Psychology - Resarch methods

Research methods

Statistics -

Mann Whitney U

• difference
• independent
• ordinal

Wilcoxon

• difference
• repeated measures
• ordinal

Chi-squared

• difference
• independent
• nominal

Sign test

• difference
• repeated measures
• nominal

Spearmans rank

• correlation
• ordinal

Statistically analysis

Measures of central tendency - mean, median, mode
Measures of dispersion - range, standard deviation
Graphs - bar charts, scatter graphs

Probability -

P=<0.05
This means the significance level whereby the probability of the results being due to chance is equal to or less than 5%.

Type 1 error : saying results are significant when they were the result of chance and your finding is unreliable (unlikely to be found again) likely with p=<20
Type 2 error : saying results are not significant so any difference found was the result of chance when actually the results were meaningful and reliable. Likely with p=<1.

Peer review -

Research, before publication, are subjected to independent scrutiny by other psychologists working in the similar field who consider the research in terms of its validity, significance and originality.
Discuss the process of peer reveiw:

• unpaid and anonymous to encourage objectivity and honesty
• same field psychologist could prevent competitor research
• slows down publication

Validity and reliability -

Validity- refers to how well a test/piece of research measures what it says it is
Reliability - refers to consistency over time. If a test is reliable, people tend to score the…