Week 9 - Data Collection Techniques Flashcards
What is the difference between experimental design and correlational design?
Experimental: IV manipulated by researcher, DV recorded, causal relationships clear
Correlation: all variables measured, strength of associations is assessed
Experimental Designs: Laboratory-based experiments
Definition: carried out in laboratory, researcher has greatest control over environment
+ highly controlled (extraneous variables may be excluded), easier to replicate due to standardised procedures
- artificial setting, so behaviour may be unnatural and DCs may influence participant’s behaviour
Experimental Designs: Field-based experiments
Definition: carried out in everyday environment, but researcher still manipulated variables of interest
+ naturalistic environment, so participants’ behaviour more likely to reflect real responses, DCs less likely to affect participants
- less control, therefore replication is more difficult, reliability may be affected
Experimental Designs: Natural experiments (NOT QUASI)
Definition: carried out in everyday environment, but research cannot manipulate variables of interest (eg. covid pandemic)
+ high ecological validity, DCs unlikely to affect responses, can be used when ethical considerations would prevent manipulation of variables
- can be costly, no control over extraneous variables
Correlational Design
+ may allow study of phenomena that cannot be investigated using experiments, can show that experimental results can generalise to natural enviornments
- cannot establish causation
Methods for Data Collection: Controlled Observation
Usually under lab conditions - researcher maintains control over environment and context
Behaviour systematically classified and coded into distinct categories, using a specific times observation schedule
Methods for Data Collection: What is Coding?
Might involve numbers or use a scale to measure behaviour
+: easy to replicate, quick to conduct and analyse
-: DCs may limit validity, some behaviour not coded for
Methods for Data Collection: Naturalistic Observation
Behaviour observed under naturalistic conditions
Data recorded using variety of methods
+: increased ecological validity
-: may not be representative of all contexts, may be difficult to replicate, establishing causal relationships is hard
Methods for Data Collection: Participant Observation
Researcher becomes participants - becomes part of the group under investigation (goes under-cover)
+ ecological validity, less impact of DCs
- challenges with recording data, researcher bias
Observation Data Recording - What is Event Sampling?
Events identified in advance, coding established
Event frequency recorded
All other behaviours ignored
Observation Data Recording - What is Time Sampling?
Events identified in advance
Observations take place within specific periods within set sampling schedule
Behaviour at other times ignored
Observation Data Recording - What is Instantaneous Sampling?
Observations made at a specific time-point
All observations before or after ignored
What is a case study?
Individual or group is investigated in detail
Multiple techniques - interview, observations, psychometric testing
Idiographic Approach
Rich source of information
+ rich descriptions, generates future hypotheses, can study rare phenomena
- hard to generalise, may not be representative, difficult to replicate
What is a survey?
Questions administered to a sample drawn from large population
+ carefully selected sample provides accurate information, large sample
- social desirability, lying, etc.
Survey: In-person
Completed in physical presence of researcher
+ control, can provide instructions
- time-consuming and expensive, small samples
