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Psychology Research methods
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AS/ A level Psychology research method notes
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Research methodsYear 1
1)Experimental method
Experimental method- manipulating IV to measure effect on DV in labs, field, natural or quasi
Aim- statement of what researcher intends to investigate, purpose of study
Hypothesis- clear statement stating relationship between variables to be investigated
Directional hypothesis- states direction of difference or relationship
Non-directional hypothesis- doesn’t state direction or difference or relationship
Variables- any ‘thing’ that can change or vary in an investigation
Independent variable- aspect of experimental situation that’s manipulated (changes)
Dependent variable- variable that’s measured
Operationalisation- defining variables in terms of how they can be measured
2)Research issues
Extraneous variable- any variable, not IV, that affects DV if it isn’t controlled
Confounding variables-kind of EV but confounding variable varies systematically with IV
Demand characteristics-cue interpreted by participants revealing purpose of investigation
Investigator effects-effect of investigator’s behaviour (conscious or unconscious) on outcomes
Randomisation-use of chance methods to control effects of bias when designing materials
Standardisation-using same formalised procedures and instructions for all participants
3)Experimental designs
Experimental design- ways participants can be organised in relation to experimental conditions
Independent groups design- participants allocated to diff groups; each group represents one
experimental condition
Repeated measures- all participants take part in all conditions of experiment
Matched pairs design-pairs of participants first matched on some variables that may affect DV.
Then one member of the pair assigned to condition A and other to B
Random allocation- control participant variables in independent groups ensuring participant has
same chance of being picked
Counterbalancing-control effects of order in repeated measures design: half participants
experience conditions in one order, other half in opposite order
Evaluation:
Independent groups- participants variables aren’t controlled (use random allocation)
Repeated measures- demand characteristics, participant variables are controlled
Matched pairs- can’t match participants exactly, time-consuming
, 4)Types of experiment
Lab experiment- experiment in controlled environment where researcher manipulates IV and
records effect on DV
- replication
- lacks generalisability and demand characteristics
Field experiment- experiment takes place in natural setting where researcher manipulates IV
and records effect on DV
- natural environment - may be unaware of being studied
-ethical issue (can’t consent to study if they are unaware)
Natural experiment- experiment where change in IV not brought about by researcher but would
have happened even if researcher wasn’t there
-high external validity as they involve study of real-world issues
- may not be randomly assigned to experimental conditions. Research in lab- demand
characteristics and lack realism
Quasi-experiment- study that’s almost an experiment but lacks key ingredients. IV not
determined, ‘variables’ just exist
- carried out under controlled conditions
- can’t randomly allocate participants to conditions and therefore confounding variables occur
5)Sampling
Population- group of people who are focus of interest
Sample- group of people who take part in research investigation, drawn from population
Sampling technique- method used to select people from population
Bias- certain groups are over- or under- represented within selected sample
Generalisation- findings and conclusions from investigation can be applied to population
Random sample- all members of population have equal chance of being selected (ran # gen)
-time-consuming and difficult to conduct, some participants may refuse to participate
Systematic sample- every nth member is selected (sampling frame produced)
-time-consuming and participants may refuse to participate
Stratified sample- sample reflects proportions of people in certain subgroups (strata) within
target population or wider population
-complete representation of target is not possible
Opportunity sample- researcher selects anyone who happens to be willing and available
-not convenient
-less costly time and money
Volunteer sample- participants select themselves to be part of the sample
-volunteer bias
-less time consuming
6)Ethical issues and ways of dealing with them
Ethical issues- arise when conflicts between rights of participants in research studies and goals
of research produce valid data
BPS Code of Ethics- quasi-legal document produced by BPS instructing psychologists in UK
what behaviour is and what’s acceptable when dealing with participants
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