Field Methods in Psychology Prelim

Field Research

is a qualitative method where a data is collected by observing and interpreting subjects in their natural environment.

Field Research (vs. Laboratory Research)

-conducted in a natural settings

- observes, analyzes, and describes what exists

- participants may or may not be aware of being studied (covert observation)

- descriptive, developmental, correlational, and survey-related research

- results are detailed and vast, providing rich content

Laboratory Research

- resembles the natural settings but is controlled

- controlled investigation

- participants are informed based on ethical norms (informed consent)

- based on the conclusion of the hypotheses

- results are specific and rely on the experiment performed

Pros of Conducting Field research

- Rich in contextual data

- Deep understanding

- Emergent insights

- Non-intrusive observation

- Real world Validity

- Thorough and precise

Cons of Conducting Field Research

- Risk on information loss

- Research discrepancy

- Unobservable phenomena

- Reliability challenges

- Time and resource intensive

- Loss of objectivity

- Subjective and interpretive

Purposive Statements

the initial declaration of your study's central intent.

Theoretical Framework

understanding the lenses through which your research is viewed.

Sampling and Populations

statistically selecting who to study.

Research Questions and Hypotheses

specific predictions or questions that narrow your purpose statement.

Variables and Operational Definitions

precisely defining what you will measure.

Ethical Considerations

ensuring responsible and rigorous research practices.

Qualitative Research Questions

researchers formulate research questions, not objectives or hypotheses. It's designed to delve deeply into experiences, perceptions, and meanings, often leading to rich, descriptive data.

Key Characteristics (Qualitative)

- focus on understanding a phenomenon or experience

- often begin with "what," "how," or "why"

- non-directional, open-minded, and exploratory

- can evolve as data emerge, guiding further inquiry

- often serve to generate hypotheses for future qualitative studies

Structure (Qualitative)

typically involved a central questions with several associated sub-questions to guide the investigation more narrowly.

Quantitative Research Questions and Hypotheses

use specific research questions and hypotheses to focus on measurable variables and their relationships.

Quantitative Questions

inquire about relationships among variables and often seek to quantify or compare phenomena.

Quantitative Hypotheses

are testeble predictions about expected outcomes of relationships among variables and can be directional.

Mix Methods Research Questions

require a unique approach to questions, ensuring both qualitative and quantitative data are not only collected but meaningfully integrated.

Ethical and Legal Considerations

are non-negotiable foundations for all human research, ensuring participants rights and research validity.

Ethics

- Voluntary Participants

- Informed Consent

- Anonimity and Confidentiality

- Minimizing Harm

- Accurate Results Communication

3 Core Research Strategies

1. Correlational Research

2. Descriptive Research

3. Experimental Research

Correlational Research

measures 2 variables and assessing their statistical relationships without controlling extraneous factors.

Descriptive Research

statistically describes a population, situation, or phenomenon. It answers "what," "where," "when," and "how" questions, but not "why."

Experimental Research

systematically Manipulates one or more variables to evaluate their impact to an outcome, while holding all other variables constant. This allows researchers to isolate the effects of the manipulated variable, establishing casual relationships.

Between-Subject Design

each participants is tested in only one conditions.

Within-Subjects Design

each participant is tested under all conditions.

Research Gaps

represent uncharted territories or unresolved questions within existing literature. They are the spaces where current knowledge is insufficient, contradictory, or lacks specific focus.

Directing New Inquiry

the gaps guide the formulation of new research questions, ensuring ordinality and relevance.

Driving Innovation

they highlight opportunities for creative methodological approaches or theoretical advantages.

Completing the Pictures

addressing gaps helps to build a more comprehensive and robust body of knowledge in any field.

Evidence Gap

occurs when there is little to no research on a specific topic, populations, or setting. It signifies a complete absence of empirical data in a particular area.

Knowledge Gap

arises when some research exits, but critical questions remain unanswered. It points to areas where existing studies have not fully explored provided definitive conclusions.

Methodological Gap

highlight instances where previous research has used limited, outdated or inappropriate methods.

Theoretical Gap

occurs when existing studies lack a solid theoretical frameworks or when different theories offering conflicting explanations for observed phenomena.

The Theoretical Gap answers:

- un-anchored research

- conceptual void

- conflicting theories

- limited explanations

- incomplete models

Contextual Gap

arises when research findings are limited to one specific context and their applicability elsewhere remains unexplored.

Practical/Application Gap

when theories are well-established, but practical solutions or real-worlds applications are lacking.

Contradictory Findings Gap

emerges when existing studies report inconsistent or conflicting results, making it difficult to draw clear conclusions.

Innovation/Novelty Gap

arises when older research needs updating due to significant societal, technological, or cultural changes.

Psychological Measurement

involves assigning scores to individuals that represents are specific characteristics.

Psychological Constructs

are theoretical concepts used to describe tendencies to think, feel, or act in certain ways, or internal processes that are not directly observable.

Psychological Behaviors and Internal States

- Cognitive

- Personality

- Emotional

- Attitudinal

Theodore Simon and Alfred Binet

French Psychiatrists developed the Binet-Simon Intelligence Test, one of the most widely used sales in the worlds of measuring intelligence.

Army Alpha Test

was intelligence exam for literate English Speakers.

Army Beta Test

was a non-verbal, picture-based exam for illiterate or non-English speaking recruits during World War I.

Different Tests

- Thematic Appreception Test (TAT)

- Raven's Progressive Matrices (RPM)

- Wechsler Intelligence Scale of Children (WISC)

- Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

- Myer-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

- California Psychological Inventory (CPI)

- Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

Psychological Assessment

the gathering and integration of psychology-related data for the purpose of making a psychological evaluation that is accomplished through the use of tools such as tests, interview, case studies, behavioral, and specifically designated apparatuses and measurement procedures.

Psychological Testing

the process of measuring psychology-related variables by means of devices or procedures designated to obtain a sample of behavior.

Operational Definitions

precisely defines how or variable will be measured. There is self-report measures, behavioral measures, and physiological measures.

Converging Operations

multiple operational definitions for the same construct-strengthens evidence that the construct is being measured effectively.

Level of Measurements

1. Nominal

2. Ordinal

3. Interval

4. Ratio

Reliability

refers to a consistency of a measure.

Test-Retest Reliability

consistency of scores over time.

Internal Consistency

consistency of responses across different items within a multiple item measures.

Interrater Reliability

consistency of judgements or observations across different researchers or observes.

Validity

is the extent to which a measure accurately represents the variable it's intended to measure.

Face Validity

does the measure appear, on the surface, to measure the construct of interest?

Content Validity

does the measure cover all aspects of construct's conceptual's definition?

Criterion Validity

are scores on the measures correlated with other relevant variables.

Concurrent Validity

measured at the same time as the construct.

Predictive Validity

predicts future outcome.

Convergent Validity

correlated with other measures of the same construct.

Discriminant Validity

not correlated with conceptually distinct construct.