(Part 2) Nature and Overview of field methods in psychology

Field Methods

Collection of data in natural environments

Interaction occurs real time

Help in studying complex social interactions and real world behavioral dynamics

Essential for understanding human behavior beyond controlled laboratory settings

High ecological validity

it validates the varasity of your research

Rich contextual data

the data reflect what is happening in the moment

Advantages of fields methods

Observing behavior as it naturally occurs

Key concepts in field methods

Often focus on participant observations, ethnography and interviews (natural context)

Naturalistic observation

Can be used in a school setting to study how children interact during free play.

No interventions are introduced

Researcher observes behavior without influencing it.

Types of Field Methods

Participant observation, Ethnography, Case studies, and In-depth interviews

Participant Observation

Researcher become part of the group being studied to gain deeper insights into their behaviors and experiences.

Participant observation

A psychologist studying community dynamics in a rural village might have live with the community for a period, participating in daily activities to understand social structures and interactions

Ethnography

in-dept study of people and cultures in their natural environment, often using participant observation and interviews.

Ethnography

A psychologist studying work culture in a corporate environment may spend weeks observing and interacting with employees to understand hierarchical structures and team dynamics

Case studies

in-dept analysis and multiple sources of data exploration of a single individual, group, or event to explore complex issues in real world contexts

Case Studies

A psychologist might conduct a case study on a patient with a rare psychological disorder, detailing their symptoms, treatment, and long term outcomes to understand the disorder.

In-depth interviews

common method in field studies and also conducts open-ended conversations

In-depth interviews

Researcher may interview individuals recovering from a trauma to understand the emotional and psychological challenges they face during the recovery process.

Mixed methods

Comprehensive view of the subject by using both numerical data and rich descriptive details

Mixed methods

A psychologist studying the effect of a therapy program on anxiety might use surveys to quantify anxiety levels and in-dept interviews to explore personal experiences with the therapy.

Challenges in Field methods

observer bias, ethical issues, and difficulties in controlling variables

Ethical considerations

informed consent, maintain confidentiality, and minimize harm when conducting field research, especially when studying vulnerable population

Ontology/Philosophy

Concerned with what we believe constitutes social reality

objectivism / realism

measure things accurately (world independent of people)

constructivism/relativism

We construct our reality (people emeshed in the world)

Epistemology (theory of knowledge)

Concerned with knowledge gathering process, knowledge as forever changing

(Post) Positivism

Truth can be known but not fully attained (margin of error)

Interpretivism

Truth is multiple and changing (we construct our reality)

Post-Activitism

Suggest that there is a straightforward relationship between the world (objects, events, phenomena) and our perception, and understanding, of it. (Scientific method)

Post-Activitism

implies that the goal of research is to produce objective knowledge; that is, understanding that is impartial and unbiased, based on a view from the outside without personal involvement or vested interests on the part of the researcher

Social constructivism

orientation to knowledge (qualitative)

knowledge= truth

a critical stance towards taken-for-granted knowledge and understanding

boundary making

that our knowledge of the world is both historically and culturally specific

dynamic negotiation

that this knowledge is created, sustained, and renewed by social processes

reflexivity

that our knowledge and actions are intimately related and reflexively inform each other

Social constructivism: To challenge (norms)

subject/object relations, mind/body, causality/prediction/intervention models, science/"non-science", person is contextual/ "social" (focus marginalize groups)

Social constructivism: To focus

processes and structure of human interactions; normative rules

Social constructivism: to unpack language

structure of meanings; speech = language; actions = act

Critique of the Scientific Method

Hypothetico-deductive does not provide sufficient space for theory development, perceived as elitist, a myth (not just incremental/gradual but is also through leaps and bounds)

Critique of the Scientific Method

Male as the norm (young,white,middle class)

Critique of the Scientific Method

"God Trick" researchers maintains a detached, "objective", impartial, data must not be "contaminated"

Empiricism/Emperism

is closely related to positivism; knowledge of the world must be derived from 'the facts of experience'; attitude that all knowledge claims must be grounded in data

Emperical

is a descriptive term referring to research involving the collection and analysis of data

Methodology

a contextual and evolving theory of inquiry within a research program that includes assumptions about the target subject matter and its rigorous investigation, as well as practical research strategies that follow from those assumptions (logic of scientific inquiry)

Method

specific set of tools/procedures for data collection and analysis

All qualitative research approaches represent ways of meaning

seek to unpick how people construct the world around them, what they are doing or what is happening to them in terms that are meaningful and that offer rich insight

Big q

open ended, inductive research methodologies that are concerned with theory generation and the exploration of meanings

Small q

incorporation of non-numerical data collection techniques into Hypothetico-deductive research designs

(Post) Positivism

When your epistemology is realism, your status of knowledge is (Post) Positivism

Social constructionism

When your epistemology is relativism, your status if knowledge is Social Constructionism

Ontology

What's out there to know?

Epistemology

what and how can we know about it?

Methodology

how can we go about acquiring that knowledge?

Method

which precise procedures can we use to acquire it?

Sources

which data can we collect?

