Psychology a level - PART 2 research methods

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Psychology

60 Terms

1
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a strength and limitation of random sampling

no researcher bias, unrepresentative

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what is randomisation

the use of chance to reduce the effects of bias from investigator effects

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how to eliminate order effects from repeated measures

counterbalancing

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describe a single blind experiment

the researchers are aware of which subjects are receiving the independent variable, but the participants of the study are not

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what is standardisation

keeping everything the same for all participants so that the investigation is fair

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what is stratified sampling

a sampling method in which researchers first divide a population into smaller subgroups, or strata, based on shared characteristics of the members and then randomly select among each stratum to form the final sample

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what is systematic sampling

a sampling method where every nth individual is selected from a list or sequence to form a sample, ensuring even and regular intervals between chosen subjects

8
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what does it mean if a conclusion has high temporal validity

it can be generalised over time

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describe time sampling and give a specific example

the researcher records all behaviours for a set time frame, at a set point, e.g. they record each participant behaviour for 20 seconds every 15 minutes over a 2 hour observation

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what is validity

the extent to which research accurately measures what it’s intended to measure

11
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describe volunteer sampling and give a specific example

people sign up for the study on their own accord e.g. by replying to an advert in a newspaper

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why might volunteer sampling be biased/unrepresentative

everyone who signs up has a participant variable in common

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what is interval data

anything measured in public, standardized units such as height or speed

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what is ordinal data

any data on a rating scale, a position, or results of a non-standardized test

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what is nominal data

measures how many people fall into each category. you can’t identify an individual score

16
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give 3 measures of central tendency

mean, median, mode

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give 2 measures of dispersion

range, standard deviation

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when should the mean be used as a measure of central tendency

when there are no anomalies

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when should the median be used as a measure of central tendency

when the mean cannot be used due to anomalies

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when should the mode be used as a measure of central tendency

when there is a clear modal value. always use when dealing with nominal data

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3 things to include when drawing a graph

a title with the IV and DV in it, labelled axis, IV on X-axis and DV on Y-axis

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when is a bar chart used

when the data is discreet, in separate categories

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do the columns touch in a bar chart

no

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when is a histogram used

when the data is on a continuous scale e.g. when the numbers are consecutive on the x-axis

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do the columns on a histogram touch

yes

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when would a scattergram be used

when the relationship between two co-variables is being assessed in a correlation study

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when would a line graph be used

when change over time is being measured

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define normal distribution

When data is plotted on a graph, a bell-shaped curve is given, and the mean, median, and mode are all the same

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give 2 examples of features believed to be normally distributed within the UK

IQ, height

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which average is the biggest in a negatively skewed distribution

mode

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which average is the biggest in a positively skewed distribution

mean

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which direction is a negatively skewed distribution skewed towards

left

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what is content analysis

quantifying qualitative data through coding and analysing the results

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what is qualitative data

detailed data in the form of words

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what is coding

breaking down qualitative data using operationalised categories and tallying the number of times a category occurs

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what is thematic analysis

looking for broader ‘themes’ in qualitative data, which may be decided after a content analysis

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how is a sign test carried out

work out the differences between the two conditions. then make note of whether these are positive or negative. make note of the number of the less frequently occurring sign (this is calculated value). N is the number of participants, excluding those who’s sign was = then use table, as 0.05 significance, to decide on the critical value

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what is a type 1 error

an optimistic error, where the level of significance is too lenient

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what is a type 2 error

a pessimistic error, where the level of significance is too strict

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what does a stat test of a correlation need to achieve

a test of the significance of a relationship

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what does a stat test comparing 2 conditions need to achieve

a test of significance in difference

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which stat test would you use for a correlation that created interval data

pearson moment

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which stat test would you use for a matched pairs design with ordinal data

wilcoxon sign

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which stat test would you use for an independent measures design with nominal data

chi squared

45
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acrostic for choosing a sign test

never

order

indian

rice

soup

while

rating

men

sides

when

rating

iguanas

can’t

mean

u

can’t

even

costs

so

poorly

46
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3 ways to improve reliability

train observers, standardise procedures, operationalize

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3 ways to improve validity

controlled environment, standardise procedures, single or double-blind design

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what is the aim of the ‘nudge unit’

to change the behaviour of the population in a way that helps the government and economy, one small bit at a time

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two ways in which psychology helps the economy

treatment for mental disorders like depression allows people to spend less time off work, research into role of the father reassures high-earning mothers that they can continue to work so families may maximise their income

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what are the different sections of a report

Abstract, Overview of the approach, structure of the data, structure of the model, results, discussion, references

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what is the structure of a book reference

Surname and initial of author, (year published) title of book, place of publishing, publisher, page number

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what is the structure of a journal article reference

Surname and initial of article writer (year published) ‘Title of study or theory’, surname and initial of book author, (year published) title of book, place of publishing, publisher, page number

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what is the structure of a website reference

source, (year) title, weblink, date accessed

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what is peer-review

the process by which research reports are sent before publishing to other, hopefully unbiased, psychologists who are specialists in the field being investigated. These psychologists will hopefully point out any unjustified conclusions or flaws in the method

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2 limitations of peer-review

long process, only significant findings are published which may lead to bias within the field

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2 strengths of peer review

ensures ethical research, prevents invalid findings from being published

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define science

a branch of knowledge conducted on objective principles involving the systematised observation of and experiment with phenomena

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give 8 features of science

objectivity, empirical method, replicability, falsifiability, theory construction, hypothesis testing, paradigms, paradigm shifts

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give an acronym for the levels of data

ION

60
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difference between natural and quasi experiment, giving an example for each

natural = IV not manipulated by researcher but manipulated by past experiences e.g. maternal deprivation

quasi = IV not manipulated by anyone e.g. gender