Research Methods One

Maybe everything?

What is a hypothesis?

A hypothesis is a testable statement about the relationship between two or more Variables. It is an educated guess or a proposed explanation for a phenomenon that can be tested through experimentation or observation

What is an aim?

An aim is a statement that describes what a study intends to achieve. It outlines the overall purpose or goal of the research, often in a broad sense.

What is the Experimental Method?

Manipulating an Independent Variable, to measure the effect on the Dependant Variable

What is H₀ ?

Null hypothesis.

What is H₁ ?

Alternate Hypothesis.

What are the 4 types of experiment?

Field, Laboratory, Natural, Quasi.

What is a Field Experiment?

What are the strengths of Field Experiments?

What are the weaknesses of Field Experiments?

What is a Laboratory Experiment? 

What are the strengths of Laboratory experiments?

What are the weaknesses of Laboratory experiments?

What is a Natural experiment?

What is are the strengths of Natural experiments?

What are the weaknesses of Natural experiments?

What is a Quasi experiment?

What are the strengths of Quasi experiments?

What are the weaknesses of Quasi experiments?

Which types of experiments have high levels of Variable Control?

Which types of experiments have low levels of Variable Control?

Which types of experiments have high levels of Internal Validity?

Which types of experiments have low levels of Internal Validity?

Which types of experiments have high levels of External Validity?

Which types of experiments have low levels of External Validity?

Which types of experiments have high levels of Demand Characteristics?

Which types of experiments have low levels of Demand Characteristics?

Which types of experiments have high levels of Realism?

Which types of experiments have low levels of Realism?

What is Non-Directional?

Increase/Decrease of the outcome is not specified.

What is Directional?

Increase/Decrease of the outcome is specified.

Are Extraneous Variables wanted?

No.

What is an extraneous variable?

Any Variable, other than the Independent Variable, that may affect the Dependant Variable. They are nuisance variables that don’t vary systematically with the Independent Variable.

What are confounding variables?

Any variable, other than the Independent Variable, that may effect the Dependent Variable. We cannot be sure of the true source of the changes. They vary systematically with the Independent Variable.

What are Demand Characteristics?

Any cue from the researcher or environment that may be interpreted as the purpose of the investigation.

What can Demand Characteristics lead to?

Participants changing their behaviour, making the findings less valid.

Investigator Effects

Any effect of the Investigator’s behaviour on the research outcome. This varies from the design of the study, to the selection of and interaction with participants during the study.

What is the Please-You Screw-You Effect?

Participant(s) conscious bias caused by known Demand Characteristics.

What is Randomisation?

The use of chance in order to control the effects of bias when choosing participants. 

What is Standardisation?

Using exactly the same formalised procedures and instructions for all participants in a research study.

What is Social Desirability Bias?

A type of response bias that is the tendency of survey respondents to answer questions in a manner that will be viewed favourably by others. It can lead participants to over-report 'good' behaviours or under-report 'bad' behaviours.

What is the Experimental design?

What is the Repeated Measures design?

What are the issues with the Repeated Measures design?

What is the Independent Group design? 

What are the issues with the Independent Group design?

What is the Matched Pairs design?

What are the issues with the Matched Pairs design?

What is Sampling?

What are the types of Sampling Methods?

Opportunity, Random, Stratified, Systemic, Volunteer.

What is Opportunity Sampling

What are the strengths of Opportunity Sampling?

What are the strengths of Opportunity Sampling?

What is Random Sampling?

What are the Strengths of Random Sampling?

What are the weaknesses of Random Sampling?

What is Stratified Sampling?

What are the strengths of Stratified Sampling?

What are the weaknesses of Stratified Sampling?

What is Systemic Sampling?

What are the strengths of Systemic Sampling?

What are the weaknesses of Systemic Sampling?

What is Volunteer Sampling?

What are the Strengths of Volunteer Sampling?

What are the weaknesses of Volunteer Sampling?

What are Ethics?

Where do Ethical issues arise from?

What is Deception?

How can Deception be avoided?

What is Informed Consent?

How can Informed Consent be upheld?

What is Privacy & Confidentiality?

How can Privacy & Confidentiality be upheld?

What is Protection from Harm?

How can Protection from Harm be upheld?

What is a Pilot Study?

What are the aims of a Pilot Study?

Why do we use Pilot Studies?

What is a Single Blind design?

What is a Double Blind Design?

What are Self-Report techniques?

What are Questionaries

What are the strengths of Questionairres?

What are the weaknesses of Questionairres?

What is an Unstructured Interview?

What is a Structured Interview?

What is a Semi-Structured Interview?

What is Quantitative Data?

What is Qualitative Data?

What kind of Data has high internal validity?

What kind of data has high external validity?

What kind of Data is better for finding patterns?

Which kind of Data is subjective?

Which kind of Data is objective?

Which kind of Data has a higher investigator bias issue risk?

What is Primary Data?

What are the strengths of Primary Data?

What are the weaknesses of Primary Data?

What is Secondary Data?

What are the strengths of Secondary Data?

What are the weaknesses of Secondary Data?