Data collection
differentiate between qualitative and quantitative data
qualitative: verbal/ written data (non numerical)
- generated using open ended items/ questions
quantitative: numerical data which can be easily coded into numerical data
- generated using fixed response items
what is confidentiality
information collected in the study must not be made available to anyone outside the study without participants consent
what is the independent variable
variable that is manipulated on purpose by researcher
what is reliability
reliability: extent to which study and or measure produces consistent findings under same conditions
what is the difference between the population and sample
population is the specified group who research sample is to be applied to
sample: a subset of participants drawn from population
what are the 3 main principles that apply to the use of animals in research (RRR)
1. reduce: minimum number animals used
2. refine: decrease in incidence or severity of inhumane procedures
3. replace: use of alternate measures to replace use of live animals
What is a confounding variable?
an extraneous variable that has not been properly controlled and interferes with the dependent variable
what is the extent to which a study and/ or measure, measures what it intends to
validity
objective vs subjective
objective: not influenced by personal feelings or opinions when considering & representing facts
subjective: based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes or opinions
define informed consent
all participants need to be given the information of the study including time requirements, possible risks, what they have to do & how the information will be used, prior to giving consent
What are factors other than the independent variable that researchers control to isolate the effects of the independent variable?
controlled variables
list 2 ways to increase reliability
- large sample size
- testing & re- testing participants
- use multiple raters in subjective surveys
what is stratified sampling
the researched divides population into subgroups (strata's) that represent key characteristics of the population
each strata is then sampled randomly
Discuss the potential ethical dilemmas that can arise when conducting deception in psychological experiments. What steps can researchers take to minimize harm to participants
Deception in research can raise ethical dilemmas, as it involves misrepresentation of information
to minimize harm, researchers must debrief participants after the study, explaining the true nature of the research and addressing any concerns.
what are the 4 sources of extraneous and confounding variables
1. participant sources of error
2. situational variables
3. experimenter effects
4. demand characteristics
list 2 ways to increase validity
- used tests that have been empirically validated
- compare results of your measure with data from other accepted measures
- use random allocation to assign participants to conditions
- follow scientific method
- control extraneous variables
rating how fit you are on a scale from 1-10 is a subjective quantitative measure,
can you think of an objective quantitative way to measure this
instead of rating how fit you are on a scale from 1-10, you can take a fitness test (removes bias)
list the principles in human research
(note: different to participant rights)
- justice
- beneficence
- respect
- research merit & integrity
what 4 things need to be included when writing an operationalized hypothesis
1. operationalized independent variable
2. operationalized dependent variable
3. direction
4. population
what is ecological validity
extent to which the task used in the research study is representative of real life