Qualitative

an approach for exploring and understanding the meaning individuals or groups ascribe to a social or human problem (depth)

Quantitative

an approach for testing objective theories by examining the relationship among variables (breadth)

Mixed

an approach to inquiry involving collecting both quantitative and qualitative data, integrating the two forms of data, and using distinct designs that may involve philosophical assumptions and theoretical frameworks (breadth and depth)

Quanti | Postpositivism

The scientific method, science, Emperical science, positivism, Postpositivism, quantitative research

Determination

examine causes that influence outcomes ( knowledge is conjectural)

Reductionism

reduce ideas into variables that constitute hypothesis and questions

Empirical observation & measurement

carefully observe objective reality "out there"

Theory verification

begine with a theory; collect data to support or revise theory

Quali | (Social) Constructivism

The social construction of reality

Understanding

individuals seek to understand / make sense of the world they live in (being in the world)

Multiple participants meanings

individuals develop subjective meanings to their experiences

Social and historical construction

subjective meanings are negotiated socially and historically through interaction with others (meaning is relational)

Theory generation

research aims to develop a theory or pattern of meaning

Transformative

you can input your personal agendas

Postpositivism | Political

research needs to be interviewed with politics and a political / action agenda (confront social oppression)

Postpositivism | Power and Justice oriented

specific social issues need to be addressed (e.g inequalities) Focus on marginalized voices

Postpositivism | Collaborative

research includes participants as "researchers" or collaborators

Postpositivism | change oriented

advocacy gives participants a "voice" for change towards action (e.g consciousness-tpraising, advancing an agenda for the disenfranchised)

Feminist perspectives

problematize women's diverse situations and oppressive contexts

Racialized discourses

question control and production of know, esp knowledge of people of color

Critical theory

asks how human beings can be empowered and transcend constraints due to race, class and gender

Queer theory

gives voices to lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered (LGBTQ) people

Disability inquiry

addresses the meaning of inclusion for individuals with disabilities

Mixed | Pragmatism | Consequences of actions

Knowledge claims arise out of actions, situations, and consequent rather than antecedent conditions (as in Postpositivism)

Mixed | Pragmatism | Problem-centered

concern is on "what works" or on applications and solutions to problems

Mixed | Pragmatism | Pluralistic

researchers may use diverse approaches to understand the problem

Mixed | Pragmatism | Real-world practice oriented

"Truth is what works at the time"

Strategies of inquiry | Quanti

Experimental designs - true experiments, quasi-experiments, correlational studies, structural equation models.

Strategies of inquiry | Quanti

Non experimental designs such as surveys - use of questionnaires or structured interviews for data collection, with the intent of generalizing from a sample to a population

Strategies of inquiry | Quali | Narratives

re-telling of individuals life stories

Strategies of inquiry | Quali | Phenomenologies

understanding "lived experiences" or the "essence" of a phenomenon

Strategies of inquiry | Quali | Ethnographies

studies of intact cultural groups in their natural setting over a prolonged period

Strategies of inquiry | Quali | Grounded theory

multiple states of data collection to derive an abstract theory of a process or action

Strategies of inquiry | Quali | Case studies

in-depth explanation of an event, activity, process, or one or more individuals

Strategies of inquiry | Mixed | Sequential procedures

beging with QUALI to explore then proceed with QUANTI with large sample; Begin with QUANTI to test theory then proceed with QUALI to explore a few cases in detail

Strategies of inquiry | Mixed | Concurrent procedures

Collect both QUALI and QUANTI data at the same time and integrate information in the interpretation of the results

Strategies of inquiry | Mixed | Transformative procedures

the use of a theoretical lens to provide a framework and methods of data collection that contain both QUALI and QUANTI data

Quantitative Methods

Predetermined

Instrument-based and close-ended questions

Performance data, attitude data, observational data and census data

Statistical analysis

Statistical interpretation

Qualitative Methods

Emerging methods

Open-ended questions

Interview data, observation data, document data, and audiovisual data

Text and image analysis

Themes, patterns interpretation

Mixed Methods

Both predetermined and emerging methods

Both open-ended and closed-ended questions

Multiple forms of data drawing on all possibilities

Statistical and text analysis

Across databases interpretation

Practices of the Researcher | Quantitative

Tests or verifies theories

Indetifies variables

Relates variables in hypotheses

Uses standards of reliability and validity

Observes and measures information numerically

Uses unbiased approaches

Uses statistics

Practices of the Researcher | Qualitative

Positions self

Collects participants meanings

Focuses on a single phenomenon

Brings personal values to study

Validates findings

Interprets data

Creates agenda for change

Collaborates with participants

Practices of the Researcher | Mixed

Collects both quantitative and qualitative data

Develops a rationale for mixing

Intergrates the data at different stages

Presents visual pictures of procedures

Employs practices of both quantitative and qualitative research

Research Approaches | Quantitative

Primarily uses Post-Activitist claims (cause-effect, variables, hypothesis, measurements, test of theories)

Use strategies such as experiments and surveys

Collects predetermined data from instruments that yield statistical data

Research Approaches | Qualitative

Primarily uses constructivist (multiple meanings socially constructed) or advocacy/participatory claims

Uses narratives phenomenologies, ethnographies, grounded theory, case studies

Collects open-ended, emerging data

Research Approaches | Mixed

Primarily uses pragmatic claims (problem-centered)

Uses strategies simultaneously or sequentially

Collects both statistical and texture data

Research Problems | Quantitative

To identity factors that influence an outcome, the utility of an intervention, or to understand the best predictors of outcomes

To test a theory or explanation

Research Problems | Qualitative

To understand a concept or phenomenon given little research on it

Exploratory, to know variables to examine

When topic is new, when topic has not been addressed with a certain sample or group, or when theories do not apply with a particular sample