1A Scientific Research Methodologies

A controlled experiment tests the relationship between one or more independent variables and a dependent variable, in which all other variables are controlled.

• Advantages:
• - allows us to determine the causes of behaviours, mental states and psychological processes

• Disadvantages:
• - may not capture the reality of what occurs in nature, artificial
• - difficult to control all variables (Extraneous and confounding variables)

A case study is a detailed investigation of one instance of a broader phenomenon. It focuses on a particular person, activity, behaviour, event or problem in a real or hypothetical situation.

• Advantages:
• - The data is rich and highly details
• - Include complexities form the real world

• Disadvantages:
• - Information is specific to one particular case, may not apply to wider population or to other situations of interest

A correlational study is a non-experimental study where the researcher investigates relationships between variables.

The researcher does not try to control or change any of the variables.

• Advantages:
• - no manipulation of variables is required
• - useful as a preliminary (followed with further investigation with controlled experiement)
• Disadvantages:
• - only uncovers a relationship, cannot provide a conclusive reason for the reason behind the relationship between variables
• - no conclusions drawon on cause and effect

A correlation between variables does not mean that the change in one variable is the cause of the change in the values of other variables.

Causation indicates that one event is the result of the occurrence of the other event - there is a causal relationship between the two events.

Classification is a scientific activity that seeks to systematically organise phenomena, objects or events into manageable sets.

Identification is the process of recognising phenomena as belonging to particular sets or possibly being part of a new or unique set.

• Advantages:
• - helps to simplify, explain and describe complex phenomena
• - allows researchers to form more targeted solutions or interventions to real problems

• Disadvantages:
• - can over-simplify reality
• - labels and language can be innaccurate and create bias

Fieldwork is a type of investigation that involves collectingbinformation through observing and interacting with a selected environment

• Advantages:
• - can be conducted in naturalistic settings, findings more applicable to real world (high ecological validity)
• - provides rich, detailed data

• Disadvantages:
• - time-consuming and expensive
• - generally does not inform conclusions on cause and effect
• - difficulty to control enviro, EV

• Literature review is a type of investigation that involves collating
• and analysing secondary data findings and viewpoints.

• Advantages:
• - provides background info on specific phenomena, inform new studies and hypotheses
• - with info synthesis, can uncover patterns or gaps of knowledge

• Disadvantages:
• - time-consuming
• - difficult if little research has been done on the topic

Modelling is a type of investigation in which a physical or conceptual model is constructed and/or manipulated to simulate a system.

• Advantages:
• - provide explanatory tools
• - allows researchers to know, understand and problem solve with physical models

• Disadvantages:
• - may over-simplify or inaccurately represent reality

Product, process and system development is a type of investigation in which a product, a process or a system is designed to meet a human need.

• Advantages:
• - creates products, processes and systems that may meet a human need.

• Disadvantages:
• - expensive and time-consuming

Simulation is a type of investigation that uses a model to replicate and study the behaviour of a system.

• Advantages:
• - provide insight into potentional circumstances and events
• - allows researchers to see events that might be time-consuming, dangerous or impractical to see in reality

• Disadvantages:
• - expensive and time-consuming
• - subject to human error, not always be accurate prediction or reflection of reality

The Experimental group refers to the group of participants in an experiment who are exposed to a manipulated independent variable.

The control group refers to the group of participants that recieves no experimental intervention to form a baseline level to compare the experimental group with.

A within-subjects design is an experimental design in which participants complete every experimental condition.

• Advantages:
• - less people are needed, each participant completes each experiemental condition
• - good for real-world settings and phenomena

• Disadvantages:
• - produce order effects
• - participant dropping out has greater impact

A between-subjects design is an experimental design in which individuals are divided into different groups and complete only one experimental condition.

• Advantages:
• - less-time consuming than within, no repetition
• - does not create order effects

• Disadvantages:
• - requries more participants than within
• - participant differences across group affects resuts

A mixed design refers to an experimental design which combines elements of within-subjects and between-subjects designs.

This allows experimenters to note differences that occur within each experimental group over time, and also compare differences across experimental groups.

• Advantages:
• - Allows experimenters to compare results both across experimental conditions participants groups over time
• - Allows multiple experimental conditions to be compared to a baseline control group

• Disadvantages:
• - time-consuming and expensive
• - demandings for researchers, takes a lot of effort