The Ethics of Research
What does the IRB stand for and what is its purpose?
The IRB stands for the Institutional Review Board and reviews research proposals on projects that include human subjects.
What is the difference between descriptive, exploratory, and explanatory research?
Descriptive = defines / describes a phenomenon, providing detailed information about its characteristics (E.g., a study on high school students' usage of social media might focus on how many hours students use social media)
Exploratory = Explores a new/understudied topic
Explanatory = Seeks to understand causes and effects by answering "why" questions. (E.g., study on why students access social media)
What does conceptualization mean?
Conceptualization is the creation of clear images or concise definitions of key terms. E.g., Happiness can be defined as an emotion marked by the experiencing of positive feelings.
What is the response rate?
Refers to the number of respondents who completed the survey divided by the total number of respondents who received the survey.
What is a sample?
A sample is a specifically defined subset of a group from which you will actually collect data.
What is informed consent and why is it relevant?
Informed consent refers to a subject's voluntary agreement to participate in research based on a full understanding of the research and its potential risks and benefits.
It is essential to address potential risks because participants need to be fully aware of what they might face during the research, including emotionally challenging topics, confidentiality breaches, or other adverse consequences.
Name an example of a qualitative and a quantitative method.
Qualitative = Interviews, ethnographic observations, or focus groups
Quantitative = Surveys, longitudinal studies, or experiments
What are the three levels of measurement?
A nominal variable is a categorical level of measurement that cannot be ranked (E.g., hair color, country of origin, etc).
An ordinal variable is a categorical variable in which categories can be ranked/ordered. Answers need to be mutually exclusive and exhaustive (E.g., GPA, height, level of income, etc.)
A continuous variable is a variable that measures numbers (E.g., age, height in inches, etc.)
What is wrong with this question: How often and for how long do you visit the gym per week?
Double-barreled question
Define sampling bias
Sampling bias occurs when the sample taken is not representative of the target population from which it was taken.
What is the difference between anonymity and confidentiality?
Anonymity ensures that even the researcher cannot link participants' data with their identities. Confidentiality allows researchers to know participants' identities but promises not to disclose them publicly.
What are the five elements of a good research question?
Good research questions are:
1. In the form of a question
2. Are well-focused
3. Cannot be answered with a yes/no
4. Explore the relationship among several concepts
5. Clearly identify the target population of the study
Name the direction of the hypothesis:
An increase in depression among the elderly leads to a decrease in their perception of care satisfaction in nursing homes.
Negative
What is the difference between an attribute, and attitude, and a behavior question?
An attribute question aims to gather descriptive information/characteristics (E.g., What is your major? What is your intended year of graduation? What is your student status?)
An attitude question asks specifically how a respondent feels about a particular topic (E.g., How do you feel about recent events on campus?)
A behavior question directly asks respondents about their behavior (E.g., How often have you visited the bookstore?)
What is the difference between a probability and a non-probability sample?
A probability sample is based on a random selection, meaning every member of the target population has an equal chance of being selected for the sample.
Name five elements that should be included in an informed consent form
What is the IV, and what is the DV: Giving the dog more belly rubs during the day, leads to a happier dog.
IV = amount of belly rubs
DV = dogs' level of happiness
Name the direction of the following hypotheses:
1. Increasing the amount of study time is expected to improve test scores among students.
Positive
What is the difference between a cross-sectional research design and a longitudinal research design?
A cross-sectional research design is a study that is conducted only at one single point in time, whereas a longitudinal research design is a study that is conducted over a particular timeframe, measuring findings over time rather than at one specific moment in time to understand changes, trends, and patterns.
Name and define four non-probability samples
Snowball sample = participants recruit additional subjects
Convenience sample = participants chosen are 'convenient'/ easily accessible
Quota sample = research sets a quota for creating a sample with proportional characteristics (e.g., surveying 30 men and 30 women)
Judgment sample = Researcher uses their own judgment to select participants
Name one ethical considerations/questions at the micro and macro-level
1. Micro Level = Has there been any form of coercion involved in individuals' decision to participate? Does my research impinge on the individual’s right to privacy? Could my research offend subjects in any way? Could my research cause emotional distress to any of my subjects? Has my own conduct been ethical throughout the research process?
2. Macro Level = Does the research meet the societal expectations of social research? Have I fulfilled my social responsibilities as a researcher, considering the broader impact of my work on society?
What does the term 'non-spuriousness' mean, and how does it relate to causality?
Non-spuriousness refers to the absence of confounding factors or third variables that could explain the observed relationship between two variables.
Non-spuriousness ensures that the observed relationship is genuinely causal and not due to other factors.
Name the direction of the hypothesis:
“There will be a difference between the number of cold symptoms experienced in the following week after exposure to a virus for those participants who have been sleep deprived for 24 hours compared with those who have not been sleep deprived for 24 hours.”
Neutral
What are the three different types of longitudinal designs and how do they differ from one another?
Trend Study - respondents take a survey over time (e.g., studying public opinion among Americans over time)
Panel Study - same people take the same survey over time
Cohort Study - group of people with the same characteristics studied over time (e.g., study of particular generations, graduating classes, people who began work in a given industry at the same time, etc.)
Name and define four probability samples
Simple random sample = every individual has an equal chance of being chosen as a sample
Systematic random sample = random starting point with regular interval (e.g., list > starting at the 10th spot every 3rd individual is selected)
Stratified random sample = population divided into subgroups and x amount of people are chosen from each group
Cluster sample = sampling of groups (or clusters) of population elements and narrowing it down by selecting elements from within those groups (e.g., sampling of counties in a state --> narrowing it down to particular counties --> narrowing it down to individuals)