1: Research methods

• Quantitative data

  Involves numbers, such as scores or number of times something is observed in an observation.
• Qualitative data


  Non numerical, involves answers such as in an interview.
• Primary data


  Data that has been collected by the researcher for purposes of the study
• Secondary data


  Data collected by someone else (data that already exists)
• Meta analysis


  Process of combining the findings from a number of studies and produce an overall statistical conclusion.
• Lab experiment


  Measures the effects of one variable (manipulated by the E) in highly controlled conditions.
• Strength of lab experiment

  -High control of confounding and extraneous variables

  -replication is more possible
• Disadvantage of lab experiment

  -Lack generalisability

  -may be artificial behaviour
• Field experiment


  Conducted in a more everyday setting (not controlled) IV still controlled by the E

  -Participants are often aware they are taking part
• Strength of field experiment

  -Higher mundane realism

  -more authentic and valid
• Disadvantage of field experiment

  Loss of control of EV and CV

  Unaware of being studied
• Naturalistic experiment


  IV not manipulated by E

  E has no control over extraneous variables
• Strength of naturalistic experiment

  High external validity
• Disadvantage of naturalistic experiment

  Lacks realism and demand characteristics
• Quasi experiment


  -IV is an innate characteristic of P

  
  

  -P has to go into a group with same characteristics
• Strength of quasi experiment

  Can be performed under controlled conditions
• Disadvantage of quasi experiment

  Confounding variables,

  cannot advocate participant randomly to conditioning
• Cross cultural research


  Comparing behaviour between different cultures
• Cross sectional research


  Differences between groups in society
• longitudinal research


  Behaviour change over a period of time
• extraneous variable


  undesirable variables that influence the relationship between the variables that an experimenter is examining
• pro of primary data

  Straight from the source

  Specific
• Con of primary data


  Time consuming
• Pro of secondary data

  Easily accessible
• con of secondary data

  May be outdated

  Variation in quality and accuracy
• strength of meta analysis

  Larger more varied sample

  
  

  Increases validity
• weakness of meta analysis

  prone to publication bias - researcher may not select all relevant studies
• Peer reviewers may...


  -Accept work unconditionally

  -accept as long as improvements are made

  -resubmission

  -reject
• Purpose of peer review

  To help prevent flawed or even fraudulent research
• Problems with peer review

  Slow

  Expensive

  Subjective

  Prone to bias
• pilot study


  A small scale trial carried out at the start of an experiment to check for any flaws e.g. do the questions in the questionnaire make sense before being published on a larger scale.
• Demand charactistics


  All the features of the study that tell the P how the E is expecting them to behave
• Standardised instructions


  Instructions given word for word so that people don't get confused by poor instructions
• Standardised procedure


  Procedure made exactly the same so that they don't become confounding variables, which may affect P's response
• Confounding variables


  Variables not controlled and contaminate parts of the study
• Extraneous variables


  Undesired variables that influence between IV and DV

  Must be controlled before carried out
• Random sample


  Equal chance of being selected

  +enhanced external validity

  -time consuming and may not work
• Systematic sample


  Using a set system eg nth number

  +unbiased

  -time and effort
• Stratified sample


  Sample reflects proportions of people in certain subgroups within a population

  +representative method

  -stratification is not perfect in the way which people may act different
• Opportunity sample


  Most available who are walking by etc

  +quick method

  -inevitably biased