Psychology Research Method
Psychology Research Method
Contents:
Chapter 1: Introduction to Research Method I
Chapter 2: Introduction to Research Method II
Chapter 3: Qualitative Research Method
Chapter 4: Quantitative Research Method
,Psychology Research Method
Chapter 1: Introduction to Research Method I
Why Should Psychology Students Study Research Methods?
This topic looks at what research is and why it is important for psychology and
at divergent forms of research design and psychological research. First of all,
we wish to discuss why psychology students need to study research methods
at all.
According to Christensen, Johnson, and Turner (2010), studying research
methods is not only for scientists carrying out research in universities or
laboratories. It is vital for psychology students as well. First and foremost, you
are consumers of scientific research and information. Throughout your study
and your professional life, you will encounter a lot of information and you
need to be able to understand the information and select the relevant and
discard what is irrelevant. The following is the list of reasons given by
Christensen and his colleagues as to why you need to study this Research
method:
• Learn how to conduct psychological research.
• Provides a foundation for topic-specific courses such as abnormal, social,
cognitive, biopsychology, and developmental psychology.
• Can be a more informed and critical consumer of information.
• Helps develop critical and analytical thinking.
• Provides information needed to critically read a research article.
• Necessary for admission into most graduate programs in psychology.
Research
To understand research methods, we need to have a good understanding of
research. The followings are the definitions taken from the Oxford Concise
Dictionary on “research”:
,Psychology Research Method
• The systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources etc.
in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.
• An endeavour to discover new or collate old facts etc. by the scientific
study of a subject or by a course of critical investigation.
Tuckman (1978), on the other hand defines research as:
• A systematic means of problem solving.
Five aims of research:
✓ Establish facts
✓ Reach new conclusions
✓ Discover new facts
✓ Collate old facts
✓ Problem solving
Ways to achieve the aims:
✓ Systematic investigation into materials and sources etc.
✓ Study of materials and sources etc.
✓ Scientific study of a subject
✓ A course of critical investigation
The ways to achieve the research aims are the Research Methods - the very
topic of this chapter. Note that both sources suggest that research needs to be
systematic. With the clear aims and the mechanisms to carry out research in
mind, we will now proceed to learn how they can be achieved systematically.
Search for Knowledge
The aims from the definitions can be summed up as a quest for knowledge. It is
the same aim that you have in mind when you decided to read this psychology
book. Therefore, by learning how to carry out research, you are on your
journey of successful learning.
How do we acquire knowledge?
Christensen, Johnson, and Turner (2010) listed the following methods humans
have been using to acquire knowledge:
• Intuition: "The act or process of coming to direct knowledge or certainty
without reasoning or inferring."
, Psychology Research Method
• Authority: when we accept the statements of people in authority over
us e.g. parents, religious leaders etc. According to Jackson (2006, p.7),
“When we accept what a respected or famous person tells us, we are
gaining knowledge via authority.” That would also include learning from our
parents, a religious or political leader and the reliance on textbooks to
provide correct knowledge.
• Rationalism: when we use logical and rational reasoning to gain
knowledge. “Gaining knowledge via rationalism involves logical reasoning.”
Jackson. It might be argued that logical thinking is good. However, logic
reasoning based on erroneous facts would lead to a logical conclusion but
not necessarily a correct conclusion.
• Empiricism: when we gain knowledge by our own observation and
experience. “Knowledge via empiricism involves gaining knowledge through
objective observation and the experiences of your senses. An individual
who says “I believe nothing until I see it with my own eyes” is an
empiricist...” Jackson. The downfall for empiricism is that an empiricist
would not make a conclusion - one of the important aims for research. If we
cannot study all humans, how could we make a conclusion about human
behaviours?
• Scientific Approach: when we use science to gain knowledge, it involves
carrying out empirical observations and then testing hypothesis. “Gaining
knowledge via science, then, involves a merger of rationalism and
empiricism. Scientists collect data (make empirical observations) and test
hypotheses with these data (assess them using rationalism).” Jackson.
According to Jackson, the scientific approach involves both rationalism and
empiricism. Is there a place for intuition and authority in the scientific method?
Christensen and his colleagues suggest that intuition or hunches could be
useful in the formulation of research questions and hypotheses, while experts
should also be consulted at all stages of research. For example, the formulation
of research questions and hypotheses as well as the data collection and
analysis. Therefore, the scientific approach gets the best out of all the other
approaches!
In scientific writing, and in all the assessments, titles of authorities should not
be used such as Prof or Dr Etc. We should however use the years of publication
to illustrate the points.
