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methods and techniques - Coggle Diagram
methods and techniques
experimental methods
field
strengths- high ecological validity, generalisable to similar settings, less demand characteristics as unaware of experiment
limitations- less control over extraneous variables, low internal validity, ethical issues:deception
carried out in real world setting, IV manipulated by experimenter
natural
strengths- high external validity as studies real life problems as they happen, enables research of behaviours not ethical to manipulate
limitations- low opportunities for research, no control over extraneous variables so low internal validity and cause and effect cannot be established
researcher does not manipulate IV so no random allocation of groups. researcher makes use of naturally occurring IV
laboratory
strengths- cause and effect can be assumed, high internal validity, easy to replicate and check reliability
limitations- artificial, difficult to generalise, low ecological validity, demand characteristics reducing internal validity
conducted in highly controlled environment where extraneous variables controlled and IV manipulated by experimenter
quasi
strengths- allows study of variables impossible to manipulate, lab= control of variables and cause/effect established
limitations- not possible to randomly allocate ptpts to conditions so higher risk of cofounding variables
IV based on existing difference between people eg.age/gender. cannot manipulate these variables or randomly allocate ptpts to conditions. conducted in controlled settings
observational techniques
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non-participant
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observer remains separate from those they are studying and records behaviour in a more objective manner than a ptpt observer
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self report techniques
interviews
strengths- complex issues easier to deal with, ease misunderstanding, data analysis and replication as structured and semi structured interviews standardised
limitations- interviewer effects as interviewers may unconsciously bias answers, interviewers need to be trained, ethical issues as ptpts may not know full purpose of interview, ptpts may have difficulty putting their feelings into words
unstructured
The interviewer has a topic of interest they want to discuss with the interviewee, no set list of questions, instead an open conversation about the topic, which allows the interviewer to ask questions specific to the interviewee and gain further information
limitations- The interviewer has to be responsive to the participant and ready to come up with suitable questions on the spot. Every interview will be different, making comparisons difficult. The interviewer will need specific training to ensure that questions, whilst responsive, aren't leading or show bias
strengths- able to build a rapport with the interviewee allowing for more honest answers thus increasing validity. Interesting answers can be followed up for more information as there is not a prescribed list of questions
questionnaires
strengths- quick/easy, large amount of info gathered in short amount of time, lack of investigator effects as researcher not present, qualitative and quantitative data collected, reliability as standardised
limitations- misunderstanding of questions and biased samples as only people who are willing and able will take them
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structured
strengths- interviewer does not need to have intensive training to ask the questions and answers easy to compare as the same questions were asked
limitations- Response by the participants cannot be followed up with additional questions to add more detail as there is a prescribed list of questions and pre-determined questions may not provide the relevant data required for the investigation
The interviewer reads out a list of prepared questions for the participant to answer and does not deviate from the prepared questions
semi-structured
strengths- Comparison easier than unstructured interview as same questions asked for part of the interview and interviewer can gather more info by asking further questions or asking the participant to expand on the answers they have given building rapport as the interviewer can ask more questions and relax the interviewee
limitations- interviewer has to be responsive to the participant and ready to come up with suitable questions on the spot if they feel that this is necessary interviewer, and would need specific training to avoid asking leading questions or loaded questions (with bias)
interviewer uses combination of set questions, with the ability to ask extra questions to gather more information which allows the interviewer to ask for more information if they feel it would be of benefit
closed questions
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questions which provide limited choice, quantitative data
open questions
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invite respondent to provide own answers, qualitative data
correlation
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correlation coefficients
evaluation
strengths- allows the study of variables that cannot be examined directly due to ethical/practical reasons and useful as preliminary research technique, allowing researchers to identify a link that can further be investigated through more controlled research
limitations- impossible toi know if one variable has caused the other and may be other variables creating the relationship
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a number that is derived from a statistical test, which expresses the degree to which two variables are correlated
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coefficient shows how closely variables are related. correlation of +0.9 means strong positive correlation, and correlation of -0.001 is a weak negative correlation
case studies
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may involve gathering data from people close to the person being studied as well as the person themselves
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