Research Methods Summary

What happens in Laboratory experiments?

The IV is manipulated to observe the effect on DV, highly controlled.

What are the strengths of laboratory experiments? (2)

• control over variables allows cause and effect to be established.

• Replicability is possible which mean reliability can be established.

What are the limitations of laboratory experiments? (2)

• Artificial conditions make it difficult to generalise to other settings, lacks ecological validity.

• Demand characteristics can occur as participants respond to the cues of the aim of the experiment.

What is a field experiment?

IV directly manipulated by experimenter to observe effect on DV, natural environment, some control.

What are the strengths of field experiments? (2)

• improved ecological validity because participants unaware taking part and in natural environment.

• Reduction in Demand Characteristics because the participants are unaware they are taking part in an experiment.

What are the limitations of field experiments?

• less control over extraneous variables

• More time consuming as need to wait for certain environmental conditions

What is a natural experiment?

IV not directly manipulated, IV occurs naturally, allocation of participants not controlled by experimenter.

What are the strengths of natural experiments? (2)

• Reduction in demand characteristics

• High ecological validity due to lack of direct intervention

What are the limitations of natural experiments? (2)

• Inevitable many extraneous variables because of lack of control

• Replication is impossible due to rarity of the situation

What is a Quasi experiment?

Has an IV that is based on an existing difference between people. No one has manipulated this difference it simply exists. E.g. gender differences.

What are the strengths of a quasi experiment? (2)

• often carefully planned which means it can be replicated

• Useful to make comparisons between types of people where it is impossible or impractical to manipulate variables

What are the limitations of a quasi experiment? (2)

• cannot randomly allocate participants to conditions and therefore there may be extraneous variables which means we cannot establish causality

• Often carried out in a laboratory and therefore maybe demand characteristics

What is a naturalistic observation?

Behaviour observed in natural context, everything left as normal, all variables free to vary.

What are the strengths of naturalistic observations? (2)

• high ecological validity because there is no manipulation

• Study behaviour where can’t manipulate variables

What are the limitations with naturalistic observations? (2)

• observer bias, low inter-observer reliability

• Lack of control means replication impossible, many variables

What is a controlled observation?

Some variables are controlled by the researcher e.g. environment.

What are the strengths of controlled observation? (2)

• time saving because can manipulate variables to observe effects

• Preliminary Research: to help develop new hypothesis for future studies or prevent time being wasted carrying out unrealistic experiments.

What are the limitations of controlled observations? (2)

• reduced ecological validity, participant effects.

• Observer bias, low inter-observer reliability.

What is covert observation?

Participants unaware they’re being observed.

What is a strength of covert observation? (1)

• high ecological validity as behaviour is more natural

What is a limitation of cover observation? (1)

• ethics may be questionable due to invasion of privacy and lack of informed consent

What is overt observation?

Participants aware they are being observed.

What is a strength of overt observation?

• more ethical than covert if gained informed consent

What is a limitation of overt observation? (1)

• reduced ecological validity, participant reactivity

What is participant observation?

The study observer becomes part of the group they are studying.

What is a strength of participant observation? (1)

• gains special insight into the behaviour that may only be seen from the ‘inside’ , increasing validity of findings

What is a limitation of participation observation? (1)

• observer bias, objectivity of findings are affected by being part of the group

What is non-participant observation?

The researcher remains separate from the group they are studying.

What is a strength of non-participant observation? (1)

• observer more likely to be objective, compared to participant variable

What is a limitation of non-participant observation? (1)

• compared to participant variable, data lacks richness

What is a questionnaire?

A set of written questions

What are strengths of questionnaires? (2)

• simple to carry out, little training required, and a large group can be targeted

• Participants may be more willing to express themselves truthfully, because anonymous, more reliable data gained

What are limitations with questionnaires? (2)

• problems with wording of questions

• Biased samples because of who actually responds

What are structured interviews?

One person asks questions to another. A predetermined set of questions are asked.

What are strengths of structured interviews?

• replication is possible because standardised questions are used. Answers from different participants can be compared and answers are easier to analyse compared to unstructured

• Any misunderstood questions can be explained

What are limitations of structured interviews? (2)

• Social desirability bias, participants many give answers think will create favourable impression

• Requires skilled personnel, making it expensive compared to a questionnaire

What is an unstructured interview?

One person asks questions to another. The interviewer develops questions in response to a participant’s answers.

What are strengths of unstructured interviews? (2)

• lots of rich data if open-minded questions are used

• Unstructured and semi-structured interviews are flexible in being able to tailor questions to the individual, gain more insight

What are limitations of unstructured interviews? (2)

• requires skilled personnel, especially due to the need to develop new questions on the spot, interviewers need training

• More difficult to analyse the data due to lack of standardised questions and amount of data gathered

What is a correlation?

Co-variables are examined for a relationship

What are strengths of correlations? (2)

• Allow researchers to investigate situations that could not be done experimentally, i.e. when it is impractical or ethically impossible to manipulate the IV

• Preliminary research: indicate trends which may lead to further experiments

What are limitations of correlations? (2)

• impossible to establish cause and effect

• Third variable problem, other unknown variable may explain why there is a relationship