Science:
Psychology Research Method
Contents:
Chapter 1: Introduction to Research Method I
Chapter 2: Introduction to Research Method II
Chapter 3: Qualitative Research Method
Chapter 4: Quantitative Research Method
,Psychology Research Method
Chapter 1: Introduction to Research Method I
Why Should Psychology Students Study Research Methods?
This topic looks at what research is and why it is important for psychology and
at divergent forms of research design and psychological research. First of all,
we wish to discuss why psychology students need to study research methods
at all.
According to Christensen, Johnson, and Turner (2010), studying research
methods is not only for scientists carrying out research in universities or
laboratories. It is vital for psychology students as well. First and foremost, you
are consumers of scientific research and information. Throughout your study
and your professional life, you will encounter a lot of information and you
need to be able to understand the information and select the relevant and
discard what is irrelevant. The following is the list of reasons given by
Christensen and his colleagues as to why you need to study this Research
method:
• Learn how to conduct psychological research.
• Provides a foundation for topic-specific courses such as abnormal, social,
cognitive, biopsychology, and developmental psychology.
• Can be a more informed and critical consumer of information.
• Helps develop critical and analytical thinking.
• Provides information needed to critically read a research article.
• Necessary for admission into most graduate programs in psychology.
Research
To understand research methods, we need to have a good understanding of
research. The followings are the definitions taken from the Oxford Concise
Dictionary on “research”:
,Psychology Research Method
• The systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources etc.
in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.
• An endeavour to discover new or collate old facts etc. by the scientific
study of a subject or by a course of critical investigation.
Tuckman (1978), on the other hand defines research as:
• A systematic means of problem solving.
Five aims of research:
✓ Establish facts
✓ Reach new conclusions
✓ Discover new facts
✓ Collate old facts
✓ Problem solving
Ways to achieve the aims:
✓ Systematic investigation into materials and sources etc.
✓ Study of materials and sources etc.
✓ Scientific study of a subject
✓ A course of critical investigation
The ways to achieve the research aims are the Research Methods - the very
topic of this chapter. Note that both sources suggest that research needs to be
systematic. With the clear aims and the mechanisms to carry out research in
mind, we will now proceed to learn how they can be achieved systematically.
Search for Knowledge
The aims from the definitions can be summed up as a quest for knowledge. It is
the same aim that you have in mind when you decided to read this psychology
book. Therefore, by learning how to carry out research, you are on your
journey of successful learning.
How do we acquire knowledge?
Christensen, Johnson, and Turner (2010) listed the following methods humans
have been using to acquire knowledge:
• Intuition: "The act or process of coming to direct knowledge or certainty
without reasoning or inferring."
, Psychology Research Method
• Authority: when we accept the statements of people in authority over
us e.g. parents, religious leaders etc. According to Jackson (2006, p.7),
“When we accept what a respected or famous person tells us, we are
gaining knowledge via authority.” That would also include learning from our
parents, a religious or political leader and the reliance on textbooks to
provide correct knowledge.
• Rationalism: when we use logical and rational reasoning to gain
knowledge. “Gaining knowledge via rationalism involves logical reasoning.”
Jackson. It might be argued that logical thinking is good. However, logic
reasoning based on erroneous facts would lead to a logical conclusion but
not necessarily a correct conclusion.
• Empiricism: when we gain knowledge by our own observation and
experience. “Knowledge via empiricism involves gaining knowledge through
objective observation and the experiences of your senses. An individual
who says “I believe nothing until I see it with my own eyes” is an
empiricist...” Jackson. The downfall for empiricism is that an empiricist
would not make a conclusion - one of the important aims for research. If we
cannot study all humans, how could we make a conclusion about human
behaviours?
• Scientific Approach: when we use science to gain knowledge, it involves
carrying out empirical observations and then testing hypothesis. “Gaining
knowledge via science, then, involves a merger of rationalism and
empiricism. Scientists collect data (make empirical observations) and test
hypotheses with these data (assess them using rationalism).” Jackson.
According to Jackson, the scientific approach involves both rationalism and
empiricism. Is there a place for intuition and authority in the scientific method?
Christensen and his colleagues suggest that intuition or hunches could be
useful in the formulation of research questions and hypotheses, while experts
should also be consulted at all stages of research. For example, the formulation
of research questions and hypotheses as well as the data collection and
analysis. Therefore, the scientific approach gets the best out of all the other
approaches!
In scientific writing, and in all the assessments, titles of authorities should not
be used such as Prof or Dr Etc. We should however use the years of publication
to illustrate the points.
Science:
