Question

General description of method. When is it used? Define Key terms advantages disadvantages Observation": case study Observation: surveys Observation: naturalistic Correlation Experiment

Answer 1

case study is used: mostly in clinical research used to describe rare events/conditions. It is also used to get a detailed understanding about a person

Key terms: in depth investigation, personal interviews, psychometric tests, direct observation

Advantages: allows in-detail information, efficient and cost effective for rare diseases,

Disadvantages: can’t generalise the results to wider population, difficult to replicate, time intensive

survey is used: to collect data from a larger sample about a specific topic

Key terms: standardised, can be reliable and valid

Advantages: ease of administration and scoring, wider reach to a larger sample, anonymous that allows people to be honest about their answers, ease of statistical analysis, can be helpful in generalising the data to a wider population

Disadvantages: probability of sampling error, response bias

Naturalistic observation is used: to observe behavior in its natural setting as objectively as possible

Key terms: useful for generating hypothesis, natural environment, study social/cultural setting

Advantages: helps in understanding social phenomena that are otherwise difficult to assess/measure, good way to start/generate hypothesis about a line of research

Disadvantages: cannot be generalised, time consuming, observer bias

Correlational studies: is used to assess the relationship between two or more variables

Key terms: independent variable, dependent variable, positive correlation, negative correlation, strong/weak correlation

Advantages: can be used to collect data in a short span of time, establishes cause and effect relationship between the variables

Disadvantages: does not help in understanding the why’s of relationship between the variables

Experiment is used: when manipulation of IV is possible and can be studied under experimental conditions to study its impact on DV

Key terms: independent variable, dependent variable, controlled condition, lab setting, cause and effect

Advantages: easy to control the environment/variables/setting as per the requirements, easy to replicate

Disadvantages: artificial environment/unrealistic, ethical issues with variable control.