Research Methods: Unit 4: Past Paper Objectives: To practice a past paper for research methods To revise in particular: Recognising the key features of a given scenario (exam skill) Describing results Deciding which test is appropriate Type 1 errors Consent forms Reliability Features of a methods section (write up for homework)

even if its not explicit Always read the scenario carefully at the beginning. Underline key features of the description. Jot down the IV, DV, design, sampling method data type even if its not explicit

MODE Tip! Nominal data is data that has variables that are basically a category (for example - do people prefer chocolate or cheese?). This means that it can only be measured by frequency e.g. 60 people prefer chocolate 40 people prefer cheese Ordinal data is data that can be measured. It is numerical in form. This means that we can compare people to one another by order, rank or position. So - cheese is better than chocolate ... do you .... 1 Very strongly agree 2 Stronlgy agree 3 Agree 4 Undecided 5 Disagree 6 Strongly disagree 7 Very strongly disagree Or - Mark on a scale of 0 - 100 how much you like cabbage. This then gives a result that can be measured in comparison to others. MEDIAN

& if you’re looking for a relationship or a difference. Its easy! MEAN Interval and Ratio data - this is another measured variable. If I asked : What is your height in centimetres? Or Name as many bars of chocolate as possible in 30seconds. How many cheese types can you name in 30 seconds Once you have worked out which data you are using (practice), and what design it is & if you’re looking for a relationship or a difference. Its easy!

Why do we use a statistical test? We want to know the likelihood of the results having occurred by chance

We need to know… We select our P value This is our result from our inferential stats test (e.g. Mann Whitney, Chi squared etc)

What are type 1 and type 2 errors? Remember! If this probability is less than 5% (p<0.05 or 1 in 20) then we can ... accept the experimental or alternative hypothesis and reject the null hypothesis. If the probability is more than 5% (p>0.05 or 1 in 20) then we must... accept the null hypothesis and reject the experimental or alternative hypothesis In general, psychologists use a 5% significance level. One reason for this is that a 5% degree of uncertainty is usually acceptable if it is not a life and death matter, whereas, for example, research on the side effects of drugs is likely to select a 1% significance level because we would want to be very careful about taking chances.

‘She has found a significant difference at the 5% level for a one tailed test (p≤ 0.05)’ The significance level is set a 5%, this will always mean there is a 1 in 20 chance that the result has occurred by chance A type 1 error is rejecting a null hypothesis that is true – this happens when the significance level is too high

e) The psychologist could have used self-report questionnaires to assess the participants instead of using interviews with the therapist. Explain one advantage and one disadvantage of using self-report questionnaires in this study rather than interviews 4marks This study!!

they can withdraw at any time can withdraw data from the study f: Write a brief consent form which would be suitable for this study. You should include some details of what participants could expect to happen in the study and how they would be protected (5marks) no pressure to consent they can withdraw at any time can withdraw data from the study data will be kept confidential and anonymous can ask questions from the researcher at anytime there will be a full debrief at the end of the programme

Example consent form for an experiment  Grinnell College Janet M. Gibson Dept. of Psychology Fall 2000Cognitive Psychology Experiment Consent Form In this study you will complete a variety of paper and pencil tasks which involve rating words and creating words. There are no risks involved, and you may stop participating at any time without penalty. Your data remain anonymous and confidential. When the tasks are done, you will receive a "debrief form" which will describe the reasons we are collecting data on these tasks. The experiment takes just under a half hour. General psychology students receive 1 extra credit point. If you agree to participate in this experiment, please sign below: Printed Name Signature Date

Reliability is consistency over time Reliability is consistency over time. If a test is reliable then the participants will tend to get the same score on the test if they were to do it again soon afterwards. How can we test reliability here? What would we be testing reliability of? To test reliability in this instance – is there another measure we could use to see if the scores were positively correlated? How would that work?

Most important is?.. Methods section What will you include? design Needs to be written clearly so that the experiment could be replicated design participants materials procedures