TUTORIAL - non-experimental methods

What are non-experimental research methods used for?

Methods that examine questions about the mind, brain and behaviour that can't be tested experimentally (e.g. the impact of trauma or poverty on mental health)

What can non-experimental methods help us do?

Describe what's happening in the world, estimate how common things are, and show factors that are associated with each other

Case studies: what are they used for?

Describing phenomena where experimental research is impossible, or unique situations where we can learn something new (e.g. brain injury); uses interviews, observations, records or test data

What is observational research?

Systematically watching and recording the behaviour of people or groups as it occurs, often in real-world settings (classrooms, workplaces, family dynamics); data is coded to make behaviour measurable

Observational research: what are the main strengths?

Realism and rich behavioural data, plus ecological validity (how well findings generalise to the real world)

Observational research: what are the important limitations?

Cannot make causal claims; observer bias can affect recording/coding; people act differently when they know they're being observed

What is qualitative research?

Explores people's experiences using rich, open-ended data (interviews, focus groups, written texts, diaries)

When is qualitative research most useful?

When asking 'why' or 'how' questions, especially where we lack clear theories; captures nuance and context quantitative research might miss

What are the limitations of qualitative research?

No causal claims; small samples limit generalisability; researcher expectations/interview context can shape responses; subjective analysis; harder to replicate

What is archival research?

Using existing records or historical datasets that were collected for other purposes

When is archival research useful?

When collecting new data would be too slow, expensive or unethical

What are the limitations of archival research?

Limited control over data and measure quality; key variables may be poorly measured or missing; selection bias and confounding; ethical or legal constraints on data use

What limitation do observational, qualitative and other non-experimental methods share?

They can't establish causality (most non-experimental methods cannot)