Research Methods Research Design Learning Objectives General 10 30 11 12 03 PM 1 What is the difference between external and internal validity Internal Validity the degree to which the results of a study apply to individuals and realistic behaviors outside the study External Validity the degree to which a study provides causal information about behavior Learning objectives regarding observational techniques 2 What is an operational definition Is there usually more than one way to operationally define a variable Operational Definition o The definition of an abstract concept used by a researcher to measure or manipulate the concept in a research study o Ex if social behavior is of interest it can be defined as the score on a questionnaire that asks about social behavior o There are many ways to define a particular behavior for observation 3 What is naturalistic observation What are the characteristics inherit in this type of observation e g internal vs external validity high or low what is necessary to run a naturalistic observation study advantages and disadvantages What are the concerns one must have when using this type of design Naturalistic Observation o A data collection technique involving noninvasive observation of individuals in their natural environments o When a researcher wants to learn about behavior that naturally occurs for an individual without influencing the behavior o Research must develop a coding scheme to categorize the behaviors the participants exhibit o Advantage behavior is more likely to be more realistic o Disadvantage difficult to be unobtrusive time consuming multiple observers 4 What is interrater reliability Why is having high interrater reliability important Interrater Reliability o A measure of the degree to which different observers rate behaviors in similar ways o It is important because if the interrater reliability is low the internal validity of the study will decrease because the observers will have different operational definitions of the behaviors 5 What is survey research What is the difference between a closed ended response and an open ended response scale and what you have to do to open ended data in order to use it when conducting analyses What are the reliability and validity concerns surrounding survey research What are the advantages and disadvantages surrounding this technique Surveys Individuals respond to items in written form or on the internet o o Close ended response participants respond to survey questions according to the response options provided by the researcher o Open ended response participants respond to survey questions in any manner they feel is appropriate for the question o Self report measures are popular and easy to use but may have questionable reliability and validity self report measure You cannot be sure that a participant is telling you the truth when using a Also participant may not know why they feel a certain way o Advantage popular and easy to use o Disadvantage observations are considered sefl reports which means they may not be accurate representations of a persons behavior 6 What is systematic observation and when is it commonly used What are the validity strengths and concerns surrounding this technique Systematic observation the behavior is observed o Focused on real world behavior o Data collection technique where control is exerted over the conditions under which o Often used to study behaviors that are least likely to be affected by the process of measuring them o External validity can be lower because behaviors being studied may be artificial o Better internal validity systematic observations are usually collected in lab settings and completed on a computer to maximize accuracy 7 What are archival data What are the strengths and weaknesses associated with this technique Archival Data o A data collection technique that involves analysis of preexisting data o Strengths means of collecting data quickly few resources are needed o Weaknesses offers the researcher no control over the circumstances under which the data are collected the sampling technique used or the measures used to observe the behavior have no control over how the data are coded Learning objectives about research designs 8 What is the difference between an independent variable and a dependent variable o A variable in an experiment that is manipulated by the researcher such that the levels of the variable change across or within subjects in the experiment 9 What is a case study What are the strengths and weaknesses associated with this research Independent Variable Dependent Variable o design Case Study behavior o A research design that involves intensive study of particular individuals and their o Strengths can give researchers a starting place for investigations of a behavior or a set of behaviors serve as an important purpose in psychological research and draw attention to new research questions that can be further explored with additional studies o Weaknesses do not allow for strong tests of the cause of the behavior researchers must be careful about drawing conclusions about the causes of the behaviors they are studying 10 What are correlational studies What is the difference between a predictor variable and an outcome variable What is the weakness of correlational designs and how one interprets the results from this type of study What is the third variable problem and the directionality problem and how is it related to the weakness associated with correlational studies Correlational Study o A type of research design that examines the relationships between multiple dependent variables without manipulating any of the variables o Does not allow us to determine if one variable causes another to occur o The dependent variable in a correlational study that is used to predict the score on Predictor Variable another variable Outcome Variable predictor variable Example Variable college success Directionality Problem o The dependent variable in a correlational study that is being predicted by the o A Predictor Variable SAT score can be used to predict the value of a Criterion o Not always possible to specify the direction in which a causal arrow points o Ex Do video games and the Internet ruin our relationships Padilla Walker et al 2009 Excessive Internet Use Poor Relationships Poor Relationships Excessive Internet Use o Ex Can also influence our violent video game aggression problem Violent Video Games Aggressive Behavior Aggressive
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