research methods

• BPS ethical guidelines

  • Consent : Participants should be fully aware they can withdraw at any point.
  • Confidentiality : Real names should never be used
  • Deception : avoid deceiving participants in any way throughtout the study
  • Debriefing : Participants should be informed of the true aim, right to withdraw data and reassured/offered counselling at the end
  • Protection from harm : No physical or psychological harm should be caused
• The BPS code of conduct states that psychologists must not use deceptive practices unless it is absolutely necessary (e.g. if the aim of the experiment would otherwise fail)
• Psychologists have to consider the potential harm that may come from their studies, especially when working with vulnerable groups such as children or people with mental health problems
• experimental designs - independant groups 


  participants take part in one condition

  strength : avoids order effects and rehearsal of the study

  weakness: individual differences are a concern, due to multiple groups
• strength of independant groups 


  avoids order effects and rehearsal of the study
• weakness of independant

  individual differences are a concern, due to multiple groups
• 3 experimental groups
• 3 experimental designs

  Independant groups

  Repeated measures

  Matched pairs
• experimental designs - repeated measures


  Participants take part in all conditions

  strength : fewer people needed due to repeated participation

  weakness : order effects occur since they take part multiple times
• sampling methods

  • Random
  • Opportunity
  • Systematic
  • Stratified
• Random sampling 


  Participants have an equal chance of being selected

  strength : no bias

  weakness: time consuming
• strength of random sampling


  no bias
• Opportunity sampling


  uses who is avaliable and willing athe time

  strength : avoids researcher bias

  weakness : unrepresentative
• strength of oppotunity sampling


  no reasearcher bias
• weakness of opportuity sampling


  unrepresentative
• systemtic sampling

  participants are selected from a list (every nth person)

  strength : avoids researcher bias

  weakness : unrepresentative
• stratified sampling 


  selects participants in proportion to the target population

  strength : most representative method

  weakness : very lengthy process
• questionnaires

  strength : they can gather info from lots of people quickly, generalistaion is easier

  weakness : respondents may not answer truthfully, may give socially desirable answers and lie
• strength of questionnaires

  can gather info from lots of people quickly, generalistaion is easier and data is oftern easier to analyse
• weakness of quesionnaires

  respondents may lie, and give socially desirable answers then their real feelings
• strength of interviews

  the only way to obtain information from people who can;t write and find it difficult to express feelings on paper
• weakness of interviews

  can be difficult to analyse, researcher may end up with lots of information
• structured interviews

  interviewer reads a list of prepared questions exact script
• strength of quantitive data

  quite easy to analyse
• primary data


  researcher had collected the information first hand
• secondary data weakness


  study conducted may not match what researher wants, may be out of date
• strength of case studies

  best way of studying unusual forms of behaviour.