Research Methods
Used to determine a cause-and-effect relationship between two variables (IV & DV). Can be easily replicated & has high internal validity, but lacks ecological validity as it's in a controlled environment.
What is a true experiment?
Also known as volunteer sampling. People who sign up are usually motivated, however it could lead to having a sample that is not representative of your target population.
What is self-selected sampling?
Making sure no suffering is done to participants; do not humiliate or force them to reveal private information; make sure nothing leads to permanent physical or psychological damage
What is undue stress or harm?
When reporting results, researchers must not give away too many participant characteristics in order to protect this.
What is anonymity?
This refers to how natural or artificial the conditions of the study are and how likely it is to represent behavior in the real world.
What is ecological validity?
When a sample is selected in such a way that it is not representative of the population from which it was drawn.
What is sampling bias?
What is credibility?
Used to look at one person or specific group over a period of time. Uses data and method triangulation, however cannot be replicated.
What is a case study?
Also known as convenience sampling. This is when you have a pre-existing sample that are readily available. However, they might not be representative of your target population.
What is opportunity sampling?
Participants are told about the nature of the experiment and agree to participate; must be told what their rights are; they must understand what the research is about and potential issues that might arise.
What is informed consent?
In reporting findings, researchers need to reflect on their own values and biases and how they might influence the research.
What is reflexivity?
In quantitative research, generalizability has to do with the representative nature of the sample, the size of the sample, and this.
What is ecological validity?
When the beliefs or opinions of the researcher influence the outcomes or conclusions of the research.
What is researcher bias?
This refers to checking the accuracy of data by asking participants to read transcripts of interviews or field note observations to confirm that the notes/transcripts are an accurate representation of what they said, meant, or did.
What is Member Checking?
This is a type of one-on-one question format wherein the researcher has a set of questions to ask a participant, but still has the freedom to deviate from these in appropriate situations.
What is a semi-structured interview?
When everyone in the target population has the same probability of being chosen. If the target population is too large, this sampling technique is impossible. This is often seen as an ideal sampling technique.
What is random sampling?
Misinformation or not telling the participant the complete goal of the study so they do not change their behavior; should generally not be used; researcher need to justify why this is necessary before an ethics board.
What is deception?
In reporting findings, researchers should disclose these because they may raise concerns about how the study was performed, such as who funded the research, motivation for the study, etc.
What are conflicts of interest?
These are important variables to consider when deciding if findings can be applied to a larger population, namely how unique is our sample.
What are participant characteristics?
When a researcher searches for or interprets information in a way that confirms a preexisting belief or hypothesis
What is confirmation bias?
Using other researchers to help carry out the research and review the data (making sure that one researcher does not interpret the data).
What is researcher triangulation?
A type of interview where six to ten people are interviewed at the same time. This could trigger ideas from participants that would otherwise not happen in one-on-one interviews, however could be hard to guarantee confidentiality.
What is a focus group?
This technique created a very tailored sample that is in proportion to some characteristic or trait of a target population (for example, target population: men =45%, women = 55%; sample of 100 Ps: 45 men, 55 women)
What is quota sampling?
When a participate no longer wishes to take part in the study and can leave at any time; participants should not feel pressured or coerced to continue a study; all their data should not be used
What is right to withdrawal?
Beyond protecting the participants, researchers have the responsibility to protect the target population from this as research findings can often lead to prejudicial treatment or discrimination.
What is stigmatization?
Type of generalization in which the findings can be applied to the population from which the sample was drawn.
What is representational generalization?
The assumption that it is important for the researcher to be aware of his/her contribution (by acknowledging their background and beliefs) to the research process. This should occur throughout the research, allowing the researcher to reflect on how bias may occur and influence the findings.
What is reflexivity?
When a researcher utilizes different data collection methods with the same sample in order to check the consistency of the findings.
What is method triangulation?
A type of observation when the participant does not know they are being observed; this leads to low demand characteristics, but use of deception.
What is a covert observation?
This technique attempts to make a sample that reflects the subgroups of the target population. Participants are randomly selected from each "stratum" or subgroup. Researchers must be careful how they label groups within a community.
What is stratified sampling?
At the end of the study, participants should be made aware of the true aim of the study; any deception used should be discussed and justified; all participants should leave the study in the same condition in which they arrived.
What is debriefing?
All studies have limitations, and these should be explicitly discussed so that this doesn't occur in the application of findings.
What is misrepresentation of findings?
Type of generalization where the findings can be applied to other populations, outside of the initial target population.
What is inferential generalization?
What is epistemological reflexivity?
Utilizing data gathered from different sources with the same method in order to check that the data is consistent across different data sources.
What is data triangulation?
This research method seeks a causal relationship between a deliberately manipulated independent variable and a measured or dependent variable, yet they do not take place under controlled conditions.
What is a field experiment?
Also known as network sampling. This is when participants who are already in the study help the researcher recruit more participants. This could be used to find hard-to-track populations (such as drug users, etc.) but introduces confidentiality concerns (participants know each other!) and could lead to a sampling bias.
What is snowball sampling?
This ethical consideration protects the privacy of the participants so as to avoid the possibility that they will be unduly stigmatized for taking part in the study.
What is anonymity?
Limitations of the study should be explicitly communicated to all constituents as well as calls for this, to avoid findings being applied before they have been reliably replicated or understood.
What is additional research?
Type of generalization in which the concepts derived of the study can be used to develop further theory.
What is theoretical generalization?
The tendency of participants to answer questions in a manner that will be viewed favorably by others.
What is social desirability effect?
Examining the data through different theoretical perspectives--different levels of analysis or different theories within the same level of analysis. This can keep your interpretations from being overly reductionist.
Theory triangulation
Used to determine a numerical relationship between two or more variables by simply observing and measuring the variables as they naturally occur. This leads to high ecological validity, however cause-effect relationship cannot be determined.
What is a correlational study?
In order to get a purposive sample--one made up of people with specific traits--qualitative researchers often use this type of sampling technique.
What is self-selected (or volunteer) sampling? (I would also accept convenience as that is sometimes true.)
This is another word for making sure that your participants are not harmed in any way by being part of your study.
What is beneficience?
Procedures and raw data should be shared with others to verify findings of a controversial nature. Researchers should be receptive to challenges to their study as a way to increase this.
What is credibility?
Type of generalization in which the findings of the study can be applied to settings outside the setting of the study.
What is transferability?
When a participant acts a certain way because he wants to do what the researcher asks
What is expectancy effect?