Scientific Method & The Research Process: Research Methods

What is research psychology

Applying scientific knowledge to real life and practical problems

What is the Scientific Method?

Involves formulating a specific question, and then finding the answer in a well-defined, systematic way

What is a Variable

a characteristic or condition that changes or has different values for different individuals

• ex: eye colour is a variable because different people have eyes of different colours. the specified colour is the value of the variable “eye colour”

What is a hypothesis?

it is an educated guess about what will happen in a study that can be tested with data

a statement that provides a description or possible explanation about an association among variables

• involves at least one variable

• states a predicted outcome or relationship

• based on prior theory or prior research, not a random guess

Hypothesis vs. Prediction

Hypothesis: a testable explanation for a phenomenon or a question you’re investigating

Prediction: a specific expected outcome that comes from the hypothesis. It tells you what to expect to see in a particular situation if your hypothesis is correct

What are the 5 steps of the scientific method

1. make informal observations about the world

2. form a specific research question or hypothesis

3. generate a testable prediction

4. make planned, systematic observations

5. support or refute the hypothesis

Step 1. make informal observations about the world

This begins with casual or informal observations of behaviour, events, or patterns in the world.

• people often generalize beyond what they have directly observed

  • this is called induction or inductive reasoning: using a small # of observations as the basis for a general statement or conclusion about how things work

Step 2. Form a specific research question or hypothesis (form a tentative answer or explanation)

This step involves variables

• what is changing? what is influencing what?

then you select the explanation

• what is the most plausible, theoretically interesting, and most useful to study

the result is a hypothesis

• it is tentative because it is not yet proven

Step 3. use your hypothesis ti generate a testable prediction

once you have your hypothesis you apply it to a specific, observable, real-world situation

• a hypothesis can lead to many different predictions about a specific group, situation, and outcome

  • this step relies on deductive reasoning: moving from a general theory to specific predictions

Step 4. Make planned, systematic observations

after making predictions, the researcher shifts from logic to empiricism:

• gaining knowledge through direct observation and measurement. data are collected in planned systematic ways

  • in this phase you design the study, select participants, choose measurement tools, collecting data under controlled conditions

Step 5. Using observations to support, refute, or refine the hypothesis

This step is about determining the answer to the research question

• you compare the actual observations to what your hypothesis predicted

  • if the observations match the predictions it supports the hypothesis.

  • if the observations don’t maytch the predictions you refute (disprove) the hypothesis

    • usually then go back to step 2 and refine the hypothesis based on what you’ve learned

What are the 3 characteristics of the scientific method

1. Science is empirical: we obtain new knowledge through making observations

2. Science is public: we provide info to others about our methods and results so people can attempt to replicate them, evaluate them, and/or build on them

3. Science is objective: our own beliefs and biases should not influence the outcome of the research

What are the 10 steps of the research process

1. find the research idea

2. form a hypothesis/tentative answer to your research idea

3. determine ho you wil define and measure your variables

4. identify the participants for the study, decide how they’ll be selected, and plan for ethical treatments

5. select a research strategy (descriptive correlational, non-experimental)

6. select a research design

7. conduct the study (collect the data)

8. evaluate the data

9. report the results

10. refine or reformulate your research idea

What are the characteristics of a good hypothesis?

• Logical

• testable

  • meaning all the variables, events, and individuals can be defined and observed

  • must involve real situations, events, and real individuals (cannot test a hypothetical situation)

• refutable:

  • or falsifiable because this also equals it being testable

• positive

  • must make positive statements about the existence of something or that a relationship occurs not just claim that nothing happens