research methods

natural experiments strengths

• Great ecological validity

• Great generalisability.

• We can assume there is less bias from sampling (participants do not have to be brought into the lab) and demand characteristics (if subjects are unaware they are being tested)

lab experiments strengths

• Strict controls and procedures mean other researchers can easily replicate lab experiments and check for reliability

• High control over extraneous variables implies cause and effect can be studied without any influence from other unwanted variables.

field experiments strengths

• Ecological validity is higher than in a lab experiment due to the ‘real world’ setting.

• We can assume there is less bias from sampling (participants do not have to be brought into the lab) and demand characteristics (if subjects are unaware they are being tested).

weaknesses of lab experiments

1) Lack of real-world complexity and context. 2) Artificial environment may affect participant behavior. 3) Limited generalizability to real-life situations. 4) Ethical concerns may restrict certain manipulations. 5) Potential for demand characteristics and experimenter bias.

weaknesses of natural experiments

1. Limited control over variables: Researchers cannot manipulate variables, leading to potential confounding factors.

2. Lack of randomization: Assignment of participants is not random, increasing the risk of selection bias.

3. Ethical concerns: Some natural experiments involve unethical or harmful conditions that cannot be replicated in controlled settings.

4. Generalizability issues: Findings may not apply to other populations or contexts, limiting the external validity.

5. Limited scope: Natural experiments are often specific to a certain event or situation, limiting their applicability to broader research questions.

weaknesses of field experiments

1. Lack of control: Field experiments are conducted in real-world settings, making it difficult to control all variables, potentially leading to confounding factors.

2. Limited generalizability: Findings from field experiments may only apply to the specific context in which they were conducted, limiting their generalizability to other settings.

3. Ethical concerns: In some cases, field experiments may involve manipulating variables without obtaining informed consent from participants, raising ethical concerns.

4. Time-consuming and costly: Field experiments require significant time, resources, and coordination to execute, making them more challenging to conduct compared to laboratory experiments.

5. External influences: Field experiments are vulnerable to external influences (e.g., weather, social dynamics), which can impact the validity and reliability of the results.

types of interviews

• structured - pre mad questions are asked

• semi-structured - some questions are made before and some are made up.

• unstructured - the interviewer makes up the questions on the spot.

Strengths of interviews

Structured interview

• It gathers a lot of information quickly which increases the validity.

• It allows you to use the same questions again to see if you can find the same results which increases the reliability.

Unstructured interview

• Allows a lot of in-depth information to be gathered because the researcher can ask the participant to elaborate on an answer. This increases the validity.

Semi-structured interview

• A free flowing conversation can occur so lots of data can be gathered which increases the validity of the results.

Weaknesses of interviews

Structured interview

• It might lead to gathering ‘superficial’ information which decreases the validity of the results.

Unstructured interview

• It can be time consuming asking additional questions and encouraging the participants to elaborate

Semi-structured interview

• The interviewer needs training to encourage a free flowing conversation.

type of questionnaire questions

Open questions allow the participant to give a more detailed answer for example ‘explain why you enjoy Psychology lessons’ = qualitative data

Closed questions allow the participants to give a limited answer for example ‘do you enjoy Psychology lessons?’ Yes or no = quantitative data

Some questionnaires might be measured on a likert scale for example ‘On a scale of 1-10 how much do you enjoy Psychology lessons’ = Quantitative data

Strengths of questionnaires

• Cheap to run

• Ethical as participants can choose whether to take part

• Open questions are more valid as they are in depth

• The use of closed questions and a likert scale produce quantitative data which is reliable because it is easy to compare responses.

Weakness of questionnaires

• The participant may not answer truthfully (socially desirable responses)

• The use of closed questions and a likert scale produce quanitative data which lacks validity because it lacks detail.

• Some participants may not respond to all questions which reduces the validity of the data.

What is correlations?

A correlation tells us whether there is an association or a relationship between two variables e.g. is there a relationship between temperature and the number of ice creams sold. A correlations is plotted on a scatter graph.

strengths of correlations

• Correlations are objective because they use quantitative data

• Correlations opens doors for new research

weaknesses of correlations

• Correlations can’t show cause and effect

• Correlations lack detail as they only use quantitative data

case study strengths

• Case studies are rich in about people you want to study which increases the validity of the data.

• Case studies have high ecological validity as often in a natural setting.

case study weaknesses

• Case studies are time consuming especially if a researcher is collecting data over many years.

• It is hard to generalise the findings as the same is only a small amount of participants which means they do not represent the wider population.