Psychology
Research in Psychology
Research
“Systematic investigation
to establish facts”
Information gathering
Cont.
Variety of techniques are
applied to “get into the
minds of the people”
What Research is?
Attempt to achieve systematically and
with the support of data the answer to
a question, the resolution to a problem,
or the greater understanding of a
phenomenon
Generation of new information and
testing of ideas
Scientific Research
Characteristics of scientific findings are:
Empirical
Systematic
Precise
Verifiable
Public
Ethical & Ideological neutrality
Objective
Goals of Scientific Research
Description
Explanation
Prediction
control
Goals
Description
Explanation
Questions asked to
reach the goal
What happens?
When and where does it
happen?
How does it happen?
Why does it happen?
Prediction
What will happen next?
Control
How can we influence this
behavior or intervene in
this situation?
Goals of Psychological Research
Description of social behavior
Are people who grow up in warm climates different from
those in cold climates?
Establish a relationship between cause & effect
Does heat cause higher amounts of aggression?
Develop theories about why people behave the way
that they do
We dislike Duke students to feel better about ourselves
Application
Creating effective therapeutic treatments, more successful
negotiation tactics, and greater understanding amongst
groups of people
Purposes of Research
A research can be undertaken for two
different purposes:
To solve a currently existing problem
(applied research)
To contribute to the general body of
knowledge in a particular area of interest
(basic/fundamental research)
The Scientific Research Process
Identifying the
problem
Defining the
problem
Formulating
Hypothesis
Data collection
Analyzing the data
Preparing a report
The Process of Doing Research
First, select a topic
Good theory:
Has predictive power
Is simple & straightforward
Then, search the literature
Find out what others have done
that may be applicable to your
area of interest
The Process of Doing Research
Next, formulate hypotheses
Hypothesis: specific statement of
expectation derived from theory
State the relationship between two
variables
Variable: can be any event,
characteristic, condition, or
behavior
Let’s take a closer look . . .at variables
Dependent variable (outcome variable)
Dependent on the influence of other factor(s)
How do we operationalize?
Independent variable (predictor variable)
Factor(s) that change the outcome variable
How do we operationalize & manipulate?
Control group
The Process of Doing Research
Then pick your research method
Experimental vs. correlational ( Design)
Design
Field vs. laboratory (Setting)
Setting
Finally, collect & analyze your
data
Correlational research
The purpose of correlational research is
to discover relationships between two
or more variables.
Relationship means that an individuals
status on one variable tends to reflect
his or her status on the other.
Helps us understand related events,
conditions, and behaviors.
Is there a relationship between educational
levels of farmers and crop yields?
To make predictions of how one
variable might predict another
Can high school grades be used to predict
college grades?
Correlational research
Advantages
Sometimes manipulation of variables is
impossible or unethical
Efficient – look at lots of data
Disadvantages
CANNOT DETERMINE CAUSATION
Could be a lurking variable
Experimental Research
Researcher manipulates one variable (IV)
to see effect on other variable (DV)
Try to hold everything else constant
True experiments have
Random sampling: selecting Ps randomly from
population
Random assignment: chance assignment to
condition
Let’s take a closer look . . . at research
methods
Research methods used in psychology:
Observation
Case Study
Tests, Questionnaire, Survey
Experiment
Imp. Concepts in Research
Population: any set of individuals (or objects) having some
common observable characteristics.
Sample: the subset of a population which represents the
characteristics of the population.
A sample consists of respondents or subjects
An informant: a person from whom a linguist obtains
information about language, dialect, or culture.
A corpus is a collection of written or spoken material.
A hypothesis is a tentative statement that proposes a possible
explanation to some phenomenon or event
Triangulation
Triangulation is an approach to data analysis
that synthesizes data from multiple sources.
a combination of Quantitative & Qualitative
techniques are implied
Ideas stemming from Qualitative research are
tested empirically through Quantitative studies.
Combined findings enable psychologists to
design more meaningful and effective
strategies.
Major Limitations in
Conducting a Research
Time
Costs
Access to resources
Approval by authorities
Ethical concerns
Expertise
Ethics in Research
Should the study be done?
Value vs. potential cost
APA guidelines
How do we protect Ps?
Informed consent
Confidentiality & anonymity
Debriefing
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