research methods

• What are the types of research methods mentioned in the study material?


  Case Studies, Experiments, Observational Designs, Self-report Techniques, Correlations, Content Analysis
• What are the types of experiments and their characteristics?


  • Laboratory: Manipulated IV, artificial setting, strong causation, lacks ecological validity.
  • Field: Manipulated IV, natural setting, high ecological validity, good causation.
  • Natural: Naturally occurring IV, natural setting, high ecological validity, low causation.
  • Quasi: Naturally occurring IV, setting not relevant, more ethical/practical, reduced causation.
• What must behavioral categories in observational designs be?


  They must be operationalized, specific, and measurable.
• What is the purpose of a 5- or 7-point scale in self-report techniques?


  It allows for easy comparisons of views and is less limiting than closed questions.
• What are the strengths and limitations of questionnaires in self-report techniques?


  Strengths:

  • Larger sample size
  • Easy distribution
  • Less socially desirable responses if anonymous

  
  

  Limitations:

  • Poor internal validity
  • Misunderstanding of questions
• What are the differences between interviews and questionnaires?


  • Interviews allow clarification and observation of behavior.
  • Questionnaires are non-face-to-face and may lead to misunderstandings.
  • Interviews may have more social desirability bias.
• What are the types of interviews and their evaluations?

  • Structured: High reliability, less data.
  • Unstructured: Low reliability, more data.
• What is the difference between an experiment and a correlation?


  An experiment looks for a difference between groups, while a correlation looks for a relationship between variables.
• What is content analysis?


  • A method for analyzing qualitative data.
  • Involves coding and categorizing data for analysis.
• What are the aims and hypotheses in scientific processes?


  • The IV and DV must be operationalized.
  • Specific and measurable definitions are required.
• What are the controls in scientific processes?


  • Randomisation: Reduces bias, increases generalizability.
  • Counterbalancing: Removes order effects.
  • Standardisation: Controls extraneous variables, increases reliability.
• What are demand characteristics and investigator bias?


  • Demand characteristics: Participants alter behavior based on perceived study aims.
  • Investigator bias: Researcher unintentionally influences outcomes.
• What are the sampling methods and their evaluations?

  • Volunteer: Large sample, unrepresentative.
  • Opportunity: Easy, unrepresentative.
  • Random: More representative, still potential bias.
  • Systematic: Representative, still potential bias.
  • Stratified: Most representative, practically harder.
• What are the experimental designs and their evaluations?


  • Repeated Measures: No individual differences, order effects.
  • Independent Measures: No order effects, individual differences.
  • Matched Pairs: Fewer individual differences, still some.
• What are the BPS ethical guidelines?


  • Right to Withdraw: Participants can leave or remove data.
  • Informed Consent: Participants must be informed about the study.
  • Confidentiality: Anonymity of participants must be maintained.
  • Deception: Allowed if it does not harm participants and is necessary for validity.
• What is the purpose of pilot studies in scientific processes?


  To test the feasibility and design of a study before the main research.
• What are the four decisions a reviewer can make during the peer review process?


  Accept, accept with amendments, reject but with resubmission, outright reject.
• What does a reviewer critique during the peer review process?


  Validity of the science, scientific errors, design issues, and importance of findings.
• What is the definition of reliability in research?


  Reliability refers to consistent results obtained from a study.
• How can reliability be improved in experiments?

  By using test-retest methods to check consistency across different occasions.
• What is the difference between interval data and ordinal data?


  Interval data has fixed intervals between scores, while ordinal data is ranked subjectively.
• What does validity refer to in research?

  Validity refers to whether the results measure what they intend to measure.
• How can validity be improved in experiments?


  By using double-blind procedures to reduce bias and demand characteristics.
• What are the key features of a scientific process?

  • Theory Construction: Developing theories based on observations.
  • Peer Review: Validating research through external critique.
  • Ethical Guidelines: Ensuring participant rights and welfare.
  • Reliability and Validity: Ensuring consistent and accurate results.