1. 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)

2. 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

3. 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 how much you like cabbage.
This then gives a result that can be measured in comparison to others.
MEDIAN

4. & 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!

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

6. 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)

7. 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.

8. ‘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

9. 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 marks
This study!!

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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?

13. 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