Quantitative Research
Types of Evidence
Anecdotal evidence
This is personal evidence based on your own experience or stories you’ve heard.
Example:“My friend tried this and it worked.”
😢Problem: It’s subjective and not tested scientifically.
Empirical evidence
This is scientific evidence. It comes from systematic research, like experiments
or studies. It is objective (not based on personal feelings), and peer-reviewed
(checked by other scientists).
We want empirical evidence, because it’s reliable and tested, not just based on
opinion.
Mixed methods research = qualitative and quantitative research methods being
used together in one study
, This Branch of Psychological Research
Quantitative research focuses on numbers and statistics. Measures things using
data and math. Aims for results that are objective and can be generalized to
many people.
Example: Giving a survey to 500 students asking them to rate UCT out of 10.
✅ Good for finding patterns and comparing results.
Psychological Research (Steps in the Process)
1. Planning
2. Choosing methods
3. Collecting data
4. Analysing data
5. Reporting findings
6. Building theory
1.Planning
1. Choose a research topic
- Think about everyday life experiences or problems.
- Prior research can lead to finding gaps in what researchers already
know or replication (repeating a study) with a different group of
people/different context.
- You might want to test an existing theory.
2. Review existing literature - Read studies that have already been done.
- This orients a researcher to what other researchers have found
(helps to show what is already known).
- Identifying what’s missing, revealing gaps or weaknesses. The
researcher can then direct their research in these directions
- See what research methods were used before.
Examples of common sources of relevant information: journals, books and websites.
, Academic institutions stock hard copies of a wide variety of electronic journals and
databases enabling students to search for sources using keywords relating to specific
topics from electronic sources.
Not all openly accessible journals can be trusted because in most instances, they are not
peer-reviewed or are ‘predatory journals’
Books written or edited by experts in fields are also valuable sources of information.
3. Formulate a research problem & propose question - It must be:
Answerable = Can be studied with research
Ethical = Doesn’t harm people
Practical = Can realistically be done with time, tools, etc.
2. Research Methods
● Choose a research study
● Choose a research design based on your goal.
● Identify your variables (the things you’re studying).
● Choose your sample (the group of people you will study).
Research Studies
Exploratory study = researchers investigate a topic on which there is very little
existing information. Exploring the topic of interest and provide tentative
explanations from which new research q and hypotheses will arise
Descriptive study = researchers wish to simply describe a behavior or a
phenomenon
Explanatory study = researchers wish to explain the relationship between two or
more variables
Choosing a research design
Types of Evidence
Anecdotal evidence
This is personal evidence based on your own experience or stories you’ve heard.
Example:“My friend tried this and it worked.”
😢Problem: It’s subjective and not tested scientifically.
Empirical evidence
This is scientific evidence. It comes from systematic research, like experiments
or studies. It is objective (not based on personal feelings), and peer-reviewed
(checked by other scientists).
We want empirical evidence, because it’s reliable and tested, not just based on
opinion.
Mixed methods research = qualitative and quantitative research methods being
used together in one study
, This Branch of Psychological Research
Quantitative research focuses on numbers and statistics. Measures things using
data and math. Aims for results that are objective and can be generalized to
many people.
Example: Giving a survey to 500 students asking them to rate UCT out of 10.
✅ Good for finding patterns and comparing results.
Psychological Research (Steps in the Process)
1. Planning
2. Choosing methods
3. Collecting data
4. Analysing data
5. Reporting findings
6. Building theory
1.Planning
1. Choose a research topic
- Think about everyday life experiences or problems.
- Prior research can lead to finding gaps in what researchers already
know or replication (repeating a study) with a different group of
people/different context.
- You might want to test an existing theory.
2. Review existing literature - Read studies that have already been done.
- This orients a researcher to what other researchers have found
(helps to show what is already known).
- Identifying what’s missing, revealing gaps or weaknesses. The
researcher can then direct their research in these directions
- See what research methods were used before.
Examples of common sources of relevant information: journals, books and websites.
, Academic institutions stock hard copies of a wide variety of electronic journals and
databases enabling students to search for sources using keywords relating to specific
topics from electronic sources.
Not all openly accessible journals can be trusted because in most instances, they are not
peer-reviewed or are ‘predatory journals’
Books written or edited by experts in fields are also valuable sources of information.
3. Formulate a research problem & propose question - It must be:
Answerable = Can be studied with research
Ethical = Doesn’t harm people
Practical = Can realistically be done with time, tools, etc.
2. Research Methods
● Choose a research study
● Choose a research design based on your goal.
● Identify your variables (the things you’re studying).
● Choose your sample (the group of people you will study).
Research Studies
Exploratory study = researchers investigate a topic on which there is very little
existing information. Exploring the topic of interest and provide tentative
explanations from which new research q and hypotheses will arise
Descriptive study = researchers wish to simply describe a behavior or a
phenomenon
Explanatory study = researchers wish to explain the relationship between two or
more variables
Choosing a research design
