strengths and weaknesses of different terms

ocr psychology research methods

strengths and weaknesses of lab experiment

Strengths

• extrenious variables controlled for meaning cause and effect can be established

• high replicability

• high validity and less researcher bias due to level of control

weaknesses

• still some extreneous variables remain

• low ecological avalibility (not like real life sitchuations) tasks and environment are artficial

• chance of demand characteristics (reduces internal)

strengths and weaknesses of field

strengths

• higher ecological validity (natural environment)

• less demand characteristics as participants don’t always know they are taking part= higher validity

weaknesses

• uncontrolled environment= more extrenious variables so cause and effect can’t be established

• enethical as consent is not always gained

• hard to replicate

strengths and weaknesses of quasi

strengths

• higher ecological validity due to IV not being manipulated

• more ethical as the participants already have the IV so don’’t give them anything

weaknesses

• not classes as ‘true’ experiment as IV not manipulated so it’s not scientific

• EVs so cause and effect can’t be established

• hard to find participants- smaller sample size- time consuming

strengths and weaknesses of independent measures design

strengths

• no order effects

• less demand characteristics

weaknesses

• need more participant

• participant variables differ- lower internal validity, replicability

strengths and weaknesses of repeated measures design

strengths

• less participants needed

• less participant variables

weaknesses

• order effects

• possible demand characteristics

strengths and weaknesses of matched participant design

strengths

• no order effects

• less demand characteristics

• participant variables are constant

weaknesses

• more participants needed

• some participant variables remain

strengths and weaknesses of the mean

strengths

• takes all scores into account so it is more representative of all the data

weaknesses

• impacted by outliers (will be skewed- artifically inflated/ deflated

• not useful when decimal point is not an option for data

cant use in catagory data

strengths and weaknesses of the mode

strengths

• not impacted by outliers- not skewed

weaknesses

• not representitive as not all scores are taken into account

• may be several or none

can’t use on catagory data

strengths and weaknesses of the median

strengths

• not impacted by outliers- not skewed

weaknesses

• doesn’t take all scores into account representative

can use for category data but not if theres no modal or several modal scores

strengths and weaknesses of opportunity sampling

strengths

• sample quickly acquired as it’s easy

• sample inexpensive

weaknesses

• not representive

• gives illusion of being drawn from a large sample when it is genrally drawn from small

strengths and weaknesses of random

strengths

• avoids researcher bias as whole population has equal chance of being selected

• most representitive

weaknesses

• may end up with biased sample as not all selected participants will participate

• hard to carry out effectively unless target popuation is very small

strengths and weaknesses of self selected

strengths

• ethically sound as participants determine own involvment

• less likely to withdraw

weaknesses

• must have good advertising to obtain large numbers which can be time consuming and expensive

• may be biased and unrepresentitive of target population as volunteers may be different from non

strengths and weaknesses of snowball sampling

strengths

• gives you easier access to harder to reach groups

• easier to find sample as you only have to find first few

weaknesses

• not representitive as sample is likely to be similar

• hard to genralise results