Describe a study which investigates either conformity or obedience This essay is going to talk about a study on The Stanford Prison Experiment on Conformity by Zimbardo
Describe a Study that describes Conformity or Obedience This essay is going to talk about a study on The Stanford Prison Experiment on Conformity by Zimbardo. It is going to explain why it was done, how it was set up, how the participants were picked, what happened during the experiment, why it was stopped, and the findings. (www.zimbardo.com) In 1971, Zimbardo a respected Psychologist heard about recent prison uprisings and became interested in what it would mean psychologically to be a prisoner and a guard. Zimbardo decided to do a study on conformity and had the idea of simulating a prison to see how people would internalise into their roles. After conferring with the British Psychological Society he began to set up his experiment. (www.zimbardo.com) Participants were picked by maturity, intelligence, on their physical and mental health history and also their criminal history. The twenty-four participants selected were given consent forms to sign and a contract (with legal advice) stating they would receive a daily payment of fifteen Dollars for various tasks and work activities within the prison. Zimbardo split participants into two groups; half prisoners who were given rules they had to comply with or they'd be punished. An example was: "Prisoners must always address the guards as "Mr correction officer" and the warden as, " Mr chief correctional
In an attempt to solve both these problems two experiments will be conducted, one in a field setting and one a laboratory to find out if ecological validity, i.e. the high emotional state that witnesses are in, has an effect on recall
Abstract This experiment investigated into the effect of ecological validity on eyewitness testimony, and was influenced by previous criticisms of research into eyewitness testimony, for example Loftus' work was criticized because participants were not in a state of high emotion (as they would be at the time of witnessing a real crime) and experiments conducted involving real-life situations was generally based upon retrospective data, meaning recall may have been somewhat distorted. The experiment aimed to discover if there is a link between ecological validity (i.e. emotional arousal) and accuracy of recall. As there is conflicting evidence regarding the effect of high emotion on recall (flashbulb memories vs. repression), the hypothesis chosen was non-directional and was simply that ecological validity would have a significant effect on recall. The research designs used were a laboratory experiment and a field experiment, and took place in an IT lab, where a video was shown to participants, and a classroom where a real argument was staged, in order to produce different levels of ecological validity for comparison. Due to time constraints, an opportunity sample of 20 grammar school girls aged 12-13 was used, in two groups as part of our independent measures design. One group was shown a video of a staged argument between a girl and a teacher, and told they were taking
Review of a focus group interview based on a health related issue.
Review of a focus group interview based on a health related issue. (Task 2) PREPARATION Before starting preparation for a qualitative research interview, reflection on a number of factors had to be considered. The main consideration that came to light where: * Why and for what purposes the interview was being conducted for * The type of context that the interview would be conducted in * Respondent relationship * Construction of question * The structure of the interview * Interpreting the responses Purposes of Interview In resolving the first point, it was necessary to review interview techniques effectively having regarding it as not just a case of gift but rather a skill to be developed. Further thought about what made the interview different from normal conversation, for example understanding what goes on when one person systematically asks questions of another. Context of Interview The second point equipped preparation for answering the question of context of interview by seeing that there are a wide variety of context in which interviews are carried out and the purposes interviews serve between these contexts, for example as in this case a student research, apposed to a job interview. The interview development had to work out not only to impart or to obtain the necessary information required, but to do so in such a way that the participants leave the interview
Research methods – (Psychology).
Research Methods - (Psychology) When carrying out any type of research several decisions need to be made for example the choice of method, the research design, factors associated with the design, measuring and improving the reliability of the study, measuring and improving the validity, selection of participants, relationship between the researcher and the participant, investigator effects, analysis of data and the ethical considerations. The choice of method- Loud noise has a disruptive effect on performance in a memory task for this hypothesis laboratory experiment would be suitable as it has several advantages. This is the ideal form of the experiment because there is the possibility of good control of all variables. Replication is good. The independent variable that is manipulated by the experimenter and the dependent variable is the one that is measured. Events, which are complex, can be simplified, of natural world by breaking them down onto simpler component parts. It is generally easier to eliminate confounding variables. The greatest advantage of the laboratory experiment is that it allows us to establish the cause and effect relationships. However this method also has some disadvantages: - In reality total control is never possible. The results maybe affected by extraneous variables, experimenter bias, volunteer bias, sample bias and demand characteristics.
An Ethical Consideration of the Work of Milgram - Stanley Milgram carried out a series of studies in 1963 and 1973 related to obedience to authority.
An Ethical Consideration of the Work of Milgram Stanley Milgram carried out a series of studies in 1963 and 1973 related to obedience to authority. These studies have been viewed as controversial ever since, mainly because of the ethical issues they raise. Although he was able to obtain conclusive results and discover that under certain situational influences anybody might obey orders that went against their conscience; the way in which he carried out his studies was arguably unethical and contributed to the BPS Ethical Principles: Informed Consent Milgram's participants were not offered the choice of informed consent, they were told the experiment was being conducted for a different reason, that the hypothesis was to see if people learn better if they are punished when in fact it was to observe obedience in relation to authority. However, it was necessary for Milgram to use this "single blind" method to make the experiment valid, had the participants been aware of the hypothesis they may have exhibited "demand characteristics". Milgram also sought the advice and opinions of forty other psychiatrists before carrying out his studies, though it may have been more judicious to consult a cross section of the general public, the type of people who would make up his participants. Deception Milgram's participants were grossly deceived, they believe that they actually were
A Correlation investigation conducted to analyse self ratings and peer ratings on extraversion.
