The Method Section

specimen

biological matter (spit, blood)

materials

chemicals, drugs

is sample size adequate?

consider purpose, previous research, generalizability, variability in the attribute of interest, research design

data analysis

describes how the data will be organized, summarized, assessed; link between method and results

procedures

describes the research protocol (what was done with the participants with the materials, good for replication); describe test environment and subject instructions

ratio

ordered levels (difference between levels is equal and there is a true zero; there can be an absence in what you're looking at) ex: weight

what is in the method

overall design of the study; three sections: participants, measure/materials/apparatus, procedures; may also include section on data analysis

behavioral instruments

questionnaires, scales, observations

interval

three or more ordered categories (difference between levels is equal but no true zero) ex: temperature

ordinal

three or more ordered categories (some kind of meaningful rank in the ordering); ex: class rank

apparatus

tobii eye-tracker

nominal

two or more unordered categories (number is not meaningful, we make it meaningful) ex: sex (1=male, 2=female)

standardized instruments

was standardized on large normative populations; most are standardized; all have a manual

electronic instruments

ways to measure, record, and analyze; can measure things that are not observable; issue that can lead to faulty error (instrumentation error, calibration effects)

behavioral instruments

ways to observe (noting, counting); two forms: standardized, nonstandardized

measure

weschler intelligence scale

who is the sample

a subset of the population of interest; ideally want to generalize to the population of interest

instrumentation

hardware, equipment

nonstandardized instruments

have not been standardized; can be brand new, coding scheme; can be widely used but haven't undergone process of becoming standardized; provide info on reliability and validity

why is the method important?

helps reader critically evaluate the results of the study; results don't mean anything if you don't know how you got them; identify research strategy and design; how threats were addressed

measures

identify the measures/materials/apparatus use to examine the variables of interest

levels of measurement

nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio

device

ruler, timer

what is measurement

rules for assigning numbers to objects/attributes/features; classify as either instrumental measures of physical variables (heart rate, airflow) or observational measures of behavioral variables (IQ, gestures); obtained using instrumentation, devices, behavioral instruments

sex vs. gender

sex=biological; gender=cultural role

participants vs. subjects

shift from conducting research on to conducting research with