psychology

• Controlled experiment
• Not necessarily in a laboratory
• Includes IV and DV
• IV- what is manipulated
• DV- what is measured

Strengths:

• It is easy to replicate because of the amount of control.
• Cause and effect relationships can be established.

Weaknesses:

• Lack of ecological validity as many findings cannot be generalised to life outside the lab.
• High chance of demand characteristics as ppts know they are being tested for something (due to the high amount of control).

• Conducted in normal social situations. e.g. workplace, classroom, street etc
• Manipulate IV and measure DV
• Still has control, but behaviour is more natural as the environment has not changed

Strengths:

• No demand characteristics as ppts do not know they are being studied.
• High validity (because of the natural setting)- actions reflect behaviour of TP.

Weaknesses:

• Difficult to replicate becaus of the lack of control.
• Time Consuming
• Expensive (e.g. equipment like .video cameras could be used).

• Studies effects of naturally occurring events
• Researcher has no control over changing situation
• IV- difference in the situation before and after the event has taken place
• DV- the effect on behaviour

Strengths:

• No demand characteristics as the ppts are unaware that they are being studied.
• Ethically sound- the event would happen anyway, its not the researcher's fault.

Weaknesses:

• Lack of control.
• Impossible to replicate as events are one off's (therefore making it difficult to generalise results).

• Used to test the strength of a relationship between 2 variables
• Can be positive or negative or have no correlation betwen the 2 variables
• ALWAYS represented on a scatter graph

Strengths:

• Correlation Co-efficient can determine the strength of a relationship between 2 variables.

Weaknesses:

• Even though the strebgth of a relationship can be determined, the cause cannot.
• There may be different reasons for results other than the IV causing the DV.

• All psychological research involves observation
• Looking at the behaviour of individuals or groups

3 MAIN TYPES:

• Naturalistic
• Systematic
• Participant

• Looking at naturally occurring behaviour
• Researcher has no influence on those being watched
• People and non-human animals observed
• Normal, everyday setting, natural behaviour
• Researcher makes notes on behaviour as it happens
• No predetermined categories/actions to look out for

Strengths:

• Real life setting, so ppts act normally.
• Low chances of demand charateristics.

Weaknesses:

• Researchers have no control over variables- 'cause and effect' can't be established.
• Observer Bias- could be selective in whta the see/record.
• Ethical issues- ppts don't know they are being tested.

• Researcher observes ppts, but they have certain categories of behaviour they wish to record
• Can use a one-way mirror and record data on a checklist as it occurrs
• can be recorded on a video camera

Strengths:

• Researcher can observe naturally occurring behaviour in a real life setting, so ppts act normally.

Weaknesses:

• Intervention might be a part of a study, so a natural setting would be disturbed and behaviour may no longer be natural.

• Researcher becomes part of the group being investigated
• Can observe behaviour first hand, close to ppts
• Researcher must penetrate group through 'SNOWBALL SAMPLING' (i.e. being introduced one by one)

Strenths:

• Researcher can gain valuable insights into group behaviour if they are with the ppts all the time.

Weaknesses:

• Hard to replicate as there are no fixed procedures.
• Relies heavily on interpretive skills and personal qualities of the observer.

• Used to ask questions quickly to a target group
• 2 types
• OPEN (qualitative)
• CLOSED (quantitative)
• Either hand delivered or posted to ppts

Strengths:

• Fast, efficient, easy to use.
• Can reach large numbers of people cheaply, and is quicker than other methods.

Weaknesses:

• Postal questionnaires have a very low response rate.
• Ppts may not give honest answers.

• Involves the researcher/confederate asking questions face to face to the ppts
• UNSTRUCTURED- like an informal chat
• STRUCTURED- like a job interview

Strengths:

• Most are carried out quickly and are inexpensive.
• UNSTRUCTURED- can uncover sensitive views/issues (relationship is built on trust).
• STRUCTURED- easy to replicate (same questions).

Weaknesses:

• Face to face with client, so intimate info is discussed- could lead to researcher's views influencing results (researcher bias).
• UNSTRUCTURED- lack of quantitative data- difficult to categorise.
• STRUCTURED- lack of flexibility.