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Psychology - Research Methods - Coggle Diagram
Psychology - Research Methods
Experiment Techniques
Hypotheses
Alternate - A statement that predicts that there will be a difference (eg. There will be a significant difference
Null- A statement which predicts no difference
Variables
Dependent- The thing you measure
Independedent - The thing youn change
Extraneous- The things you can control
Sampling
Oppurtunity - Creating a sample using whoever is available at the time
Advantage - Its quick and convenient
Disadvantage - Biased and unrepresntative as studying people who live close by may result in a similar group of people
Random - A completely random set
Advantage - Gives represnentative samopkes as there is no bias in selection it is left to chance instead
Disavantage - There is a chance that certain groups may be over-represented or under-represented
Self-selected - Participants volunteer
Advantage - The psychologist does not have to spend as much time creating a sample, and they can ensure that they have informed consent as the participants came forward willingly
Disadvantage - Tends to be biased as certain types of people are more likely to come volunteer to take part in research
Experimental designs
Repeated measures - The sample completes both conditions
Advantages - It controls for individual differences / It requires fewer participants
Disadvantages - There may be problems with order effects (where the participant becomes disengaged/bored) / Participants may perform better/worse on the 2nd condition
Independent groups - Only one group completes only one condition
Advantages - No problems with order effects / Can be used when looking at Gender/Age differences
Disadvantage - There may be individual differences which are not controlled for (eg. personality)
Lab experiments - Carried out in controlled environments where the researcher directly controls the IV
Strengths - They have more control over EVs / Experiments are easier to replicate and are more reliable
Limitations - Low ecological validity due to the artificial environement / They tend to suffer from demand characteristics as the participant is aware that they are in an experiment
Field experiements - Carried out in a natural environemnt, but the researcher directly controls the IV
Strength - High ecological validity, because the environment is authentic
Limitation - There is less control over the EVs which may affect the reliability fo the results
Natural experiment - The IV is not manipulated by the researcher because it already exists
Strengths - More ethical as nothing is being manipulated
Limitation - It is difficult for the reseracher to match up the participants they are comparing if the IV is already in place
Ethical Guidelines
Deception - When participants aren't told what the experiment is really about
Confidentiality - All details about participants is kept secret
Informed consent - The participants agree to take part in the experiment knowing the true nature of the experiment
Debrief - Tell the participants the true nature of the experiment, before or after the experiment
Protetction from Harm - Participants should not be put at risk either physically or mentally
The right to withdraw - The participants are informed that they can leave the experiment at any time and are allowed to if they wish
Experiment Techniques
Gathering data
Open questions - The participant can answer however they want, this is qualitative data
Closed questions - They have a fixed range of possible answers, this is quantative data
Interviews
Structured interviews - Interviewer reads off of a list fo prepared questions. They can ask follow up questions, but these are also prepared
Unstructured interviews - Interviewer has a general aim, but few questions are prepared. Many questions are cerated based on what the interviewer said
Strengths - For unstructured interviews, insight is gained into a person's thoughts and feelings
Limitations - Data can be difficult to analyse due to the breadth of information collected, this makes it hard to draw conclusions ( This is mainly for unstructured interviews) / People may also feel less comfortabel giving personal information to someone face-to-face. This may limit teh amount of information collected
Questionnaires - A list of questions that a participant answers, (anonomously or not) and are usually made up fio closed questions
Strengths - You can gather information relatively quickly and they can be sent to a lot of people. This makes generalisations easier to make / They are also easier to analyse than interviews as closed questions provide quantative data
Limitations - Respondents may not always answer truthfully, due to social desirability, affecting the reliability of reponses /Question may also be unclear making it difficuly for some respondents to answer, therefore responsed may lack validity
Case Studies - An in-depth investigation into a person or group that are unsual in some way
Strengths - They provide in-depth qualitative data which will be high in validity because they go into lots of detail / They also make it possible to study individuals or groups that can't be manipulated, as a researcher can't give someone brain damage
Limitations - They rely on the participants memory, and retrospective data can be inaccurate / Case studies are based on very small samples, often because cases are rare, therefore results and findings may not represent larger populations
Observations
Naturalistic - In a real-life setting
Strength - High ecological validity
Weakness - Lack of control over EVs
OR
Controlled - Observing people in a set-up environement
Strength - EVs can be controlled easier
Weakness - Lack of ecological validity
Overt - Observing people with their knowledge
Strength - Ethical, as perople can give their informed consent
Weakness - Participants may act differently
OR
Covert - Observing people without their knowledge
Strength - People may behave normally
Weakness - Unethical due to the lack of informed consent
Participant - Observing people while participating in the study
Strength - Gain better insight into the situation
Weakness - Difficult for the observer to be objective
OR
Non-Participant - Observing people from a distance
Strength - Researcher can be more objective
Weakness - Psychologist may miss important details or lack insight as they may not be involved in whats being studied