Types of Research Methods

A pilot study is where.....

• This is where a large sample of pilots are studied

• A pilot study is an initial run-through of the procedures to be used in an investigation. Through this method any flaws in the procedures designed by the researcher can be identified

• A pilot study are in-depth investigations of a single person, group, event or community.

• A pilot study involves using different groups of people who differ in the variable of interest but share other characteristics, such as socioeconomic status, educational background, and ethnicity

What is a laboratory experiment?

• A laboratory experiment is where neither the participant nor the experimenter are aware of which group each participant belongs to.

• Laboratory experiments are done in the everyday (i.e. real life) environment of the participants.

• A laboratory experiment is an experiment conducted under highly controlled conditions, where accurate measurements are possible and uses a standardised procedure

• A laboratory is an empirical study in which individuals (or clusters of individuals) are exposed to the experimental and control conditions that are determined by nature or by other factors outside the control of the investigators

What is a field experiment?

• A field experiment is an empirical study in which individuals (or clusters of individuals) are exposed to the experimental and control conditions that are determined by nature or by other factors outside the control of the investigators

• A study on lots of fields

• A field experiment is where there is a specific research procedure in which the researchers (and those involved in the study) do not tell the participants if they are being given a test treatment or a control treatment.

• A field experiment is done in the everyday (i.e. real life) environment of the participants. The experimenter still manipulates the independent variable, but in a real-life setting (so cannot really control extraneous variables).

What is a Natural experiment?

• Natural experiments are conducted in the everyday (i.e. real life) environment of the participants, but here the experimenter has no control over the independent variable as it occurs naturally in real life.

• Natural experiments are done in the everyday (i.e. real life) environment of the participants. The experimenter still manipulates the independent variable, but in a real-life setting (so cannot really control extraneous variables).

• A natural experiment is an experiment conducted under highly controlled conditions, where accurate measurements are possible.

• A study where everything is 100% natural

What is a Quasi-experiment?

• A Quasi-experiment is an experimental procedure in which neither the participant nor the experimenter are aware of which group (i.e., experimental or control) each participant belongs to.

• A Quasi-experiment is a specific research procedure in which the researchers (and those involved in the study) do not tell the participants if they are being given a test treatment or a control treatment.

• Quasi-experiment research involves the manipulation of an independent variable without the random assignment of participants to conditions or orders of conditions.

• Quasi-experiments are done in the everyday (i.e. real life) environment of the participants. The experimenter still manipulates the independent variable, but in a real-life setting (so cannot really control extraneous variables).

What is correlational research?

• Correlational research is a type of non-experimental research where the researcher measures two variables and assesses the statistical relationship ( between them with little or no effort to control extraneous variables.

• Correlational research indicates the extent to which the pairs of numbers for these two variables lie on a straight line

• Correlational research is a branch of psychology that looks at how cultural factors influence human behaviour

• Correlational research involves studies that have the potential to have a negative impact on specific groups of people or society in general

What are Likert Scales?

• Scales that measure how likeable you are

• Likert scales are used to describe the data and show a summary of the results.

• Likert scales are a type of psychometric scale frequently used in psychology questionnaires, where respondents are asked to rate the level to which they agree with a statement.

• Likert scales are the correct rules of conduct necessary when carrying out research.

What is Primary research?

• Primary research in psychology include articles that summarize or provide interpretations of original research

• Primary research is a type of non-experimental research in which the researcher measures two variables and assesses the statistical relationship between them with little or no effort to control extraneous variables.

• Primary research is where an investigation in which a hypothesis is scientifically tested

• Primary research in Psychology is any type of research that you collect yourself

What is Secondary research?

• Secondary research is any type of research that you collect yourself.

• Secondary research is information that someone else has collected

• Secondary research is research that does not test specific relationships between variables

• Secondary research is commonly used in psychology research to collect self-report data from study participants

Questionnaires are......

• Questionnaires are self-report techniques that involve an experimenter asking participants questions (generally on a one-to-one basis) and recording their responses

• Questionnaires are a written self-report technique where participants are given a pre-set number of questions to respond to. They can be administered in person, by post, online, over the telephone, or to a group of participants simultaneously.

• Questionnaires are used to analyse qualitative data (non-numerical data). In its most common form it is a technique that allows a researcher to take qualitative data and to transform it into quantitative data (numerical data)

• Questionnaires are very detailed investigations of an individual or small group of people, usually regarding an unusual phenomenon or biographical event of interest to a research field.