed data, open ended questions, develop our understanding through qualitative data
-hard to analyse qualitative data, different interpretations lead to reduced validity
-interpersonal variables (age, gender, attractiveness, ethnicity), reduce internal validity
correlation coefficient
-value between 1+ is a perfect correlation
-value between 1- is a negative correlation
-value can’t be more than 1
what are correlations normally plotted on
a scattergram
experiment vs correlation
E: measuring co-variables, experiment or deliberately changes IV, can establish cause and effect
C: don’t measure co-variables only relationship, no deliberate change to variables, can’t establish cause and effect (lack of control)
evaluation of correlations (2+ 2-)
+can indicate if the correlation is positive/negative or weak/strong, provides reliable quantitative measure, experimenter can determine whether to carry out experiments or not
+ethical since the researcher is looking at a pre-existing variable
-don’t establish cause and effect, may be third variable, have to be careful when drawing conclusions from correlations
-non-linear relationships cannot be measured, no meaningful relationships indicated, relationships may be missed
Clive wearing
-viral encephalitis
-lost declarative memory, but has procedural (plays the piano)
evaluation of case studies (wearing) 2+ 2-
+interesting and useful to find important information
+ethical because it isnt an experiment so we arent causing any harm
-low reliability, findings are unlikely to be replicated
-lengthy process, researcher and individuals create relationship, therefore causing findings to be a personal view, subjective
issues to be identified in pilot studies:
-ethical issues
-reliability
-validity
-confounding variables
-observer bias
