Research methodology - Chapter 1

Psychology is a way of thinking

What are the two ways to use psychology research?

1. Research producers

2. Research consumers

What are research producers?

Researchers who conduct studies to create new knowledge

What are research consumers?

People who read, evaluate and use research findings - they decide whether the research is trustworthy + useful

What do both research producers and consumers require?

Empiricism

What does research producers and research consumers require empiricism?

As it is where evidence is used rather than just opinion, intuition or personal experience - by instruments to draw conclusions

How should the scientific evidence be? And explain.

1. Systematic: Collected using an organized method

2. Rigorous: Collected + analyzed carefully

3. Independently verifiable: other people can examine methods + check findings

What is the difference between quantitative and qualitative research?

Quantitative research: Collects + analyze numerical data - often uses statistics to investigate how much, how many or how strongly variables are related

Qualitative research: Collects detailed + descriptive info - often uses interviews + focus groups observations to understand people’s experiences meanings and perspectives

What is reflexity?

Reflect on own backgrounds, experiences, values and biases of researcher to see if they may influence their research qs + interpretations.

What is important in qualitative research?

Relfexity

What does the theory-data cycle show?

How scientists use research to test, develop and revise theories

What is the process for the theory-data cycle?

Observation → Theory (Induction) → Hypothesis (Deduction/prediction) → testing → evaluation → observation again

What do we need all the processes?

1. Theory: Develop an explanation of how or why something happens

2. Research qs: Identify smtg specific investigate

3. Hypothesis: Specific prediction based on theory

4. Data collection: Gather observations to test the prediction

5. Evaluation: Decide if data supported r challenged the prediction

6. Revision: Revise theory if needed + Improve research design or investigate further

Why can scientific theory be proven?

A single study cannot prove that a theory is true but a theory can be supported or challenged by scientific research.

What are the reasons for why scientific theories cannot be proven?

1. Particular participants, measurements and conditions are what the study examines

2. Different findings could be produced by different methods or further studies

3. New evidence may change what scientists conclude

What if a prediction is wrong?

If the hypothesis is wrong/ unsupported it doesn’t mean the theory itself is wrong/false but should look at the design study, the variables measured, any alternative explanations to the results and to see if the theory needs to be changed.

What is replication?

Seeing if the study is correct and consistent by conducting it again

Why is replication a thing?

As the results of a study could have been caused to chance, a limitation or an unusual sample

What is weight of evidence?

The overall conclusion of a specific study topic due to the patterns shown across many different studies

What is falsifiability?

Where the predictions have a chance of being wrong by evidence - where the theory is useful to identify observations that would count against it.

Why does falsifiability matter?

1. Allows theories to be tested

2. Evidence can challenge scientific explanations

3. Helps distinguish testable scientific claims from claims that cannot be evaluated significantly.

When do we know the theory is unfalsifiable?

Theory risks being unfalsifiable when the possible outcomes of the theory continuously change even after changing the explanation

What makes a theory falsifiable?

Theory doesn’t need to be false to be falsifiable - needs to be possible for evidence to show that it is wrong.

What is preregistration?

By explaining the expected outcomes of a study before collecting data

Why is preregistration useful?

1. Helps researchers distinguish predictions made in advance from explanations created after seeing results (compare both)

2. Can reduce HARKing - where is prevents researchers from being biased or make hypothesis up if they find something during the study that isn’t what they initially predicted

3. Makes research process more transparent

What are the four scientific norms?

1. Universalism

2. Communality

3. Disinterestedness

4. Organized skepticism

What is universalism?

Where the research conducted should be strictly judged by the evidence supporting the design and not who conducted it.. etc

What is communality?

Research community should also have access to the scientific knowledge so that they can examine and build on it

What is disinterestedness?

Personal interest should not determine their conclusions, their research should be objective

What is organized skepticism?

The scientific claims should be questioned and critically examined.

What is self-correcting science?

Scientific research can be examined, criticized, replicated and improved over time

What does the process of self-correcting involve?

1. Making research available for others to examine

2. Peer review before publication

3. Replication by other researchers

4. Criticism and discussion of methods and conclusions

5. Revising conclusions when stronger evidence becomes available

What is the difference between basic research and applied research?

Basic research: Aims to expand general knowledge- focus of understanding phenomena (broad)

Applied research: Aims to solve a specific real-world problem - focus on practical application (Specific)

What is a scientific journal?

Publication containing scholarly research articles

What happens before a scientific journal is published?

The journal is reviewed by a peer reviewer

What is process of a scientific journal being published?

1. Research submit their article to journal

2. The editor sends it to relevant experts for evaluation

3. The reviewers assess aspects such as methods, evidence and conclusions

4. The editor makes a publication decision, taking the reviews into account

What do the peer reviewers do?

They can identify weaknesses + improve research quality + make sure study is correct

What is the difference between journals and journalism?

Scientific journals: written for a scholarly audience + present research in academic detail + commonly use peer review for research articles

Journalism: Written or broadcast for a general audience + usually summarizes research in more accessible language + doesn’t rlly need peer review