Lab
Experiment
|
Field
Experiment
|
This
type of experiment is conducted in a well-controlled environment
– not necessarily a laboratory – and therefore accurate and
objective measurements are possible.
The
researcher decides where the experiment will take place, at what
time, with which participants, in what circumstances and using a
standardized procedure.
|
These
are conducted in the everyday (i.e. natural) environment of the
participants but the situations are still artificially set up.
The
experimenter still manipulates the IV, but in a real-life setting
(so cannot really control extraneous variables).
|
Case
Study
|
Correlation
|
Case
studies are in-depth investigations of a single person, group,
event or community.
Case
studies are widely used in psychology and amongst the best-known
ones carried out were by Sigmund Freud. He conducted very
detailed investigations into the private lives of his patients in
an attempt to both understand and help them overcome their
illnesses.
Case
studies provide rich qualitative data and have high levels of
ecological validity.
|
Correlation
means association - more precisely it is a measure of the extent
to which two variables are related.
If
an increase in one variable tends to be associated with an
increase in the other then this is known as a positive
correlation.
If
an increase in one variable tends to be associated with a
decrease in the other then this is known as a negative
correlation.
A
zero correlation occurs when there is no relationship between
variables.
|
Interviews
|
Questionnaire
|
Unstructured (informal)
interviews are like a casual conversation. There are no set
questions and the participant is given the opportunity to raise
whatever topics he/she feels are relevant and ask them in their
own way. In this kind of interview much qualitative data is
likely to be collected.
Structured (formal)
interviews are like a job interview. There is a fixed,
predetermined set of questions that are put to every participant
in the same order and in the same way. The interviewer stays
within their role and maintains social distance from the
interviewee.
|
Questionnaires
can be thought of as a kind of written interview. They can be
carried out face to face, by telephone or post.
The
questions asked can be open
ended,
allowing flexibility in the respondent's answers, or they can be
more tightly
structuredrequiring
short answers or a choice of answers from given alternatives.
The
choice of questions is important because of the need to avoid
bias or ambiguity in the questions, ‘leading’ the respondent,
or causing offence.
|
Observations
|
Observations
|
Covert
observations are
when the researcher pretends to be an ordinary member of the
group and observes in secret. There could be ethical problems or
deception and consent with this particular method of
observation.
Overt
observations are
when the researcher tells the group he or she is conducting
research (i.e. they know they are being observed).
|
Natural:
Here spontaneous behavior is recorded in a natural setting.
Controlled:
behavior is observed under controlled laboratory conditions (e.g.
Bandura Bobo doll).
Participant:
Here the observer has direct contact with the group of people
they are observing.
Non-participant(aka
"fly on the wall): The researcher does not have direct
contact with the people being observed.
|
Content
Analysis
|
Pilot
Study
|
Content
analysis is a research tool used to indirectly observe the
presence of certain words, images or concepts within the media
(e.g. advertisements, books films etc.). For example, content
analysis could be used to study sex-role stereotyping.
Researchers
quantify (i.e. count) and analyze (i.e. examine) the presence,
meanings and relationships of words and concepts, then make
inferences about the messages within the media, the writer(s),
the audience, and even the culture and time of which these are a
part.
To
conduct a content analysis on any such media, the media is coded
or broken down, into manageable categories on a variety of levels
- word, word sense, phrase, sentence, or theme - and then
examined.
|
A
pilot study is an initial run-through of the procedures to be
used in an investigation; it involves selecting a few people and
trying out the study on them. It is possible to save time, and in
some cases, money, by identifying any flaws in the procedures
designed by the researcher.
A
pilot study can help the researcher spot any ambiguities (i.e.
unusual things) or confusion in the information given to
participants or problems with the task devised.
Sometimes
the task is too hard, and the researcher may get a floor effect,
because none of the participants can score at all or can complete
the task – all performances are low. The opposite effect is a
ceiling effect, when the task is so easy that all achieve
virtually full marks or top performances and are “hitting the
ceiling”.
|
