Methods in IB Psychology: Experiments, Correlations, Interviews, and Observations, Exams of Research Methods in Psychology

Download Methods in IB Psychology: Experiments, Correlations, Interviews, and Observations and more Exams Research Methods in Psychology in PDF only on Docsity! SCOREMORE Ib Psychology Paper 3 Research Methods Experiment - Definition consists of IV and DV looking for cause and effect relationship 2 Characteristics of Lab experiments 1.Highly standardised 2.Controlled environment Experiment - Characteristics Manipulation of Variables - manipulated IV to measure DV Control of Variables - extraneous variables controlled so that only IV can effect DV 2 strengths of lab experiments 1.Easy to replicate because it's highly standardised. 2.A cause and effect relationship can be established as extraneous and independent variables are controlled. 2 weaknesses of lab experiments SCOREMORE 1.The artificial setting may produce unnatural behaviour that doesn't reflect real life. Therefore findings cannot always be generalised to real life 2.Demand Characteristics or experimenter effects can bias the results of the research as participants may conform to expectations. 2 characteristics of a field experiment 1.A study done in the real world 2.No control of extraneous variables 2 strengths of field experiments 1.High ecological validity, occurs in a natural environment. 2.It is unlikely participants will show demand characteristics as they usually don't know they're being studied. 2 weaknesses of a field experiment 1.Difficult to control extraneous variables, therefore you can't find a causal relationship between the IV and DV 2.Access is more likely to be a problem compared to lab experiments as places like schools and workplaces might be reluctant to allow researchers in. 2 characteristics of a natural/quasi experiment 1.Conducted in the participant's everyday environment. 2.The IV is naturally occurring and the researcher has no control over it. 2 strengths of a natural/quasi experiment SCOREMORE 1.Interview schedule only specifies the topic and available time 2.Interviewees reveal more about themselves 2 strengths of unstructured interviews 1.Respondents may be more likely to discuss sensitive and painful experiences if they feel the interviewer is sympathetic and understanding 2.It's flexible meaning we can explore what's interesting and relevant at the time and can gain new hypotheses 2 weaknesses of unstructured interviews 1.Reliability - cannot test for reliability as not standardized 2.Data may be difficult to analyse as there could be a lot of different responses to conclude from. 2 characteristics of focus groups/group interviews 1.The researcher talks to a group of people at the same time, rather than discussing with individuals; usually 5-8 participants. The group is to be representative of a larger population, so there will be some diversity in the group. 2.The researcher uses an interview agenda in order to guide the discussion on a particular issue or subject. 2 strengths of focus groups/group interviews 1.A group conversation feels much more natural than a one-on-one structured interview, e.g. listening to others may actually spark ideas and encourage conversation. The conversation may bring up memories or help them to define their opinions. 2.They can save time as several people can be interviewed in a shorter period of time. SCOREMORE 2 weaknesses of focus groups/group interviews 1.Having a strong voice in the group may mean that others feel intimidated and don't contribute to the interview, which may bias the results. A good interviewer is able to make sure that the interview is inclusive - all voices are heard. 2.Another result of a strong voice can be conformity effects - that is, people in the focus group simply agree with the ideas of a member of the group. 2 characteristics of semi-structured inerviews 1.Like an informal conversation following a schedule of topics to cover. 2.Involves open ended questions for interviewees to answer further and also interviewers can ask additional questions. 2 strengths of semi-structured interviews 1.Interviewee may answer more freely without a specific set structure, allowing more ecologically viable results to be drawn 2.Interviewer can add questions if they feel it would be relevant and beneficial, providing a more in depth understanding of findings 2 weaknesses of semi-structured 1.This self-reporting data may be biased, as people do not always tell the truth 2.Participant may tell the researcher what they think they want to hear; this is called response bias (demand characteristics - Hawthorne effect or Screw you effect) 2 characteristics of participant observations 1.Researcher becomes part of the group that they are observing 2.To gain close and intimate familiarity with the area of interest SCOREMORE 2 strengths of participant observation 1.Provides in-depth knowledge of a topic which can't be gained in any other way 2.Helps avoid researcher bias because the researcher takes as many things into account as possible 2 weaknesses of participant observation 1.When the researcher immerses themselves into the lifestyle of the participant it makes being objective difficult, there needs to be a delicate balance between involvement and detachment which is often hard to find. 2.It is very time consuming as the researchers could spend months or years living where they are studying. The data collected might be too overwhelming to analyze. 2 characteristics of non-participant observations 1.Researcher is not part of the group they're observing. 2.The participants most of the time know they're being observed but the researcher will need them to act as normally as they can. 2 strengths of non-participant observation 1.The researcher is an outsider looking in so they will be more open minded and less likely to feel sympathy and so will not produce biased data. 2.No ethical issues if done overtly as the participants know they are being observed. 2 weaknesses of non-participant observation 1.People and animals will change their behaviour when they are observed (reactivity). This can lead to incorrect conclusions being drawn from the data 2.No cause-and-effect relationships can be drawn from just watching behaviour because we don't know why the behaviour is occurring