Access Psychology Hannah Butler

Remind and recap To add to your notes: What is meant by the scientific method in Psychology? What are the 4 goals of psychological research? Give a definition of a survey. Evaluate the survey method Give a definition of a questionnaire Give 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses of questionnaires Describe the interview method Compare and contrast open and closed questions Compare and contrast structured and unstructured interviews

What is the scientific method? The goals of psychological studies are to describe, explain, predict and perhaps influence mental processes or behaviours. In order to do this, psychologists utilize the scientific method to conduct psychological research. The scientific method is a set of principles and procedures that are used by researchers to develop questions, collect data and reach conclusions.

The 4 goals To describe To explain To predict To change

What is a survey A survey is a data collection tool used to gather information about individuals. Surveys are commonly used in psychology research to collect self-report data from study participants. A survey may focus on factual information about individuals, or it might aim to collect the opinions of the survey takers. A survey can be administered in a couple of different ways. In one method known as a structured interview, the researcher asks each participant the questions. In the other method known as a questionnaire, the participant fills out the survey on his or her own.

Questionnaires Questionnaires can be thought of as a kind of written interview. They can be carried out face to face, by telephone or post. Questionnaires provide a relatively cheap, quick and efficient way of obtaining large amounts of information from a large sample of people. Data can be collected relatively quickly because the researcher would not need to be present when the questionnaires were completed. This is useful for large populations when interviews would be impractical.

Strengths Questionnaires provide a relatively cheap, quick and efficient way of obtaining large amounts of information from a large sample of people. Data can be collected relatively quickly because the researcher would not need to be present when the questionnaires were completed. This is useful for large populations when interviews would be impractical.

Weaknesses However, a problem with questionnaire is that respondents may lie due to social desirability. Most people want to present a positive image of themselves and so may lie or bend the truth to look good, e.g. pupils would exaggerate revision duration.....do you agree???? Also the language of a questionnaire should be appropriate to the vocabulary of the group of people being studied. For example, the researcher must change the language of questions to match the social background of respondents' age / educational level / social class / ethnicity etc.

The interview method Interviews are different from questionnaires as they involve social interaction. Unlike questionnaires researchers need training in how to interview (which costs money). Researchers can ask different types of questions which in turn generate different types of data. For example, closed questions provide people with a fixed set of responses, whereas open questions allow people to express what they think in their own words. Sometimes researchers use an interview schedule. This is a set of prepared questions designed to be asked exactly as worded. Interviews schedules have a standardised format which means the same questions are asked to each interviewee in same order. Quite often interviews will be recorded by the researcher and the data written up as a transcript (a written account of interview questions and answers) which can be analyzed at a later date.

The interviewer must ensure that they take special care when interviewing vulnerable groups, such as the children. For example, children have a limited attention span and for this reason lengthy interviews should be avoided. Also the language the interviewer uses should be appropriate to the vocabulary of the group of people being studied. For example, the researcher must change the language of questions to match the social background of respondents' age / educational level / social class / ethnicity etc. It should be noted that interviews may not be the best method to use for researching sensitive topics (e.g. truancy in schools) as people may feel more comfortable completing a questionnaire in private. Interviews take many forms, some very informal, others more structured.

Structured interviews This is also known as a formal interview (like a job interview). The questions are asked in a set / standardized order and the interviewer will not deviate from the interview schedule or probe beyond the answers received (so they are not flexible). These are based on structured, closed-ended questions.

Unstructured interviews These are sometimes referred to as ‘Discovery Interviews’ & are more like a ‘Guided Conservation’ than a strict structured interview. An interview schedule might not be used, and even if one is used, they will contain open- ended questions that can be asked in any order. Some questions might be added / missed as the Interview progresses.

Group work In your groups, answer the following questions. What is meant by reliability? Give examples of how studies ensure reliability. What is meant by validity? Give examples of how studies ensure validity. What is the difference between reliability and validity?

Hazan and Shaver 1987

Hazan and Shaver (1987) Early on, one of the primary limitations of attachment theory was that it had only really been studied in the context of young children. While studies of children are often instrumental in the field of developmental psychology, that field is ideally supposed to address the development of the entire human organism, including the stage of adulthood. In the 1980s, Cindy Hazan and Phillip Shaver were able to garner a lot of attention, then, when they turned attachment theory on adult relationships.

Aims Hazan & Shaver were interested in John Bowlby’s idea that an infant’s first attachment formed an internal working model - a template - for all future relationships. They wanted to see if there was a correlation between the infant’s attachment type and their future approach to romantic relationships.

PROCEDURE (METHOD): To test this Hazan & Shaver devised the ‘Love Quiz’ which consisted of 2 components:- A measure of attachment type - a simple adjective checklist of childhood relationships with parents and parents’ relationships with each other A love experience questionnaire which assessed individual’s beliefs about romantic love - eg: whether it lasted forever, whether it could be found easily, how much trust there was in a romantic relationship, etc

The Love Quiz was printed in local newspaper the Rocky Mountain News and readers were asked to send in their responses. Hazan & Shaver analysed the first 620 replies sent in from people aged from 14 to 82. They classified the respondents’ according to Mary Ainsworth’s infant attachment types of secure, insecure-ambivalent and insecure- avoidant and looked for corresponding adult love styles

Secure types described their love experiences as happy, friendly and trusting - emphasising being able to accept their partner regardless of any faults - with such relationships tending to be more enduring, with the initial passion reappearing from time to time and for some ‘romantic love’ never fading. They were happy depending on others and comfortable if others are dependent on them. They were happy to be close to others.

Insecure ambivalent types experienced love as involving obsession, a desire for reciprocation, emotional highs and lows, extreme sexual attraction and jealousy, and worry that their partners didn’t really love them or might abandon them. Their desire for intense closeness could frighten others away.

Insecure avoidant types typically feared intimacy, emotional highs and lows, and jealousy and believed they did not need love to be happy. They were uncomfortable being close to and/or depending on others.

FINDINGS (RESULTS): Hazan & Shaver found a strikingly high correlation between the infant attachment types and the adult romantic love styles.

CONCLUSIONS: Hazan & Shaver concluded that there was evidence to support the concept of the inner working model having a life-long effect. However, they did concede that not everyone stayed true to their infant attachment style and that some people did change as they grew older.

What did you find?

Homework: Evaluate the love quiz. Include strengths and weaknesses