Psychological Research Methods

Lecture 1

Jagjeet Jutley

Lecture Schedule

Introducing psychological research How to write a research report Ethics in psychological research Critiquing research reports Designing a questionnaire Variables, sampling, and sample size Basic experimental design Getting started with statistical tests T-tests Chi-square Stats workshop Review session

Seminars

Sociology students will be held at 1pm-2pm in D124

Criminology students will be at 2pm-3pm in E427

Coursework due dates:1. A piece of coursework (1500 words) analysing a piece of psychological research (50%)

9th November 2011

2. A 1000 word Data Analysis Report (50%)

14th December 2011

Reading

Howitt, D. and Cramer, D. (2008). Introduction to Research Methods in Psychology. Harlow: Pearson.

Today

Principles of scientific researchDeveloping research questionsFormulating Hypotheses

Flaws in thinking as part of everyday life

Telling anecdotes – a personal story to support or refute a general point

Refers to instinct or laws of nature or what everyone knows

Uses correlation data as causal (increase in crime since mothers started working)

Uses emotional language instead of reason and evidence (dumping babies in child care to be looked after by a stranger has to be harmful)

Basic Science and Applied Research

Basic Science – knowledge for its own sake.

The development of logical thought in children Memory for different kinds of word lists Perception of transparency, depth, motion, light etc. Facial features and mate selection Bodily odors and sexual attraction

Interest of groups & researchers, the findings of which may or may not be developed for practical use.

Practical uses of basic research

Development of logical thought – a test for diagnosing developmental disability

Memory for word lists – design of specialised vocabularies for communication (e.g. aviation)

Perception of depth – environmental design to warn of hazards (e.g., warning lights)

Facial features – advertisingBodily odors - perfume

Applied Research

In Clinical settings – What type of therapy alleviates depression?

In Educational settings – What is the best way to teach children how to read?

In Sport Psychology – How does training regime impact on performance?

In Organisational settings – What form of management style motivates employees?

Public Verification

Observation by othersReplication by othersScrutinized by others capable of judging

quality (peer review)Beware of “research” you find on the web!

Developing the Research Question

Idea

Research Question

Research Hypothesis

Literature Review

Research Design

Idea

Research Question

Research Hypothesis

Literature Review

Research Design

Model 1 Model 2

Where do the ideas come from? Everyday life

What are the most effective ways to teach research methods? What personal characteristics make a favorable impression in a job interview? What other questions come to mind?

Practical issues or needs Why do some employees have very high absenteeism rates. Why do more car accidents happen on specific stretches of the road? Why are most heart attacks on a Monday morning?

Past research Knowledge develops in small steps. Rarely does one study answer all the

questions to the research topic.

Theory Summarize & integrate existing knowledge Suggests new relationships between factors Helps one make new predictions about a phenomenon based on the theory.

Defining the Research Question

Problem should be capable of being stated in a question form. Examples are:What is the effect of….?Under what conditions do….?Does the effect of….?

A research question defines the area of interest but is not a declarative statement like a hypothesis.

Formulating Hypotheses

Stated in declarative form.Posits a relationship between variables.Ideally reflects a theory or body of

literature.Is brief and to the point.Is testable.

Examples of Hypotheses

Research Idea

Question Hypothesis

Drug abuse and child abuse

Is drug abuse related to child abuse?

There is a positive relationship between drug abuse among adults and their physical and psychological abuse as children.

Examples of Hypotheses

Research Idea

Question Hypothesis

Effects on your health of caring for a partner who is demented

Does caring for a partner who has a dementia affect the caregivers’ health?

There is a positive relationship between degree of caregiver burden and risk of dying prematurely.

Hypotheses

Scientific/alternative hypothesis states the ‘predicted’ relationship amongst the variables.

Null hypothesis is a statement of no relationship amongst the variables.