Psychology - Research Methods Yr1

• Quantitative Data


  Numerical data
• Qualitative Data


  Non-numerical data (usually in the form of words)
• Quantitative data example

  • Closed questions
  • Gender Tally
• Qualitative data example


  • Opinions on a given topic
  • Open questions (e.g. "How was your day?")
• Quantitative Data


  • Advantage: Easy to analyse, can be put into graphs or charts. This is positive as it makes it easier to draw comparisons and conclusions.
  • Disadvantage: Lacking details, participants are limited in their responses. This is negative as it means a research topic cannot be explored in-depth.
• Qualitative Data


  • Advantage: Rich in detail, participants' views are represented in full. This is positive as it allows a research topic to be explored in-depth.
  • Disadvantage: Difficult to analyse, cannot be easily put into graphs or charts. This is negative as it makes it harder to draw comparisons and conclusions.
• The Research Methods


  • Laboratory experiments
  • Field experiments
  • Natural experiments
  • Quasi experiments
  • Correlational analysis
  • Observations
  • Interviews
  • Questionnaires
• Psychologists need to carry out research to back up their theories
• "Research Methods" underlie everything in psychology
• Experiments


  • Have an IV
  • Have a DV
  • Establish a cause and effect relationship between the IV and DV
• Independent Variable (IV)


  The variable that is manipulated by the researcher to create different groups or 'conditions' to test what effect this has
• Dependent Variable (DV)


  The variable that is measured for each group (or 'condition')
• The aim of all experiments is to establish a cause and effect relationship between the IV and the DV
• An independent variable (IV) is the variable that is deliberately manipulated by the researcher to see if this has an effect on the dependent variable
• A dependent variable (DV) is the variable that is measured by the researcher
• Extraneous Variables (EVs)


  Any variable other than the independent variable (IV) that might affect the dependent variable (DV) if it is not controlled
• Extraneous Variables


  • Researchers should try to identify all possible EVs and attempt to control them
• Types of Extraneous Variables

  • Participant Variables
  • Investigator Effects
  • Environmental Variables
  • Demand Characteristics
• Participant Variables


  Any characteristics or traits of the participants (other than the IV) that might unfairly influence the results, e.g. gender, mood, personality, severity
• Investigator Effects


  Any cues from an investigator (other than the IV) that encourage certain behaviours in the participant, and which might allow the researcher's expectations to unfairly influence the results, e.g. what the investigator says, their tone of voice, body language
• Environmental Variables


  Any aspect of the research environment or situation (other than the IV) that might unfairly influence the results, e.g. temperature, lighting, noise
• Demand Characteristics


  Any cues that reveal the aims of the study to the participants, which may cause them to change their behaviour in order to please the researcher, ruin the experiment, or become more self-conscious, e.g. having prior knowledge of a study, being a psychology student, repeated measures design
• All of the above types of extraneous variables can result in a participant changing their behaviour, which is a problem because it means the results do not reflect real-life
• A mnemonic (memory aid) to help remember the different types of extraneous variable is PE (or PIED to include demand characteristics too!)
• External validity


  The extent to which the original experiment can be said to have low generalisability to all populations, all settings and all times
• The highest level of external validity is found when findings can be generalised to all populations, all settings and all times
• The results of a study are reliable if, when the study is replicated, it produces similar results
• Testing reliability


  1. Run the study once

  2. Do exactly the same study again using exactly the same participants and the same conditions

  3. If the research is reliable then the results should be similar
• The results of an investigation may be reliable, but that does not mean that they are valid
• A study can be reliably invalid (i.e. consistently produce inaccurate results)
• CONTROL OF VARIABLES


  • Key ways of controlling variables in research to ensure accurate (val)
• Standardisation


  1. Standardising research environment

  2. Standardising research instructions

  3. Standardising research procedures
• Standardisation


  Putting in place controls to ensure every aspect of the research is the same for all participants and meets a consistent standard
• Standardised environment


  • A laboratory
• Standardised procedures


  • Using the same research materials and timings
• Standardised instructions


  • Scripting or recording what the researcher says to participants and using the same researcher
• Randomisation


  • Ensuring all research choices are randomly selected by chance rather than being determined by the researcher
• Random allocation of participants to conditions


  • Using a random name/number generator
• Putting task sequences together

  • In a memory study, putting a list of words together by making the order random as opposed to allowing the researcher to put them in a chosen order
• Randomising procedures means ensuring all research choices are randomly selected by chance (e.g. using a random name/number generator) rather than being determined by the researcher