RESEARCH METHODS CHECKLIST
TOPICS: year 1 content
• AIMS: stating aims, the difference between aims and hypothesis
• Hypotheses: directional and non-directional
• Variables: manipulation and control of variables, including independent, dependent, extraneous,
confounding; operationalisation of variables
• Control: random allocation and counterbalancing, randomisation and standardisation. Demand
characteristics and investigator effects
• Experimental method: types of experiment, laboratory, and field experiments, natural, quasi…
• Experimental designs: repeated measures, matched pairs, independent groups
• Sampling: the difference between population and sample; sampling techniques including random,
systematic, stratified, opportunity, and volunteer; implications of sampling techniques, including bias
and generalisation
• Ethics: role of BPS, code of ethics, ethical issues in the design and conduct of psychological studies;
dealing with ethical issues in research
• Pilot studies and the aims of piloting
• Observational techniques: types of observation: naturalistic and controlled observation; covert and
overt, participant, and non-participant observation
• Observational design: behavioural categories, event sampling, time sampling
• Self report techniques: questionnaires, interviews, structured and unstructured. Questionnaire
construction, including the use of open and closed questions, design of interviews
• Correlations: analysis of the relationship between co-variables. The difference between correlations and
experiments. Positive, negative and zero correlations
• Quantitative and qualitative data, primary and secondary data, meta-analysis
• Descriptive statistics: measures of central tendency – mean, median, mode – calculations………measures
of dispersion: range and standard deviation, calculating of range
• Presentation and display of quantitative data: graphs, tables, scattergrams, bar charts, histograms.
Distributions: normal and skewed distributions, characteristics of normal and skewed distributions
• Mathematical content – percentages and decimals, fractions, ratio, significant figures, estimates,
standard form, order of magnitude calculations, mathematical symbols, substituting values
• Introduction to statistical testing: the sign test, probability, when to use the sign test, the calculation of
the sign test
• The role of peer review in the scientific process
• The implications of psychological research for the economy
• A LEVEL CONTENT: YEAR 2
• Analysis and interpretation of correlation, including correlation coefficients
• Case studies. Content analysis and coding……..thematic analysis
• Reliability across all methods of investigation, ways of assessing reliability – test retest, inter observer,
improving reliability
• Types of validity: face validity, concurrent validity, ecological validity, temporal validity, assessment of
validity, improving validity
• Factors affecting choice of statistical test, including levels of measurement (nominal, ordinal, interval)
and experimental design
• Probability and significance: use of statistical tables and critical values in interpretation of significance,
type 1 and type 2 errors
• When to use the following tests: spearmans rho, pearsons r, Wilcoxon, Mann-Whitney, releated t-test,
unrelated t-test, chi-squared test
TOPICS: year 1 content
• AIMS: stating aims, the difference between aims and hypothesis
• Hypotheses: directional and non-directional
• Variables: manipulation and control of variables, including independent, dependent, extraneous,
confounding; operationalisation of variables
• Control: random allocation and counterbalancing, randomisation and standardisation. Demand
characteristics and investigator effects
• Experimental method: types of experiment, laboratory, and field experiments, natural, quasi…
• Experimental designs: repeated measures, matched pairs, independent groups
• Sampling: the difference between population and sample; sampling techniques including random,
systematic, stratified, opportunity, and volunteer; implications of sampling techniques, including bias
and generalisation
• Ethics: role of BPS, code of ethics, ethical issues in the design and conduct of psychological studies;
dealing with ethical issues in research
• Pilot studies and the aims of piloting
• Observational techniques: types of observation: naturalistic and controlled observation; covert and
overt, participant, and non-participant observation
• Observational design: behavioural categories, event sampling, time sampling
• Self report techniques: questionnaires, interviews, structured and unstructured. Questionnaire
construction, including the use of open and closed questions, design of interviews
• Correlations: analysis of the relationship between co-variables. The difference between correlations and
experiments. Positive, negative and zero correlations
• Quantitative and qualitative data, primary and secondary data, meta-analysis
• Descriptive statistics: measures of central tendency – mean, median, mode – calculations………measures
of dispersion: range and standard deviation, calculating of range
• Presentation and display of quantitative data: graphs, tables, scattergrams, bar charts, histograms.
Distributions: normal and skewed distributions, characteristics of normal and skewed distributions
• Mathematical content – percentages and decimals, fractions, ratio, significant figures, estimates,
standard form, order of magnitude calculations, mathematical symbols, substituting values
• Introduction to statistical testing: the sign test, probability, when to use the sign test, the calculation of
the sign test
• The role of peer review in the scientific process
• The implications of psychological research for the economy
• A LEVEL CONTENT: YEAR 2
• Analysis and interpretation of correlation, including correlation coefficients
• Case studies. Content analysis and coding……..thematic analysis
• Reliability across all methods of investigation, ways of assessing reliability – test retest, inter observer,
improving reliability
• Types of validity: face validity, concurrent validity, ecological validity, temporal validity, assessment of
validity, improving validity
• Factors affecting choice of statistical test, including levels of measurement (nominal, ordinal, interval)
and experimental design
• Probability and significance: use of statistical tables and critical values in interpretation of significance,
type 1 and type 2 errors
• When to use the following tests: spearmans rho, pearsons r, Wilcoxon, Mann-Whitney, releated t-test,
unrelated t-test, chi-squared test
