Research methods

• What are the strengths of correlational studies?

  More practical and less likely to be unethical.
• What is a negative correlation?

  when one decreases and the other increases.
• What is a positive correlation?

  when both variables increase or decrease together.
• What are correlational studies?

  Studies that measure two variables and look for an association.
• What are single measure studies?

  measure a single variable e.g. what is the most popular sport.
• Give three non experimental methods?

  Single variable studies, correlational studies, case studies.
• What are non-experimental methods?

  studies that don't investigate cause and effect relaionships as they don't have an independent variable.
• How do we reduce order effects?

  Counterbalancing can be used to limit the order effects. Participants take part in the different experimental conditions in different orders.
• What are the weaknesses of repeated measure?

  participants are mor likely to repond to demand characteristics.

  
  

  Order effects can influence the results.
• What are the strengths of repeated measures?

  There are no participant variables, increasing internal validity
• What are repeated measures experimental design?

  all the participants take part in all levels of the IV.
• What are the weaknesses of independent group design.

  Participants variables may reduce the internal validity.

  
  

  More participants are required.
• What are the strengths of independent group design?

  There are no order effects.
• What are independent group experimental design?

  random allocation is used to unbiasedly split the participants into groups for each IV.
• What are the weaknesses of matched pair design?

  time consuming.

  
  

  Cannot match participants on every possible variable.
• What are the strengths of matched pair design?

  participant variables can be controlled increasing internal validity.
• What are matched pair experimental design?

  participants are paired based on selected characteristics and then placed in different groups to ensure each IV has an equal group of participants.
• What are the three experimental designs we use to allocate participants to independent variables?


  Matched pairs, independent group design, repeated measures.
• What are the weaknesses of quasi experiments?

  participant variables may act as confounding variables reducing the internal validity.
• What are the strengths of quasi experiments?

  enables us to study IVs that cannot be studied in lab or field experiments like age and gender.
• What are quasi experiments?

  the independent variable is not manipulated as it is naturally occurring and is associated around a personal characteristic.
• What are the weaknesses of natural experiments?

  Less control over extraneous variables - low internal validity.
• What are strengths of natural experiments?

  enables us to study IVs that would be unethical to study through lab or field experiments.
• What are natural experiments?

  The independent variable is not manipulated as it is naturally occurring and is associated around an event that has already happened.
• What are the weaknesses of field experiments?

  Less control over extraneous variables - low internal validity.
• What are the strengths of field experiments?

  higher mundane realism so high external/ecological validity
• What is a field experiment?

  the independent variable is manipulated in natural everyday environment.
• What are the weaknesses of lab experiments?

  Low ecological validity.
• What are the strengths of lab experiments?

  high control over extraneous variables.

  
  

  High internal validity.

  
  

  Clear cause and effect relationship between IV and DV can be established.
• What is a lab experiment?

  the independent variable is manipulated in an artificial controlled environment.
• What is an experiment?

  a study that investigates cause and effect by comparing the effect of an independent variable on a dependant variable.
• What is privacy and confidentiality?

  participants can control how much information is released and what for. Personal data must be kept confidential so anonymity is used (no personal details are recorded so data cannot be traced to individuals.
• What is the right to withdraw?

  participants should be aware of their right to withdraw at any time.
• What is protection from harm?

  participants must be protected from physical and psychological harm.
• How do we overcome deception?

  This is difficult to overcome as it is sometimes essential to avoid demand characteristics, so there are loop holes through the use of debriefing.

  
  

  Debriefing - when the true nature of the study is revealed to the participants. After the debriefing they are allowed to withdraw their data from the study.
• What is deception?

  deliberately withholding information/ providing misleading information.
• What are the three types of informed consent?

  prior general consent - participants give permission before the experiment, understanding they may be deceived.

  
  

  Presumptive consent - researcher gathers opinions from a group similar to the participants instead of direct consent.

  
  

  Retrospective consent - participants are asked for consent after they have participated.
• What is informed consent?

  participants must be told the aims and risks of the investigation
• What are the 5 ethics?

  Informed consent, deception, protection from harm, right to withdraw, privacy/confidentiality.
• What are the weaknesses of stratified sampling?

  Difficult and time consuming, sometimes a complete representation is not possible.