Paper 3 Review

Match each research method with a strength

• high ecological validity

• case studies

• quick & convenient way to collect large amounts of data from

  several individuals at the same time

• focus groups

• produce in-depth, rich, nuanced data in

  the participants’ own language

• unstructured interviews

• provide the most detailed & in-depth personal knowledge of a

  topic

• participant observations

• flexibile, so they allow investigation of behaviors that couldn't otherwise be studied

• naturalistic observations

Match each research method with a limitation

• amount of confounding variables means cause & effect is difficult to establish

• field experiments

• highly controlled so they lack ecological validity

• quasi experiments

• Researchers could put their own expectations/bias on the data

  through the use of specific questions

• semi-structured interviews

• impossible to replicate since they take place in a naturalistic setting

• surveys

• researchers don't manipulate any variables, so it's not possible to establish cause & effect

• true experiments

Match each sampling method with its description

• participants are chosen because they possess characteristics

  relevant to the study

• convenience/opportunity sampling

• individuals choose to participate in the study

• random sampling

• participants already in a study help the researcher recruit more participants they know

• purposive sampling

• every member in the target population has an

  equal chance of being selected

• volunteer sampling

• participants are known to the researcher as being able to

  participate in the study at a given time

• snowball sampling

Generalizability of quantitative research (experiment and survey) findings is based on

• the size of the sample

• applicability of the results to the whole target population

• how many others studies have achieved the same findings

• whether the null hypothesis was retained

Qualitative research findings can be generalized if

• evidence from other studies confirms the findings

• they can reasonably be applied to settings outside of the study

• concepts derived from the study can be used

  to develop further theories

• All of the above can be true.

Which of the following are ways that a researcher can ensure the results of a study are credible?

• Support their claims with excerpts from interviews.

• Explain the decisions they made while conducting the research

• Provide details

  about issues that may potentially bias their investigation

• Cross-verify data from multiple sources

• all of the above

What is the purpose of triangulation?

• It is an opportunity for reflect the researcher to reflect on ways in which bias may occur.

• It is a way for a researcher to leave a "decision trail" to enhance credibility.

• It is a way to validate data through cross-verification from two or more sources.

• all of the above

Match each type of bias with its description

• researcher influences the results of the study

  because of a personal view they hold

• researcher bias

• participants give answers they presume make them sound good but do not reflect their true feelings

• social desirability effect

• participants act according to how they think the researcher

  may want them to act

• sampling bias

• sample not representative of the target population

• participant bias

Match each research goal with a factor that can enhance it

• a representative sample

• credibility

• blind design

• generalizability

• control of variables

• reduction of bias

• triangulation

• internal validity