Science inquiry skills apply across both units. This lesson covers research ethics, formulating research, and research methodology.
1. Ethical guidelines and practices
Ethical guidelines are a statement of expected conditions for the conduct of research, to ensure research has merit, integrity and regard for the welfare of participants. An ethics committee approves research (on the basis of merit and integrity) and monitors conduct.
Guidelines for human participants: protection from harm (physical and psychological), informed consent, withdrawal rights, deception, confidentiality, privacy, voluntary participation and debriefing.
Use of animals follows the three Rs: replacement, reduction, refinement.
2. Formulating research
Identify the aim, then the variables:
- Independent variable (IV) — manipulated by the researcher.
- Dependent variable (DV) — measured.
- Control variable — held constant.
- Extraneous variables — participant, environment, researcher.
- Confounding variables — extraneous variables that have systematically affected the results.
Then construct a hypothesis: a directional or non-directional hypothesis (quantitative), or an inquiry question (qualitative). A hypothesis is a precise, testable prediction; an inquiry question is more open-ended and exploratory.
3. Methodology
Research designs: experimental (control and experimental group) and non-experimental (observational, case study, correlational, longitudinal, cross-sectional).
Sampling: convenience, snowballing, random, stratified. Allocation: random allocation.
Extraneous/confounding effects — placebo effect, experimenter effect, demand characteristics — are minimised by random allocation, placebos, single- and double-blind procedures, and standardisation of procedures and instructions.
Work through these together.
Identifying variables
In a study testing whether a new mattress increases time spent dreaming, identify each variable as a class:
Independent variable:
Dependent variable:
One control variable:
Matching sampling methods
For each description, name the sampling method:
Each participant recruits the next:
Every member of the population has an equal chance:
The population is divided into subgroups sampled in proportion:
Answer independently, using examination-style directive verbs.
Q1. Outline the role of ethical guidelines in psychological research. (2 marks)
Q2. Describe two roles of an ethics committee in psychological research. (4 marks)
Q3. Outline the ethical guidelines and practices related to human participants in research. (8 marks)
Q4. Name three types of variables and state an example of each, relevant to a study of your choice. (6 marks)
Q5. Outline the method of random sampling and state one strength and one limitation of this sampling method. (3 marks)