Research methods year 13

Define Case study?

• an in depth investigation and analysis of a single individual, institution or event

Define content analysis?

• a research technique that indirectly studies behaviour through communications like written forms in texts or emails or spoken interactions involving words or speech to draw conclusions

Define coding in terms of content analysis?

• the stage of content analysis in which the communication to be studies is analysed by identifying each instance of the chosen categories

Define thematic analysis?

• a form of content analysis which produces qualitative data and involves the identification of themes

Evaluate case studies(A03)?

STRENGTHS:

• they are able to offer rich, detailed insights

• Contribute to our understanding of typical functioning e.g.HM(Memory)

• Can generate hypothesis for future studies

WEAKNESSES:

• Findings cannot be generalised due to small sample size

• Personal accounts from the participants and their family and friends may be prone to inaccuracy and memory decay therefore decreased validity

Evaluate content analysis (A03)?

STRENGTH:

• can get around ethical issues associated with psychological research as most of the material being studied may already exist in the public

WEAKNESS:

• People tend to be studied indirectly so the communications they produce are usually analysed outside of the context that they occurred

Define reliability?

• A measure of consistency

What 2 ways do psychologists use to test reliability?

• test retest

• Inter observer reliability

Define test retest reliability?

Administering the same test or same questionnaire to the same person or people on different occasions if the test or questionnaire is reliable then the results obtained should be the same

Define inter observer reliability?

The extent to which there is agreement between 2 or more observers involved in the observations of a behaviour

Measured by correlating the observations of 2 or more observers

Define validity?

• whether a psychological test, observation or experiment produces legitimate results

Define internal validity?

• whether the effects observed in an experiment are due to the manipulation of the independent variable and not any othe rfactoe

Define external validity?

• the extent to which findings of a study can be generalised to other situations, settings people or times

State and explain the 2 types of external validity?

• Ecological validity→ the extent to which findings from a research study can be generalised to other settings and situations

• Temporal validity→ the extent to which findings from a research study can be generalised to other historical times and eras

State and explain the 2 ways in which validity can be assessed?

• Face validity→ whether a test or research tool appears to measure what it’s supposed to measure

• Concurrent validity→ the extent to which a new test or measure a,igns with an existing validated measure for the same concept when both are administered at the same time

Draw the stat's test table?

State the 3 factors used to determine what stats test to use?

• difference or correlation

• Experimental design

• Level of measurement

Define nominal data?

• categorical data

Define ordinal data?

• subjective data which is ordered

• Unsafe data as lacks precision

Define interval data?

• data that includes units of equal , most precise

What does a null hypothesis state?

• there is no difference

Define the critical value?

• the cut off point between accepting or rejecting the null hypothesis

Define type 1 error?

• the incorrect rejection of a true null hypothesis, false positive

Define type 2 error?

• the failure to rejects a false null hypothesis, false negative