theoretical factors in research

• reliability

  means the extent to which a study can be replicated in the same way - you do not need to get the same results but the process should be the same
• validity

  how well a piece of research actually measures what it sets out to or how well it reflects the reality it claims to represent
• representative

  means the extent to which a sample mirrors a researcher's target population and reflects its characteristics
• generalisability

  means the extent to which their findings can be applied to which their findings can be applied to the larger population of which their sample was a part
• factors impacting reliability

  • research method
  • data type
  • participants
• factors impacting reliability - Research method

  • some research methods such as structured interviews and questionnaires are more reliable as they can be repeated in the same way multiple times
• factors impacting reliability - data type

  • quantitative data is more reliable than qualitative as it is quantifiable and not open to interpretation
• factors impacting reliability - participants

  • it is unlikely that a researcher will be able to get participants who match exactly when repeating the research
  • participants will lower the reliability of a study
• factors impacting validity

  • hawthorne effect
  • group dynamics
  • social desirability
  • demand characteristics
  • data type
• factors impacting validity - Hawthorne effect

  • the idea that ppts will consciously or unconsciously change their behaviour when they know they are being watched - only applies to observations
• factors impacting validity - group dynamics

  • peer group pressure can change a ppts behaviour or answers to appear more acceptable to the group or to gain symbolic capital amongst the groups
• factors impacting validity - social desirability

  • refers to the conscious or unconscious changes people make to their answers or behaviours so that they appear more socially acceptable / normal
• factors impacting validity - demand characteristics

  • when the ppts change their answers or behaviour to what they think they researcher wants to see or hear
• factors impacting validity - data type

  • qualitative data is open to interpretation which can lower the validity as one researcher may interpret it differently to another
• factors impacting representativeness and generalisability

  • sample size
  • research method
• factors impacting representativeness and generalisability - sample size

  • the smaller the sample size the less likely it can be generalised to the wider research population and is unlikely to be fully representative of the groups
• factors impacting representativeness and generalisability - research method

  • some research methods will mean that the sample will need to be small which can limit both representativeness and generalizability