XP-3- Research Ideas and Hypotheses

Find an idea

the first step in the research process is to - for a research study

Personal interests and curiosities

common source of research topics that is based on own interests and concerns

Casual observation

Watching the behavior of people or animals you encounter daily can be an excellent source of topics.

Reports of others’ observations

These can include informal sources, such as news reports of current events, reports of recent research results, or even topics introduced in novels and television programs.

Reports of others’ observations

Gossip columns, personal ads, comics, political cartoons, and advertising can stimulate research questions.

Practical problems or questions

topics for research will arise from - you encounter in your daily life, such as issues from your job, your family relationships, your schoolwork, or elsewhere in the world around you.

Applied research

research that is directed toward solving practical problems

Basic research

Studies that are intended to solve theoretical issues

Applied research

intended to answer practical questions or solve practical problems.

Basic research

Research studies intended to answer theoretical questions or gather knowledge simply for the sake of new knowledge

Behavioral theories

theories that offer explanations for behavior or try to explain why ­different environmental factors lead to different behaviors

Literature

There are hundreds of research journals and thousands of books devoted just to the field of psychology and thousands more for the rest of the behavioral sciences. This mass of published information is referred to

general; specific

the best strategy for finding a research idea is to begin with a - topic area and then let your background reading lead you to a more - idea.

weeding-out process

Developing a single, specific research idea is largely a

Primary source

firsthand report in which authors describe their own observations

Primary source

include (1) empirical journal articles, (2) theses and dissertations, and (3) conference presentations of research results.

Secondary source

secondhand report in which the authors discuss someone else’s observations.

Secondary source

Sources that discuss, study, or comment on information from primary sources.

Secondary source

are (1) books and textbooks in which the author describes and summarizes past research, (2) review articles or meta-analyses, (3) the introductory section of research reports, in which previous research is presented as a foundation for the current study, and (4) newspaper and magazine articles that report on previous research.

Meta-analysis

a review and statistical analysis of past research in a specific area that is intended to determine the consistency and robustness of the research results.

Tertiary sources

sources that utilize and distill information from primary and secondary sources

Tertiary resources

include guides and encyclopedias

Literature review

An iterative process of identifying examining, and synthesizing scholarly information and publications on a particular topic.

Literature review

One of the first things done by any student or scholar who plans to pursue new knowledge or do research in most subject areas.

Literature review

It provides background and context on current knowledge of a topic, and establishes the base upon which any new work stands.

Literature search

the goal in conducting a - is to find a set of published research reports that define the current state of knowledge in an area and to identify an unanswered question—that is, a gap in that knowledge base—that your study will attempt to fill.

1. Research theory and philosophy

2. History of development

3. Latest research and development

4. Research methods/constructs

A literature review develops an understanding of a topic in four different directions:

Research theory and philosophy

• Establish intellectual concept

• Define a concept

History of development

Gain background to present history

Latest research and development

• Identify current thinking, issues, and arguments

• Detect a knowledge gap

Research methods/constructs

Discern techniques and other means of study

• A summary

• Linear process

• An optional step

The literature review is not…

Subject words

Make a list of the correct terms, or -, used to identify and describe the variables in the study and the characteristics of the participants

Database

A typical - contains about 1 million publications, or records, that are all cross-referenced by subject words and author names.

Full-text

Some databases are -, which means that each record is a complete, word-for-word copy of the original publication.

Abstract

brief summary of the publication, usually about 100 words.

PsychINFO

is the American Psychological Association’s (APA) renowned resource for abstracts of scholarly journal articles, book chapters, books, and dissertations

PsychINFO

The largest resource devoted to peer-reviewed literature in behavioral science and mental health, and contains over 4 million citations and summaries dating as far back as the 1600s, with one of the highest DOI matching rates in the publishing industry.

PsychARTICLES

From the American Psychological Association (APA), is a definitive source of full-text, peer-reviewed scholarly and scientific articles in psychology

Education Resources Information Center (ERIC)

provides access to education literature and resources

MEDLINE with Full text

provides the authoritative medical information on medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, and pre-clinical sciences found on MEDLINE, plus the database provides full text for more than 1,470 journals indexed in MEDLINE.

Title

Use the - of the article as your first basis for screening. Based only on the - you probably can discard about 90% of the articles as not directly relevant or interesting

Abstract

Use the - of the article as your second screening device. If the title sounds, interesting, read the - to determine whether the article itself is really relevant.

Chronological

organize by time

Thematic

organize by theme

Methodological

organize by methodology

Theoretical

organize by theoretical approach

Introduction

discusses previous research that forms the foundation for the current research study and presents a clear statement of the problem being investigated.

Method section

presents details concerning the participants and the procedures used in the study

Results section

presents the details of the statistical analysis and usually is not important for generating a new research idea

Discussion section

typically begins by summarizing the results of the study, stating the conclusions, and noting any potential applications.

Logical

A good hypothesis is usually founded in established theories or developed from the results of previous research.

Logical

the argument that is - provides a rationale or justification for your hypothesis and establishes a connection between your research and the research results that have been obtained by others.

Testable

must be possible to observe and measure all of the variables involved

Refutable

must be possible to obtain research results that are contrary to the hypothesis

Falsifiable

A refutable hypothesis, often called a - hypothesis, is a critical component of the research process

Testable hypothesis

is one for which all of the variables, events, and individuals can be defined and observed

Refutable hypothesis

it is possible for the outcome to be different from the prediction

Positive

it must be about the existence of something, usually the existence of a relationship, the existence of a difference, or the existence of a treatment effect

Non-experimental hypothesis

Predictions of how events, traits, or behaviors might be related but not necessarily a causal relationship (i.e., correlational research)

Non-experimental hypothesis

Predictions of how groups are different but does not show cause-and-effect relationship (i.e., quasi-experiments

Experimental hypothesis

Tentative explanation of an event or behavior

Experimental hypothesis

Predicts the effects of a specified antecedent conditions on a measured behavior

• Synthetic

• Testable

• Falsifiable

• Parsimonious

• Fruitful

Characteristics of an experimental hypothesis

Synthetic statements

Either true or false

Synthetic statements

Avoids analytic and contradictory statements

Synthetic statements

uses if-then format

Testable statements

Can be tested because the means exist for manipulating antecedent conditions and for measuring the resulting behavior

Falsifiable statements

worded so that it is disprovable or proven wrong by experimental results

Parsimonious statements

simple and does not require many supporting assumptions

Fruitful statements

statements that can lead to new studies

Null hypothesis

hypothesis that states no effect, no difference, no relationship

Alternative hypothesis

hypothesis that states that there is a change, a difference, or a relationship

Nondirectional hypothesis

hypothesis without specification of the expected direction of the difference

Directional hypothesis

hypothesis specifies the expected direction of the difference