A Correlation investigation conducted to analyse self ratings and peer ratings on extraversion Author: Aysha Sultan Abstract A within subjects correlation study was conducted to test the hypotheses that individuals who know one another either well/very well are more likely to produce consistent scores for extraversion The participants were psychology students (n = 49). The participants were asked to sit next to a "partner" who they knew/knew well/knew very well. They first completed a self-evaluation questionnaire on their personality and then their partner was required to complete the personality questionnaire on their behalf. There was a significant correlation for the self and peer rating on extraversion and also a significant correlation on the ratings of those individuals who had stated that they knew their "partner" well/very well. Hence, individuals do have a good insight into their self-concept and are able to self-report, that is introspect on their self-concept. Introduction Personality can be described as characteristics, which can influence a person's behaviour and a basis from which other people can predict an individual's behaviour. The humanistic approach to personality was centered on the idea of self-concept. Roger's believed that we all have a self-concept about ourselves, which contains information about ourselves, our attitudes, and our
The aim of this essay is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of combining the two methodologies, qualitative and quantitative, when designing research in relation to the study of drug use
What are the strengths and weaknesses of combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies when designing research? Relate your answer to the study of drug use in particular. The aim of this essay is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of combining the two methodologies, qualitative and quantitative, when designing research in relation to the study of drug use. Qualitative methods of research and data focus more on the context and integrity of the material and produce research findings that are not arrived at by statistical summary or analysis. The methods used in qualitative research include participant observation, intense interviewing and focus groups which provide researchers with in depth information, unlike quantitative method. Quantitative refers to studies whose findings are mainly the product of statistical summary and analysis. In criminological research the quantitative research methods used are generally surveys and questionnaires. The rise of drug use in recent decades has prompted more research into this area using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies not only to attempt to evaluate the extent of drug use in individual areas but also to seek to understand the reasons behind it. A great number of researchers are more frequently using a mixed method research design now to try and increase the credibility of their findings. Individually each
Critiquing research papers: methods, methodologies, theoretical perspectives and epistemologies.
Critiquing research papers: methods, methodologies, theoretical perspectives and epistemologies. Zorkina and Nalbone (2003) did a study to see if the confidence levels of college students according to what instructions they were given had an effect on their performance on a cognitive ability test. Zorkina and Nalbone (2003) tested out the hypothesis by placing college students into 2 groups. Each group was given different instructions in order to induce different levels of confidence in them, high level and low level. The participants in both groups were given the same cognitive ability test and the scores were compared for both groups. Peer evaluations were also done on participants' confidence and academic performance for external validity. It was found, that induced level of confidence did have an effect on college students and a bivariate correlation indicated that the results were significant. r(30) = 0.54, p = 0.002. As academic confidence increased, academic performance also increased. The aim of this assignment is to critique the research by Zorkina and Nalbone taking into account the epistemological position of the paper, the theoretical perspective, the methodology and the method of data collection the researcher has used. Epistemology The research paper takes an objective epistemological position of the paper. According to Crotty objectivism is based on the
The validity and accuracy in analysing personality traits using interobserver reliability.
The validity and accuracy in analysing personality traits using interobserver reliability Abstract Four 211 psychology students were shown three scenes from a Star Trek video to empirically test the validity of personality impressions for Captain James T. Kirk and Captain Jean-luc Picard. It is predicted that perceived personality traits will be reflected in observed behaviour and that behavioural data will confirm that Captain Picard is more communicative and Captain Kirk is less communicative. The first video showed both captains together to get an impression of both captains and choose a trait in which to measure their personalities. The four students were then shown a video of Captain Kirk in which they individually noted the times the captain displayed communicative behaviour. This was then repeated for a video of Captain Picard. The results showed that Captain Kirk's behavioural data showed more communicativeness in comparison to Captain Picard. This is due to moderators of personality judgement. Introduction The validity and accuracy of analysing personality traits, through the observation of people's behaviour, has interested personality psychologists for years. In terms of this study, it is very important to understand the accuracy and validity in judgments, which can be illustrated by the moderators of accuracy and inter-rater reliability. Funder has outlined the
Triangulation as mentioned earlier is the process of combining three or more research methodologies when investigating a certain idea or issue.
TRIANGULATION Introduction: Triangulation is the combination of methodologies (research methods) in the study of the same phenomenon or event. It is a method of establishing the accuracy of information by using and comparing three or more types of independent points of view on data sources (for example: experimental method, surveys and documentation) bearing on the same findings. Experiment Proposal: One example of a good and appropriate triangulation experiment is the effect of writing biology notes in pencil or in pen on the performance of grade 10 students in their biology examination. Performance in this experiment is measurable. It can be measured using a likert scale rated from 1 - 5. This means that the students can rate their biology results according to the likert scale provided. The experimenter has to make sure that the experiment is free from all biases. He/she should try controlling almost all the various variables encountered while structuring this experiment. The investigator should ensure that the sample for (group of students he/she wishes to use) this experiment: belong to the same grade i.e. grade 10, are of the same age group i.e. 13 - 15 years, attend the same number of biology lessons of the same teacher and study the same topic and there are a balanced number of boys and girls i.e. equal number of boys and girls. Although the experimenter will try