Research methods

Research methods

The systematic processes and techniques used to investigate and understand human behavior and mental processes.

Importance of research methods

Research methods provide a structured and scientific way to explore and understand human behavior, allowing psychologists to test hypotheses and contribute to psychological knowledge.

Ethical considerations in research

Ensuring the well-being and rights of participants, including obtaining informed consent, protecting privacy, minimizing harm, and disclosing conflicts of interest.

Experimental research

Manipulating variables to observe their effects on other variables, used to establish cause-and-effect relationships.

Non-experimental research

Includes observational, correlational, and descriptive methods that focus on describing or exploring relationships without manipulating variables.

Independent variables

Variables that researchers manipulate or control to observe their effects on other variables.

Dependent variables

Variables that researchers measure to assess the impact of the independent variable.

Control and experimental groups

In experimental research, participants are divided into control and experimental groups to compare the effects of the treatment.

Data collection methods

Surveys, questionnaires, interviews, observations, case studies, and content analysis are used to gather data in psychology research.

Sampling techniques

Random sampling, stratified sampling, convenience sampling, and snowball sampling are methods for selecting participants in research.

Experimental methods

Laboratory experiments, field experiments, quasi-experiments, and randomized controlled trials are different types of experimental designs.

Data analysis and statistics

Descriptive statistics summarize data, inferential statistics draw conclusions, measures of central tendency describe the center of a data set, measures of variability describe the spread of data, and hypothesis testing compares sample data to a null hypothesis.

Reliability and validity

Internal validity refers to the accuracy of measuring the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable, external validity concerns generalizability, reliability is the consistency of research measures, and validity assesses the accuracy and appropriateness of research measures.

Research ethics

Informed consent, minimizing deception, protecting participants from harm, and adhering to ethical guidelines and codes are important in research.

Experimental method

A scientific approach to investigating cause-and-effect relationships by manipulating independent variables and measuring their effects on dependent variables in a controlled setting.

Independent variables

Factors manipulated or controlled by the researcher in an experiment that are believed to have an effect on the dependent variable.

Operationalization

The process of defining and measuring abstract concepts or variables in a way that allows objective observation and analysis.

Confounding variables

Factors other than the independent variable that can affect the dependent variable and should be controlled for in an experiment.

Dependent variables

The variables being measured or tested in a research study that rely on the independent variable.

Example of dependent variables

In the daisy experiment, the height of daisies is the dependent variable that is being measured in response to changes in the type of soil.

Dependent Variable

The variable that is being measured or observed in a study, which is influenced by changes in the independent variable. In the given paragraph, the dependent variable is the blood pressure readings in a study on the effects of a new medication on blood pressure.

Independent Variable

The variable that is manipulated or changed by the researcher to observe its impact on the dependent variable. In the given paragraph, the independent variable is the medication dosage in the study on the effects of a new medication on blood pressure.

Continuous Dependent Variables

Variables that are measured on a continuous scale and can take any value within a certain range. Examples include height, weight, and blood pressure.

Categorical Dependent Variables

Variables that are measured using categories or levels that are mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive. Examples include gender, marital status, and education level.

Binary Dependent Variables

Variables that have only two possible outcomes. Examples include yes/no responses to questions, pass/fail results, and presence/absence of a particular trait or condition.

Experimental Control

The ability to control and manipulate variables in a lab experiment to establish cause-and-effect relationships and replicate the experiment. Lab experiments provide good experimental control by allowing researchers to control the environment and collect objective data.

Artificiality of Lab Experiments

The criticism that lab experiments may not accurately represent real-world settings, leading to artificial results. The term "mundane realism" refers to the extent to which the lab environment replicates real-world settings.

Demand Characteristics

When participants in an experiment change their behavior due to being aware of the experiment. Demand characteristics can affect the validity of the experiment's results. Covert observations, where participants are unaware of being observed, can provide more realistic behavior.

Aims

General statements about what the experiment is trying to achieve. Aims provide an overall direction for the experiment.

Hypotheses

Specific predictions about the relationship between variables. Hypotheses are more specific and testable predictions about the expected outcomes of the experiment.

Confounding Variables

Factors that can influence the relationship between the independent and dependent variables, potentially leading to incorrect or misleading conclusions.

Experimental Control

The practice of carefully managing and manipulating all relevant variables in an experiment to isolate the effects of the independent variable and draw valid conclusions about their impact on the dependent variable.

Non-directional Control

Experimental designs where researchers do not have specific expectations or hypotheses about the direction of the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable. Non-directional control is often used when the research is exploratory or when there is no strong theoretical basis for predicting the direction of the effect.

Directional Control

Involves specifying a clear hypothesis about the expected direction of the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable. Researchers using directional control make predictions about whether the independent variable will have a positive or negative impact on the dependent variable.

Research Aims

General statements that describe the overall goals and objectives of a research study. They provide an overarching purpose for the research.

Hypotheses

Specific and testable statements that derive from the research aims. They express the researcher's expectations or predictions regarding the relationships between variables in the study.