science inquiry skills

participant variables can be reduced by

even distribution of participants and large enough sample size

placebo effect

the phenomenon in which the expectations of the participants in a study can influence their behavior

situational variables

time of day, lighting, sound levels, physical surroundings

Participant variables

sleep, mood, hunger, stress.

confounding variables

if extraneous variables are not able to be controlled they become confounding variables.

experimental features

manipulation of the independent variable, control/experimental groups, random allocation

types of experiments

independent groups, matched participants, repeated measures

independent groups

groups of participants formed by random assignment, most common experiment

matched participants

participants with similar characteristics pair up and one goes to the control group, the other to the experimental.

repeated measures

one group of participants are measured at least twice on the dependent variable, exposed to a number of experimental conditions.

demand characteristics

cues in an experiment that tell the participant what behavior is expected, a result of the social desirability bias

demand characteristics examples

rumours of the study prior to conduction, laboratory setting, communication between researcher and participants that give away the study's aims

advantages of experimental designs

- demonstrates causal relationship between the independent and dependent variables
- random allocation/matched pairs minimises participant bias
- single-blind procedure prevents placebo effect
- repeated measures overcomes EV
- standardised instructions allows for test retest reliability

disadvantages of experimental design

- conducting pretestst o identify participant characteristics for allocations is timely
- controlled variables reduced real life application of results
- subject to social desirability bias

observation research design

pre-existing groups as it would not be ethical or plausible to research certain topis under an experiemnt

observational disadvantages

cannot infer causal relationship, cannot replicate, lacks validity due to demand characteristics

qualitative research design

Data collection using interviews, fieldwork, observation, photos, texts, and other subjective measures

qualitative advantages

provides detailed data, captures participant experiences, wide range of types of data can be collected

Qualitative Disadvantages

isn't representative of the population, data analysis is lengthy, difficult to summarise, researcher bias may be present, smaller samples

Qualitative Research Methods

focus groups, delphi technique, interviews

focus groups

A group interview technique (6 - 12 participants) that obtains qualitative data through discussion. Make use of focussed

Focus Groups Advantages

deatiled data, easy to organise, inexpensive, useful to obtain data from those who can't read/write

Focus Groups Disadvantages

dominant participants, social desirability bias, interviewer bias can contaminate results, other participants doesn't enable confidentality

Delphi technique

experts provide qualitative open-ended opinions, those opinions are grouped based on themes in a questionnaire and redistributed, experts rank their agreement, process continues till a consensus is reached.

Delphi technique advantages

- inexpensive
- reduces groupthink limitations by having experts
- can include people from many geographic locations

Delphi technique disadvantages

- does not provide debriefing
- chance of researcher bias
- researcher can force consensus as responses cannot be discussed

Objective quantitative data

heartrate, behaviour counts, EEG

Subjective quantitative data

close-ended questionnaires, rating scales

qualitative data

content analysis, focus groups, delphi technique, interviews

descriptive statistics

show patterns or trends in the data using measures of central tendency

descriptive statistics examples

mean, median, standard deviation

standard deviation

a measure of variability that describes an average distance of every score from the mean

inferential statistics

inferring of the relationship between the IV and DV, reliability of the findings to be generalised for the population

types of sampling

random, convenience, stratified

stratified sampling

Breaks the population down into smaller groups, and random samples are taken from the smaller groups in the same proportion that they appear in the population

reliability measures

test re-test reliability, inter-observer reliability- two or more observers are in agreement.

meta-analysis

examination of data from several independent studies of the same subject, in order to determine overall trends

meta-analysis strength and weakness

strength- increases validity of conclusions drawn from a wider range
weakness- research designs vary so they're not truly comparable.

internal validity

The extent to which a researcher can say that only the independent variable is causing the effect on the dependent variable, reduced by EV

external validity

the extent the results can be generalised to the population, reduced by unrepresentative sample

biospychosocial model

suggests that biological, psychological, and social factors influence bahaviour

biological aspects

Genetics Neurochemistry Hormones Brain structures Illness and disease Injury Age Sex Medication / drugs Immune response Fight-flight-freeze response

psychological aspects

Attention Learning Emotions Thinking Attitudes Memory Perceptions Beliefs Coping strategies
Self-esteem
Personality

social aspects

Family background Social Support Education Interpersonal relationships Cultural traditions Socioeconomic status Poverty Physical exercise Biofeedback Gender

ethics

freedom from coercion/voluntary participation
informed consent
deception
adequate debriefing
confidentiality
do no harm
right to withdraw
privacy