Psy 241

Research Methods
Course Introduction
Philosophy of Science and the
Scientific Method
 Course Aims/Goals
• Learn basic skills for designing and
conducting psychological research
– Effectively communicate your findings
• Learn skills for reading, evaluating, and
critiquing psychological research
• Become a more informed consumer of
research
 Science of Psychology
• Psychologists
– Develop theories
– Conduct research
– Answer questions about behavior and mental
processes
• Research Methods gives us guidelines,
structure, and tools for how to do this
 Scientific Method
• How do ask and answer questions?
• How do we figure out what questions to
ask?
• “Scientific method”
– Abstract concept
– Not a particular technique or method
– Ways in which scientists ask questions
– Logic and methods used to gain answers
 Scientific Method continued...
• Two important aspects:
– Empirical approach
• Observe behaviors directly
• Experimentation
– Systematic control
– Skeptical attitude
• Will be discussed in greater detail next week (Ch.
2)
 Things to keep in mind about
Science and the Scientific
Method
• Science is influenced by context
– Historical
– Social Cultural
– Moral
• This affects not only how we ask
questions/test hypotheses, but also
what questions we ask
 Science in context
• Historical Context
– Psychological organizations: APA, APS
– Early 1900s: empirical approach
– 20th century: computer revolution
– Shifts in focus: behaviorism to cognitive psychology
• Social and Cultural Context
– Zeitgeist influences (“the spirit of the age”)
• Research questions
• Resources for science
• Society’s acceptance of psychological research
– Potential bias of ethnocentrism
• Moral Context
– High standards for integrity and ethical conduct
– Scientists do not:
• Fabricate data
• Plagiarize
• Selectively report research findings
 Using the “Scientific Method”
• Uncle Traveling Matt meets the umbrella...
 Using the “Scientific Method”
continued...
• Uncle Traveling Matt concluded that
umbrellas caused water to fall from the
sky
– What is wrong with this assumption?
– What else could he have concluded?
– How could he go about testing his
hypothesis?
Steps of the Research Process
Step
1. Develop a research question
2. Generate a hypothesis
3. Form operational definitions
How?
•Be aware of ethnocentrism
•Gain personal experience
doing research
•Read psychological literature
•Read theories on your topic
•Consider personal experience,
think of exceptions, and notice
inconsistencies in research
•Look how previous research
has defined the same
constructs
•Identify variables you want to
examine
Steps of Research Process
continued...
Step
4. Choose a research design
5. Evaluate ethical issues
How?
•Decide what your research
question seeks to do
–Describe, predict, identify
causal relationships
•Choose appropriate research
design for your question
•Identify potential risks and
benefits of your research
•In what ways will participants’
welfare be protected?
•Submit proposal to ethics
review committee (IRB/LRB)
•Seek permission from those in
authority
Steps of Research Process
continued...
Step
6. Collect and analyze data
6b. Form conclusions
7. Report the results
How?
•Collect data through surveys,
observational research,
laboratory research...
•Get to know the data
•Summarize the data
•Confirm what the data reveal
•Present findings at a
psychological conference
•Submit study (written report) to
a psychology journal