DP1 Research Knowledge Assessment

true experiment

Experiment in which subjects are assigned randomly to an experimental group that receives a treatment or other manipulation of the independent variable and a comparison group that does not receive the treatment or receives some other manipulation. Outcomes are measured in a posttest.

quasi-experiment

Tries to establish cause-and-effect relationships like an experiment, with an IV and DV. Lacks random assignment of participants to treatment or control groups, typically using pre-existing conditions.

independent variable

The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied.

dependent variable

The outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable.

confounding variable

An extra variable that could distort the relationship. etween the IV and Dv

internal validity

Is the IV the only variable causing this change in the DV, or are there confounding variables ???

external validity

the extent to which the results of a study can be generalized to other situations and to other people

reliability

consistency of measurement

credibility

the quality of being believable or trustworthy

Generalizability

the extent to which we can claim our findings inform us about a group larger than the one we studied

Self-Selected (Volunteer)

The fancy word for volunteers responding to an request for participants

Oppurtunity sampling

Participants are selected based on convenience and availability

Random Sampling

Every member of a targeted population has an equal chance of being selected

Stratified Sampling

Considers diversity of a sample by random sampling each subpopulation of a population

Snowball Sampling

Participants recruit other participants, and the sample grows like a snowball rolling down a hill

WEIRD sampling

Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic

Overt Observations

The participant being observed is aware of the researchers presence

Covert observation

the participant being observed is not aware of the researchers presence

naturalistic observation

Observing in a natural environment

Controlled observation

Observing in a lab setting

participant observation

Researcher is a part of the observed group

Non-particpant observation

Researcher is separate from the observed group

structured interview

Participants are asked the same question in the same order. The interviewer should not deviate from the interview guide.

test-retest reliability

the consistency in results every time a measure is used

Semi-structured interview

There is a list of questions that have been worked out in advance but interviewers are also free to ask follow up questions when they feel it is appropriate.

focus group

Consists of 4-10 participants. The participants discuss a common topic together, guided by a moderator

Interviewer Effects

aspects of the interviewer's presence that distort participants' true responses

Types of Interviewer effects

Tone of voice, Body Language, Leading Questions, and age, gender, cultural differneces

Rapport

Building trust between the interviewer and participant.

ambigious questions

These questions use unclear terms that participants may interpret differently.

social desirability effect

These questions make participants want to present themselves in a positive way.

Conformity effect

the pressure we feel to conform to the behaviors and beliefs of groups in which we find ourselves, particularly those with which we identify (our in-groups).

What is implicit bias?

Implicit bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner.

What are leading questions?

Leading questions are questions that assume a preferred answer and guide the participant in how they are supposed to answer.

What are double-barreled questions?

Questions that combine multiple issues in one.

Why can double-barreled questions lead to unclear responses?

Participants may agree with one part of the question but not the other.

Unrealistic Objectivity

These questions are overly abstract or hypothetical. These require participants to predict future behavior, recall distant memories, evaluate themselves accurately, and make complex moral judgements quickly

recall bias

When participants are asked to remember events from the past.

recency effect

where people remember recent events more clearly and overemphasize them in their response.

Optimism Bias

When people have a more positive view of their own behavior than is actually the case

Hypothetical Bias

Occurs when participants say they would behave a certain way in a hypothetical situation

thematic analysis

Is a qualitative method used to identify, analyze, and report patterns(themes) within interview data

Thematic analysis: Coding

Is the process of systematically labeling meaningful segments of interview data in order to identify patterns, categories, or themes for analysis

A priori coding

Is a deductive approach. Themes are identified before the interviews are carried out, and the researcher then searches for evidence to support those themes when analyzing the transcripts.

Emergent Coding

Is an inductive approach. The researcher carefully reads and re-reads transcripts, identifying patterns, repeated ideas, and meaningful concepts that naturally arise from participants' responses

Questionnaries

Any written set of questions with the goal of collecting qualitative data regarding a person's opinions and/or attitudes

Surveys

Bot ha set of questions and the process of collecting, aggregating, and analyzing the responses to those questions, serving as a way of collecting information from a large and dispersed group

Likert Scale

A format that asks a participant whether something is never, seldom, sometimes, often, or always true, or whether they strongly disagree, disagree, have no opinion, agree, or strongly agree. The resulting data is ordinal, meaning it is ranked data.

acquiesence bias

The tendency of participants to agree with a statement when they have no strong opinion because people feel more comfortable agreeing rather than disagreeing with the researcher

Non-Response Bias

Occurs when individuals who choose not to respond to certain questions differ in a meaningful way from those who do respond

Case Study

An in-depth investigation of human experience taking place in the participant's natural environment that can focus on one person, a family, a social group, an event, or an organization

longitudinal study

Taking place over a significant period of time

cross-sectional study

research that compares people of different ages at the same point in time

retrospective study

Collecting data about past events, such as childhood experiences

prosepctive study

Looking at what will happen to a case from the present point foward

idiographic approach

An approach that focuses on understanding individuals in their unique context

nomethetic approach

An approach that focuses on more general phenomena of interest (such as being homeless or being diagnosed with cancer) to draw conclusions that may be applied outside of the original case

Triangulation

A strategy used in case studies where multiple sources are used so that conclusions are considered more credible

Methodological Triangulation

When researchers use different research methods (such as combining qualitative and quantitative methods) to study the same phenomenon

Data triangulation

When researchers use different sources of data to confirm findings. Ex: collecting data from multiple participants like a child, parents, friends, and a teacher

Researcher triangulation

When multiple researchers or observers interpret data, analyze results, or conduct interviews to reduce bias

Theoretical Triangulation

Using multiple theoretical perspectives (such as a cognitive and a biological perspective) to analyze and interpret data for a more holistic understanding

Representational Generalization

One of many ways people gain and accumulate knowledge, through findings from a single case study cannot necessarily be generalized to the wider population

meta-analysis

A method used by researchers to reach an aggregate conclusion based on the findings of several case studies.

interviewer guide

a list of all the questions an interviewer asks, as well as notes about how the interviewer will begin and end the interview