RESEARCH METHODS GUIDE | OCR GCSE Psychology |

Summary

This video offers a comprehensive overview of research methods in psychology, covering various study designs, data collection techniques, and their strengths and weaknesses. It explores lab, field, and natural experiments, self-report methods like interviews and questionnaires, and observational studies. Key concepts like ecological validity, social desirability bias, and cause-and-effect relationships are discussed. The video emphasizes the importance of practice and repetition, suggesting ways to apply and reinforce knowledge through past paper questions and interactive quizzes, making it a valuable resource for students preparing for psychology exams.

Takeaways

• 😀 Lab experiments offer high control and reliability, but they often suffer from low ecological validity because of artificial environments.
• 😀 Field experiments are conducted in real-life settings, providing higher ecological validity, but they face more extraneous variables.
• 😀 Natural experiments study naturally occurring variables, making them more ethical but harder to control for extraneous factors.
• 😀 Interviews come in two main types: structured (with pre-set questions) and unstructured (more flexible and conversational).
• 😀 Questionnaires include both closed (fixed responses) and open (elaborate answers) questions, yielding quantitative and qualitative data, respectively.
• 😀 Observations can be naturalistic (real-life setting) or controlled (artificial environment), with the researcher's involvement being either covert (unaware participants) or overt (aware participants).
• 😀 Case studies are detailed in-depth investigations of an individual or small group, often used for unique or rare cases, but they have limited generalizability.
• 😀 Correlations measure the relationship between two co-variables (e.g., exercise and happiness), but they cannot establish cause-and-effect relationships.
• 😀 A positive correlation means both variables increase together, while a negative correlation means one increases as the other decreases.
• 😀 Social desirability bias is a significant issue in self-report methods (e.g., interviews and questionnaires), where participants may give answers that make them appear socially acceptable rather than truthful.

Q & A

What is the primary difference between lab studies and field studies?

Lab studies are highly controlled experiments conducted in artificial settings, which reduce extraneous variables, while field studies occur in natural environments, offering higher ecological validity but less control over variables.

What is a natural experiment, and how does it differ from other experimental methods?

A natural experiment involves studying naturally occurring variables that researchers cannot manipulate, such as comparing people with different sleep patterns. Unlike traditional experiments, researchers do not control the independent variable.

Why is social desirability a problem in self-report methods like interviews and questionnaires?

Social desirability bias occurs when participants provide answers they believe are socially acceptable or make themselves appear better, which can distort the accuracy of the data collected.

What are the key differences between structured and unstructured interviews?

In a structured interview, the researcher asks predetermined questions in a set order, ensuring uniformity, while in an unstructured interview, the researcher asks open-ended questions based on the participant’s responses, allowing more flexibility.

What is the advantage of using closed questions in a questionnaire?

Closed questions offer fixed response options, making it easier to collect quantitative data that is numerical, which allows for straightforward comparisons and statistical analysis.

What is the main benefit of using open-ended questions in questionnaires?

Open-ended questions allow respondents to provide detailed, qualitative responses, offering richer insights into their thoughts, feelings, and experiences compared to fixed responses.

What is the difference between overt and covert observations?

In overt observations, participants are aware they are being observed, while in covert observations, participants are unaware that they are being observed, which can raise ethical concerns.

How do participant and non-participant observations differ?

In a participant observation, the researcher becomes actively involved in the group being studied, while in a non-participant observation, the researcher remains detached and does not engage with the participants.

Why are case studies useful in psychological research?

Case studies provide an in-depth analysis of a single individual or a small group, often using multiple research methods. This allows researchers to gather rich, qualitative data, especially in unusual or rare circumstances.

What is the primary limitation of correlation studies?

Correlation studies identify relationships between two variables but do not establish cause and effect. This means researchers cannot determine whether one variable is causing the other to change.

What is the significance of a positive, negative, and zero correlation in research?

A positive correlation indicates that as one variable increases, the other increases. A negative correlation suggests that as one variable increases, the other decreases. A zero correlation means there is no relationship between the variables.

What are the key strengths and weaknesses of lab studies?

Lab studies are highly reliable due to their controlled environment, but they often suffer from low ecological validity because the artificial settings may lead participants to act unnaturally.

How does a naturalistic observation differ from a controlled observation?

A naturalistic observation takes place in a real-world setting, allowing for more natural behavior, whereas a controlled observation is conducted in an artificial environment that the researcher sets up, which may affect participants' behavior.