Research Methods
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CHAPTER OUTLINE
Using the Scientific Method to Understand Abnormality
The Scientific Method
Types of Scientific Research
Ethical Guidelines for Research
Research Challenges in Understanding Abnormality
Challenges in Researching Neurological Factors
Challenges in Researching Psychological Factors
Challenges in Researching Social Factors
Researching Treatment
Researching Treatments That Target Neurological Factors
Researching Treatments That Target Psychological Factors
Researching Treatments That Target Social Factors
Suppose you are a psychologist at a college counseling center. A student, Carlos, comes to the center because he’s been depressed since his girlfriend, Liana, broke up with him 5 weeks ago. Liana’s rejection came out of nowhere, as far as Carlos is concerned. He feels abandoned and alone. He has been spiraling downward since the breakup, feeling irritable and sad, sleeping a lot, and without appetite. He was just fired from his on-campus job because of his poor attitude. He doesn’t care much about his classes or schoolwork. During your sessions with Carlos, he seems preoccupied with his relationship with Liana and worries that no other woman will ever love him.
Carlos is not the only student on campus to have this type of problem. You’ve noticed that a surprising number of students seeking help at the counseling center are depressed and have recently broken up with a boyfriend or a girlfriend. Like Carlos, these students frequently report feeling hurt, rejected, and unlovable. Some even think about suicide.
You wonder, though, whether the depression that many of these students are experiencing is a result specifically of their breakups. Perhaps they were depressed before the breakup—and that contributed to the failure of the relationship. In Carlos’s case, perhaps his depression started earlier (although he hadn’t realized it), and Liana got sick of his being down in the dumps. On the other hand, maybe a lot of the students would not have become depressed if their relationships had not ended.
How can you determine whether the students are depressed because their relationships ended, or whether their relationships ended because they were depressed? In this chapter, we explore specific methods that psychologists use to study psychopathology and its treatment, the challenges associated with the use of the different research methods, and the ways in which researchers address those challenges.
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