Research Methods

• The experimental method concerns the manipulation of an independent variable (IV) to have an effect on the dependent variable (DV) which is measured and stated in results.
• Deception is another ethical issue in research.
• Informed consent is a crucial ethical issue in research.
• Protection from harm is an ethical issue in research.
• Privacy and confidentiality are ethical issues in research.
• A directional hypothesis states the direction of the impact of independent variable (IV) on the dependent variable (DV) whereas non-directional does not state the direction of the relationship between the IV and the DV.
• Opportunity sampling, random sampling, systematic sampling, stratified sampling, and volunteer sampling are five types of sampling methods.
• To take a stratified sample, first identify the strata, calculate the required proportion for each stratum based on the size of the target population, select the sample at random from each stratum, and use a random selection method such as using a computer.
• The advantage of using a stratified sample is that it is able to be more representative of the target population compared to other types of sampling.
• Operationalisation is the process by which a researcher defines how a concept is measured, observed, or manipulated within a particular study.
• Social anxiety can be operationally defined in terms of self-rating scores, behavioral avoidance of crowded places, or physical anxiety symptoms in social situations.
• Nominal data: Data that describes characteristics or groups, for example ethnicity, car brand, place of birth
• Whether the design of the study is related or unrelated
• Double-blind procedure: The participants and the evaluators are unaware of each other’s identities.
• Numerical data doesn’t have a meaningful zero point - for example, the temperature can be 0C but that doesn’t mean there’s no temperature or heat
• Ordinal data: Data that, like nominal data, describes characteristics or groups, for example political orientation or income level
• Concurrent validity: Checking the extent to which a psychological measure relates to an existing and well-established similar one
• Single-blind procedure: The participants and the evaluators are aware of each other’s identities, but the evaluators are not aware of the participants’ responses.
• Whether a difference or correlation is being measured
• Interval data: Numerical data such as credit ratings, temperature, IQ
• Reliability is a measure of consistency, for example if a particular measurement is replicable then that measurement is described as being reliable.
• Face validity: A measure is scrutinised to determine whether it appears to measure what it is supposed to
• The level of data that was collected
• When constructing a questionnaire, the researcher should consider clarity, analysis, and sequencing of questions.
• In a double-blind procedure, neither the researcher nor the participant are aware of the aims, procedures and conditions of the study.
• With correlations, variables are simply measured not manipulated and there is no DV or IV involved which means there is no cause and effect relationship found, only an association is found.
• Primary data is obtained firsthand by the researcher whereas secondary data has already been collected by someone else other than the researcher.
• The strengths of conducting an unstructured interview are that lots of data is collected which has more depth and detail, and it can be tailored to individuals giving more insight into the subjective experience of the person being interviewed.
• An unstructured observation consists of continuous recording where everything the researcher sees is written down, whereas structured observation has a predetermined list of behaviours and sampling methods with which the researcher quantifies their observation with (e.g., notes the number of times a participant crosses their arms).
• In a single-blind procedure it’s only the participant who isn't aware of them - the researcher is.
• The measures of central tendency are Mode, Median, and Mean.
• Various types of observation include Naturalistic, Controlled, Overt, Covert, Participant, and Non-participant.
• The independent variable (IV) is the variable that is manipulated to observe its effect on the dependent variable (DV) whereas the dependent variable (DV) is the variable that is being measured and is affected by the IV.
• Positive skew is when plotted on a graph, the data has a long tail on the right.
• The main purposes of carrying out a peer review are to allocate research funding to projects that are worthwhile, to ensure the research is of good quality and is relevant, and to suggest improvements so that faulty or incorrect data is not released to the public.
• Reliability is defined as the consistency of a measurement over time.
• The aim of the study tells us what the study is investigating whereas the hypothesis is a statement that predicts the relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable.
• The four types of experiments are Laboratory, Field, Quasi, and Natural.
• A solution to the problem of order effects caused by a repeated measures design is counterbalancing, where half of the participants are made to do conditions in one order and the other half in the opposite order, eliminating order effects.
• Negative skew is when plotted on a graph, the data has a long tail on the left.