Research methods

What is a laboratory experiment?

done in controlled conditions
Ps usually aware they’re in a study

What is a field experiment?

done in real world environment
deliberate manipulation of variables, less control over extraneous variables

What is a quasi experiment?

IV is pre-existing like gender

What is a natural experiment?

IV is not manipulated, it occurs naturally
done in real world environment

What is observation?

research technique where behaviour is watched and recorded

What are behavioural categories?

before making observations researchers break down target behaviours into categories that can be measured

What is needed to make observations objective?

operationalise behavioural categories
train observers
use more than 1 observer and check inter-observer reliability

What is inter-observer reliability?

extent to which there is consistency between 2 or more observers

What is time sampling?

time interval selected
observer makes tally for every behaviour occurring at the exact time

What is event sampling?

observer makes tally every time they see behaviour during whole observation

Where does a naturalistic observation happen?

in real world setting

What is a covert observation?

where Ps are not aware they’re being observed
most naturalistic observations are this

What is an overt observation?

when Ps are aware they’re being observed
more likely to have demand characteristics

What is a non-participant observation?

where observer is separate from situation they observe

What is a participant observation?

observer is actively involved in situation

What is observer bias?

what people observe is influenced by observer’s expectations

Strengths of observational research

best way to obtain accurate picture of natural behaviour
only practical way to get data - eg. babies

Weaknesses of observational research

hard to distinguish clearly between behaviour categories
ethical issues+practical difficulties

What do self report techniques include?

questionnaires
interviews

Advantages of self report techniques

often only way to investigate people’s experiences

Disadvantages of self report techniques

subjective
social desirability bias
not valid as people may not be able to introspect

What is an open question?

don’t have fixed responses

What is a closed question?

phrased to restrict P to a set of responses

What is a likert scale?

give statement and agree to disagree scale

What is a structured interview?

pre determined questions asked in a specific order

AO3 of structured interviews

+easy to analyse and replicate
-no ability to get depth

What is an unstructured interview?

no set questions
more likely to have open questions

AO3 of unstructured interviews

+allow deeper understanding
-difficult to analyse and compare results

What is a semi-structured interview?

some set questions but follow ups also involved

What is correlation?

tells us the strength of a relationship between 2 variables

AO3 of correlational analysis

+essential when manipulating a variable is unethical
-can’t determine cause and effect

What is content analysis?

turning qualitative data into quantitative data using categories

What is involved in content analysis?

watch a sample to determine coding units
create a table
watch all data and tally

AO3 of content analysis

+high ecological validity
-subjective
-reduce complex material to categories

What is thematic analysis?

analyse qualitative data
researcher watches data and notes done recurring themes