Chapter 101. Psychology's Research Methods

Learning Objectives

case study
a type of descriptive research that studies an individual or small group in a detailed, intensive way
independent variable
experimental factor that is being manipulated, and whose effect is being studied
correlation
a way of measuring the relationship between two variables
naturalistic observation
a type of descriptive research in which researchers directly observe behavior in its natural setting, without interference
correlational research
a method of research that measures two or more variables and explores the relationship between them
research guidelines
ethical principles that researchers follow to ensure that participants are not harmed in any way
dependent variable
the outcome factor in an experiment that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable
research method
an approach to conducting research that is designed to answer a specific question
descriptive research
a method of research designed to measure and describe a behavior without manipulating it
survey
a type of descriptive research in which participants report their own behavior or attitudes
experimentation
a method of research that manipulates an independent variable to measure its effect on a dependent variable, while controlling the other relevant variables
variable
anything that can vary, or take different values
Psychology's Research Methods
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true
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Illustration: Show a word map similar to 90UN01 (in Group 4, 090_stress_hurts) but with different words; center word in red should be “RESEARCH”; include these other words, in different sizes and fonts: “methods, observation, experiment, experimental, survey, case study, investigate, control, statistics, researchers, comparison, placebo, distribution, average, mean, variability, random, results”; all words can be repeated several times if needed
Learning Objectives:

Contrast the three main types of research methods used in psychology: descriptive research, correlational research, and experimentation.

Describe the advantages and disadvantages of the three main research methods.

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1. Psychologists conduct research in order to answer questions about behavior. The most basic question is “What happens?”; the corresponding research method to answer that question is called descriptive research.

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Photo: Two or three children playing, with no adults in the scene
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2. If the goal is to describe a particular kind of behavior, researchers can use naturalistic observation to watch the behavior occur in its ordinary setting, without interfering in any way. We have high confidence that the behavior is authentic, because the researchers are not manipulating or controlling it. But this approach has disadvantages: It is expensive and time consuming to observe for hours, hoping the target behavior will occur. Also, in some settings, naturalistic observation could be an invasion of people’s privacy.

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3. Another way to conduct descriptive research is to use a survey that asks participants to report their own behaviors. Surveys can be conducted through a face-to-face interview, over the phone, or online. Surveys are widely used because they are relatively quick and inexpensive. In a few days, researchers can collect data from hundreds of participants. They can also measure private behaviors that would be difficult for researchers to study through direct observation.

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4. The main disadvantage of a survey is the fact that it relies on self-reports. Researchers hope that the participants will honestly and accurately report their own behavior, but this isn’t always the case. Participants may not remember exactly what they did, or they may lie about their behavior in order make themselves look better.

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Photo: a young adult researcher interviewing a middle-aged or older adult; prefer researcher to be from an ethnic minority
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5. A final way to conduct descriptive research is through a case study in which an individual (or a small group of people) is studied in depth. This approach provides a much more detailed view of the target behavior. It also has disadvantages, not only in terms of the cost and time commitment for an in-depth study, but also the possibility that the small number of participants is not representative of the population as a whole.

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6. Another basic research question is, “When (or under which circumstances) does the behavior occur?” The corresponding research method to answer that question is called correlational research. Correlation requires that at least two variables be measured so that one variable can be used to predict the other.

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7. Many research studies combine descriptive research and correlational research. The researchers begin by measuring a number of variables in order to describe behavior. Then, they perform a correlation analysis to check for relationships among the variables. If relationships exist (that is, if the variables are correlated), the researchers can use one behavior to predict when the other behavior will occur.

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8. If researchers can describe a behavior and predict when that behavior will occur, they will probably want to ask another basic research question: “Why does the behavior occur?” In other words, they want to explain the behavior. The corresponding research method to answer that question is called experimentation. A true experiment is the only method that allows researchers to make a cause-effect claim, because it is the only method that controls the relevant variables, manipulating them one at a time and measuring the outcome.

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9. Experimentation also has disadvantages. Researchers must control and manipulate the variables, which automatically makes the situation somewhat artificial. Also, some variables cannot be manipulated without violating research guidelines—a set of ethical standards that ensure the safety and privacy of the participants.

Practice 1: Exploring Psychology’s Research Methods

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Practice 1: Exploring Psychology’s Research Methods

Roll over each term to see a brief description of that research method.

descriptive research

correlational research

experimentation

Characteristics:

a method of research designed to measure and describe a behavior without manipulating it

a method of research that measures two or more variables and explores the relationship between them

a method of research that manipulates an independent variable to measure its effect on a dependent variable, while controlling the other relevant variables

Practice 2: Using Descriptive Research

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Practice 2: Using Descriptive Research

Roll over each term to see a brief description of that method of collecting data by using descriptive research.

case study

naturalistic observation

survey

Characteristics:

a type of descriptive research that studies an individual or small group in a detailed, intensive way

a type of descriptive research in which researchers directly observe behavior in its natural setting, without interference

a type of descriptive research in which participants report their own behavior or attitudes

Quiz 1

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Quiz 1

Match the terms to their descriptions by dragging each colored circle to the appropriate gray circle. When all the circles have been placed, select the CHECK ANSWER button.

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Perhaps you should go back to review the main types of research methods.
descriptive research
case study
naturalistic observation
correlational research
survey
experimentation
studying an individual or small group in a detailed, intensive way
measuring two or more variables and exploring the relationship between them
measuring a behavior without manipulating it
manipulating one variable to measure its effect on another variable, while controlling the other relevant variables
watching behavior in its typical setting, without interference
measuring behavior by asking participants to report their own behavior

Quiz 2

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1,0,0,1,1,0,1,0
Select the NEXT button and move to the Conclusion.
Try to respond to the statements again.

Quiz 2

For each statement, select one of the buttons to indicate whether the statement is True or False. When responses have been chosen for all the statements, select the CHECK ANSWER button.

Select the NEXT button and move to the Conclusion.
Try to respond to the statements again.
TrueFalse

Naturalistic observation is time-consuming and could invade a person’s privacy.

Experimentation is the only appropriate way to conduct research.

One disadvantage of a survey is the possibility that participants might not answer the questions truthfully.

Case studies provide an in-depth view of one person’s behavior, but the results might not generalize to others.

Conclusion

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Word map with “RESEARCH” at the center
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