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psychology - research methods > year 2 (p1-44) > Flashcards

year 2 (p1-44) Flashcards

1
Q

what are case studies?

A

in depth research on a single person or small group,
may use several forms of data,
psychologist produces a description of the case followed by an interpretation of the findings

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2
Q

three advantages of case studies

A

provide in-depth detailed information,
longitudinal research- can see how behaviours develops,
acknowledges the importance of individual experiences, thoughts and feelings - better understanding

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3
Q

five disadvantages of case studies

A 
results can’t be generalised,
may not be reliable (recall distorted),
time consuming,
cause and effect can’t be inferred,
ethical issues: confidentiality (people identifiable), could lead to psychological harm (embarrassed)
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4
Q

what is a correlational study?

A

the analysis of the relationship between two co-variables,

no manipulation of the variables

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5
Q

four advantages of correlations

A

they measure the strength and direction of a correlation,
no manipulation of variables so useful when practically or ethically not possible to manipulate variables,
may discover a link between two existing variables,
used if psychologists are interested in relationship rather than an explanation

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6
Q

two disadvantages of correlations

A

no manipulation of variables- impossible to establish cause and effect between two variables, can only suggest relationship.
variables have to be quantified to be measured- can affect the construct validity of the findings

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7
Q

what is a correlation coefficient?

A

a number between-1 and +1 that represents the direction and strength of a relationship between co-variables

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8
Q

a value of +1 represents a ___ ___ correlation

A

perfect positive

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9
Q

a value of -1 represents a ___ ___ correlation

A

perfect negative

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10
Q

the closer the coefficient is to +1 or -1, the ___ the relationship is

A

stronger

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11
Q

the closer the coefficient is to zero, the ___ the relationship is

A

weaker

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12
Q

if the correlations coefficient is 0 there is …

A

no correlation

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13
Q

which way do the dots of a graph go if the correlation coefficient is positive?

A

bottom left to top right

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14
Q

which way do the dots of a graph go if the correlation coefficient is negative?

A

top left to bottom left

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15
Q

three differences between a correlation and an experiment

A

experiment: establishes cause and effect vs correlation: establishes a relationship,
experiment: has IV vs correlation: no IV,
experiment: high degree of control vs correlation: no control

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16
Q

what for of research is content analysis?

A

observational research

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17
Q

what kind of data does content analysis analyse and what does it turn this data into?

A

turns qualitative data into quantitative data

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18
Q

what is coding in content analysis?

A

when the researcher places qualitative data into categories ’coding units’

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19
Q

list the 5 steps in the procedure for content analysis

A
  1. data is collected - e.g. tv adverts
  2. researcher reads through or examine the data - e.g. stereo typing
  3. researcher identifies coding units - males = jobs, females = home
  4. data is analysed by applying the coding units - watch adverts again
  5. a tally is made of the number of times that coding unit appears
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20
Q

six advantages of content analysis

A

inexpensive and easy to use,
fewer ethical issues - ppts aren’t involved,
high ecological validity- based on real life,
clear summary of patterns,
replicable to check reliability,
allows statistical analysis to be conducted

21
Q

four disadvantages of content analysis

A

analysing data can be time consuming,
an individual’s judgment/ interpretation can be subject- reduces validity,
cause and effect can’t be established cos it only describes the data,
removes detail when data is put into coding units

22
Q

name the most frequently used form of qualitative analysis

A

thematic analysis

23
Q

what is thematic analysis?

A

making a summery of data and identifying key themes (any idea that is recurrent)

24
Q

what is reliability?

A

how consistent or dependable a test is,

a reliability test carried out exactly the same as should give the same results

25
Q

how can you check the external reliability of a test?

A

test-retest

26
Q

what is test-retest?

A

repeat the test using the same ppts, a reliable test should produce a high positive correlation between two scores

27
Q

what problems might observational research have?

A

observers interpretation of events - subjectivity, bias and unreliability

28
Q

what can be used to fight individual interpretation of observations?

A

inter-observer reliability

29
Q

what is inter-observer reliability?

A

more that one observers watch same event and record their data independently. the spectate scores produced are assessed by correlating them

30
Q

if behaviours categories were ___ this would make it easier to identify when a specific behaviour occurs

A

operationalised

31
Q

what two statistical tests can be used to calculate a correlation coefficient for test retest reliability or inter observer reliability?

A

spearman’s RHO correlation
or
pearson’s product moment correlation

32
Q

what must the correlation coefficient be for data to be judged reliable?

A

+0.8 or above

33
Q

how can the researcher improve reliability in observations?

A

making sure the behavioural characteristics have been properly operationalised and measurable. no overlap of categories

34
Q

if the correlation coefficient in questionnaires reliability is below +0.8, what should the researcher do to get it up to +0.8?

A

question may have to be deselected or rewritten as they may be ambiguous, (closed questions are less ambiguous)

35
Q

what can be done to make interviews more reliable?

A

same interviewer each time, structured interviews insure less leading or ambiguous questions

36
Q

how can reliability in experiments be improved?

A

strict standardisation and control of procedures (easiest in lab experiments)

37
Q

what is validity?

A

is if a test is measuring what it is supposed to measure

38
Q

studies that are reliable can be not valid. true or false

A

true

e.g. a broken set of scales would show the same weight each time but they are broken so the results are not valid

39
Q

what is internal validity?

A

whether the effects observed in a study are due to the manipulation of the independent variable and not some other factors
e.g. demand characteristics

40
Q

what is external validity?

A

factors outside the investigations

e.g. are results generalisable

41
Q

name two types of external validity?

A

ecological validity

temporal validity

42
Q

what is ecological validly?

A

generalising the findings from a study to other settings

e.g. everyday life

43
Q

what is temporal validity?

A

whether findings from a particular study, or theory, hold true over time

44
Q

what is face validity?

A

whether a test/ measure/ scale appears to measure what it is supposed to measure.

45
Q

what is concurrent validity?

A

when the results obtained of a particular test/scale are very close to/ match, those of another recognised and well-established test.

46
Q

how is validity improved in experiments?

A

the use of control groups - able to assess whether changes is FV were due to effects of the IV or some confounding factors.

standardisation of procedures and randomisation- minimises effects of ppt reactivity and experimenter bias

47
Q

how is validity improved in questionnaires?

A

lie scale witching the questions to assess consistency of responses.
anonymous results

48
Q

how is validity improved in qualitative research?

A

triangulation (use of different sources as evidence)

49
Q

what is interpretive validity?

A

the extent to which the researchers interpretation of events matches that of the ppt

psychology - research methods (4 decks)

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