Research methods

Cards (115)

  • Experimental method: Aims
    Purpose of the investigation
  • Experimental method: Hypotheses
    Testable, operationalised statement
  • Experimental method: Directional or non-directional
    Identifying a difference/correlation or not. Choice depends on previous researches
  • Variables: IV's and DV's
    IV manipulated, DV measured
  • Variables: operationalised
    defining variables so they can be measured
  • Research issues: extraneous variables

    nuisance variables but randomly distributed
  • Research issues: confounding variables

    Vary systematically with IV
  • Research issues: demand characteristics
    participants second guess the aims, alter their behaviour
  • Research issues: investigator effects

    influence of researcher on DV/design decisions
  • Research issues: randomisation
    chance methods to reduce bias
  • Research issues: standardisation
    ensuring all participants have the same experience
  • experimental designs: independant groups

    participants in each condition of experiment are different
  • Independent groups evaluation

    Participant variables not controlled (use random allocation) less economical, no order effects
  • experimental designs: repeated measures

    all participants take part in all conditions
  • repeated measures evaluation

    order effects (use counterbalancing) demand characteristics. participant variables controlled. more economical
  • experimental design: matched pairs

    similar participants paried on participant variables, allocated to A or B
  • matched pairs evaluation: no order effects. cannot match exactly, time-consuming
  • types of experiment: lab experiments

    IV is manipulated in a controlled setting. Participants go to researcher
  • lab experiments evaluation
    high internal validity, replication more possible.

    However low internal validity and low external validity
  • types of experiment: field experiments

    IV is manipulated in a natural setting. researcher goes to participant
  • field experiments evaluation
    higher external validity (realism), lower internal validity (less control), ethical issues (consent not possible)
  • types of experiment: natural experiment

    IV changed naturally. DV/setting may be natural or in a lab
  • natural experiment evaluation
    only option for ethical reasons, high external validity. limited opportunities, low realism in labs,
  • types of experiment: quasi-experiment
    IV based on existing difference between people, effect on DV is recorded
  • quasi-experiment evaluation
    if in a lab issues as for lab experiment, no random allocation, no manipulation of IV
  • population and sample: random sample
    equal chance of selection, lottery
  • random sample evaluation

    potentially unbiased, time-consumign may not work
  • population and sample: systematic sample

    selecting every nth person from list
  • systematic sample evaluation
    objective method but time-consuming. those selected may refuse
  • population and sample: stratified sample

    sample reflects the proportion of people in different population strata
  • stratified sample evaluation

    representitive. cannot account for all subgroups
  • population and sample: opportunity sample

    choosing whoever is available
  • opportunity sample evaluation
    convenient. but unrepresentitive
  • ethical issues: informed consent
    advise participants what is involved. reveals research aims
  • volunteer sample evaluation
    Easy and participants engaged.
    Volunteer bias, responsive to cues
  • population and sample: volunteer sample

    participants 'self-select
  • how to deal w ethical issues: informed consent
    signed consent form
  • ethical issues: deception
    misleading participants, witholding information. OK if not distressing
  • how to deal w ethical issues: deception
    debriefing, right to withdrawl data,
  • ethical issues: protection from harm

    psychological or physical risk