Paper 2: Research Methods

Front 1

Demand Characteristics

Back 1

Clues(cues) from the researcher or research environment that may allow the participant to guess the aims of the research may cause the participant to change their behaviour.

Front 2

Investigator effects

Back 2

Any effect of the investigator's behaviour (conscious or unconscious) on the DV. May include the design of the study, selection of participant, interaction with participants.

Hint 2

choices

Front 3

Randomisation

Back 3

Using chance to design the investigation (rather than researcher influence). randomly placing in conditions, random order of words for word lists etc

Front 4

Standardisation

Back 4

As far as possible every thing is kept the same for each participant. Same formulated instructions, procedures etc.

Hint 4

sameardisation

Front 5

Single-blind procedure

Back 5

Researchers do not tell the participants if they are given a test treatment or a control treatment. Done to ensure the participants don't bias the result by acting in ways they "think" they should act.

Front 6

Double-blind procedure

Back 6

Both the patient and the staff are ignorant as to the condition the participant is in. Impossible to know if they are receiving the treatment or control placebo. prevents researchers acting differently to people in one group

Front 7

Counterbalancing

Back 7

To combat order effects the research counter balances the order of conditions for the participants. Alternating the order in which participants perform in different conditions of an experiment.

Front 8

Random Sampling

Back 8

With this technique every person in a target population has an equal chance of being selected. The researcher first obtains a list of everyone in the target population, and then a computerised random generator or the 'names out of a hat' technique.

Front 9

Random Sampling

EVALUATION

Back 9

:)BIAS IS SLIM-everyone has an equal chance of being selected, improves population validity greatly

:(DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN a list of everyone in the target population, not everyone may be willing to/available to participate.

:(REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE NOT GUARANTEED-chance that some subgroups may be overrepresented or not selected.

Front 10

Opportunity Sampling

Back 10

Researcher selects anyone who is readily available and willing to take part. Researcher simply asks the people who it is most convenient for them to ask.

Front 11

Opportunity Sampling

EVALUATION

Back 11

:)TIME AND COST EFFICIENT-participants are readily available-sizes can be larger, expenses per are smaller.

:(LIKELY TO BE SKEWED-in terms of participant backgrounds;unrepresentative sample lacks population validity and cannot be generalised.

Front 12

Volunteer Sampling

Back 12

Participants put themselves forward, they self-select. Initial advertisement placed in newspaper etc asking for volunteers to take place. Questionnaire somewhere public and ask people to return their answers.

Front 13

Volunteer Sampling

EVALUATION

Back 13

:)NICHE GROUP LOCATING-who are difficult to identify using the available information

:(ONLY ATYPICAL MEMBERS RESPOND-the most motivated or co-operative, reduces population validity and generalizability.

Front 14

Systematic Sampling

Back 14

A sample made up of participants chosen mathematically. A researcher selects every nth person from the sampling frame. For a 1,000 students and a researcher wanted 50 participants they would list them and select every 20th person.

Front 15

Systematic Sampling

EVALUATION

Back 15

:)AVOIDS BIAS- once the researcher has chosen what number, they have no control over who is selected

:(NOT AS OBJECTIVE AS RANDOM SAMPLING-researcher may decide how people are listed before selection and what number to use on the system

Front 16

Stratified Sampling

Back 16

A sample that is mad up of participants who reflect the whole target population. Sample divided into groups and participants are chosen from each group in the same proportions as they are in the population

Front 17

Stratified Sampling

EVALUATION

Back 17

:)HIGHLY REPRESENTATIVE-of the target population and therefore we can generalise the findings

:(TIME CONSUMING and may be difficult compared to other techniques

Front 18

Ethics

Protection from harm

Back 18

Psychologists have a responsibility to protect their participants from physical and emotional trauma like embarrassment, humiliation. Should not be exposed to more risk than they would expect to experience in every day life

Front 19

Ethics

Protection from harm:

Dealing

Back 19

Ask colleagues to check their research proposals to spot any potential problems. Ask about any pre-existing physical/mental conditions. Can stop research at first time of harm occurring and after the study they can debrief all Ps in full and offer after care.

Front 20

Ethics

Informed Consent

Back 20

Agreeing to something, when told the aims of the study as well as the nature of the procedure and the purpose of their role and agrees to it, this is informed consent.

Front 21

Ethics

Informed Consent:

Dealing

Back 21

Psychologists ask adult participants to sign a consent form, parents sign on behalf of children under 16 to give consent on their behalf. Carers/specialists of and adult with communication/understanding difficulties will be consulted if it is felt they are unable to make an informed decision on their own.

Front 22

Ethics

Deception

Back 22

Researchers should not withhold any information or actively mislead them about the true nature of the study they are involved in. Exceptions include when the deception is minor, deemed justified by an ethics committee and/or if participants are unlikely to object/show unease when the deception is minor

Front 23

Ethics

Deception:

Dealing

Back 23

Debriefing should be used after the study to explain the real aim and rationale for the deception as well as to reassure the participant to allow them to ask any questions. Right to withdraw should be emphasised throughout with destruction of data.

Front 24

Ethics

Confidentiality

Back 24

Means keeping information private, participants should feel confident that the study's report won't reveal any information or data which makes it possible for the individual participants to be identified or for data to be linked to them