Research Methodology: Strategies, Designs, and Procedures

Flashcards covering key concepts from Research Methodology, focusing on strategies, designs, procedures, validity, and threats to research.

Research Strategy

The general approach and goals of a study, determined by the type of question asked.

Research Design

A general plan for implementing a research strategy, including decisions about studying groups or individuals.

Research Procedures

Exact, step-by-step descriptions of a study that specify how variables are manipulated and measured.

Descriptive Research

A strategy that describes individual variables as they exist naturally within a group.

Correlational Research

A strategy that measures two variables for each individual to describe their relationship, without establishing cause.

Experimental Research

A strategy that manipulates one variable to produce a cause-and-effect explanation while controlling others.

Quasi-Experimental Research

A strategy that attempts to show cause-and-effect but contains flaws that prevent a certain conclusion.

Nonexperimental Research

A strategy that demonstrates a relationship between variables but does not explain why.

External Validity

The extent to which results can be generalized to other people, settings, times, and measures.

Internal Validity

The degree to which a study provides a single, unambiguous explanation for the relationship between two variables.

Between-Subjects Design

A design that uses a separate group for each treatment condition.

Within-Subjects Design

A design that uses a single group that participates in every treatment condition.

True Experiments

Experiments that include manipulation of an independent variable and rigorous control to establish causality.

Quasi-Experimental Designs

Designs that attempt to minimize threats to internal validity without random assignment.

Pre-Experimental Designs

Designs that make little to no attempt to control threats to internal validity.

Random Assignment (R)

The process of randomly assigning participants to different groups to eliminate individual differences.

Measurement (O)

Represents the observation or measurement in research notation.

Counterbalancing

Changing the order of treatments to distribute order effects evenly across conditions.

Participant Attrition

The loss of participants from a study over time.

Compensatory Equalization

When an untreated group demands the same treatment received by another group.

Compensatory Rivalry

When an untreated group works harder to compete with the treated group.

Resentful Demoralization

When an untreated group becomes less productive because they resent the treatment group.

Natural Groups (Differential Research)

Research that compares preexisting groups based on participant variables like age or gender.

Time Series Design

A design including a series of observations before and after a treatment or event.

Factorial Design

A design that includes two or more factors (independent variables) to examine their combined effects.

Mixed Factorial Design

A design that combines different designs, such as one between-subjects factor and one within-subjects factor.