In Chapter 1, you learned that psychologists are committed to the methods of science. They do not just speculate about people, the mind, and the brain. They try to ground their ideas in scientific evidence.

This chapter has shown you the methods through which psychologists obtain that evidence. The methods are diverse—as is inevitable in a field whose subject matter is as diverse as psychological science. But, despite the diversity, you learned that psychology’s research methods are anchored in a relatively small set of research designs (survey methods, correlational studies, and experiments), types of data (quantitative and qualitative), and types of evidence (psychological and biological).

You will encounter these research methods over and over in the chapters ahead. Furthermore, no matter which chapter you turn to next, you will find a diverse mix of methods. In today’s psychological science, researchers in every branch of the field bring to bear a range of methods on questions about persons, the mind, and the brain.

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Chapter Review Now that you have completed this chapter, be sure to turn to Appendix B, where you will find a Chapter Summary that is useful for reviewing what you have learned about research methods.