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Chapter-2 Methods of Enquiry

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21 views7 pages

Chapter-2 Methods of Enquiry

notes for chapter 2

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radhikasingh4788
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Chapter-2

Methods of Enquiry in Psychology: Goals

Description

 The description requires recording a particular behaviour and describing


it accurately so as to attain a comprehensive understanding of the same
 For example, morning habits may have a diverse range of behaviours like
reading positive literature, meditation, exercise, journaling etc.

Prediction

 It is the second goal of psychological enquiry


 Here we attempt to understand the relationship between the behaviour
we are describing with the other types of behaviour.

Explanation

 It is the third goal of psychological enquiry


 It attempts to explain the causal factors of behaviour and attain an
understanding of the conditions in which the behaviour occurs or not.

Control

 It is the fourth goal of psychological inquiry


 It focuses on three things
o Making a particular behaviour happen
o Reducing it
o Enhancing it

Application

 It is the fifth goal of psychological enquiry


 focuses on bringing out a positive change in people’s lives

Steps in Conducting Scientific Research


Conceptualizing a problem

 It is the first step of conducting a scientific research


 The researcher selects a topic for study which is done on basis of either
review of past research, observations, personal experience

Identification of problem

 It is the second step of scientific research


 Development of a tentative statement about the topic takes place which
is termed a hypothesis
 For example, “ greater is the amount of time spent by children in playing
violent video games, the greater is the degree of impatience and anger
developed by them”

Collection of data

 This step focuses on developing a research design or blueprint of the


entire study.
 Decisions are taken about the following
o Participants in the study
o Methods of study
o Tools to be used in research
o Procedure for data collection

Drawing conclusions

 The next step of scientific research is to analyse data through statistical


procedures
 It can be achieved through measures of central tendency like mean,
median, mode and graphical presentations like pie charts, bar diagram

Revising research conclusions

 The researcher revises the whole study and the hypothesis being taken is
analysed thoroughly to see whether it stands true or not
Nature of Psychological Data
Demographic information

It includes personal information like name, age, gender, education,


occupation etc.

Physical information

Includes information about ecological conditions, housing conditions, size of


rooms, facilities available at home, in the neighbourhood, in the school etc.

Psychological information

The information focuses on areas like intelligence, personality, interests etc.

Different Methods of Enquiry in Psychology


Observation

 It is a very powerful method of psychological enquiry


 It involves the selection of a particular behaviour, recording the selected
behaviour using symbols, photographs and analysis of the recorded
behaviour

Merits

 enables the researcher to study people and their behaviour.


 Can provide in-depth information about behaviour to be observed

Demerits

 It is time-consuming
 It can be labour-intensive at times
 Poor method for establishing cause and effect relationship.

Experimental method

 Experiments are generally conducted to establish cause-and-effect


relationships between two or more variables in a controlled setting.
 Independent variables are manipulated and their effects are measured on
the dependent variable.

Merits

 The optimal method for establishing cause and effect relationship


between two or more variables
 The extraneous variables can be controlled thus, no scope for an
alternative explanation

Demerits
 The experimenter’s bias may affect the
 The authenticity of the experiment

Correlational research

 The strength and direction of the relationship between two variables are
represented by a number, termed the correlation coefficient
 Its value may range from +1.0 through 0.0 to -1.0

Merits

 Correlation helps in the prediction between the given variables


 Can examine issues that cannot be studied ethically or practically in
experiments

Demerits

 Fails to establish cause and effect relationship between variables

Survey research

 It came into existence to study opinions, attitudes, and social facts by use
of techniques such as questionnaires, interviews, etc.

Merits

 A properly selected representative sample may yield an accurate result


 It is flexible and adaptable to individual situations
 Information can be gathered quickly and efficiently

Demerits

 Unrepresentative samples may yield misleading results


 Interviewer bias and social desirability bias may distort the findings
 Inaccurate information may be obtained at times

Case study

 It is an in-depth study of a particular case.


 It employs multiple methods for collecting information such as interviews,
observations and psychological tests from a variety of respondents who
in some way or the other might be associated with the case and can
provide useful information.

Merits

 Provides rich descriptive information


 Helps in an in-depth study of a rare phenomenon.

Demerits

 Fails to establish a cause-and-effect relationship


 It may be subject to the biases of the researcher.

Psychological Testing
 A psychological test is a standardized and objective instrument that is
used to assess an individual’s standing about others on some mental or
behavioural characteristics
 The construction of a test is a systematic process and involves certain
steps. It involves a detailed analysis of items and an estimation of their
reliability, validity, and norms.
o Reliability refers to the consistency of scores obtained by an
individual on the same test on two different occasions
o Validity refers to the question, “Does the test measure what it
claims to measure?”
o Norms help in making a test standardised. Norm is referred to as
the average performance of the group.

Analysis of Data
Quantitative Method

Psychological tests, interviews, questionnaires contain a series of close-


ended questions and the probable response to these questions are given in a
scaled manner and that clearly illustrates the strength and magnitude of the
response.

Qualitative Method

Human experiences are very complex. This complexity is lost when one
elicits information from a respondent based on a question.

Limitations in Methods of Enquiry in Psychology


Lack of true zero-point

Psychological measurements lack an absolute zero point.


For example, even after scoring zero on a vocabulary test, it can’t be said
that the respondent has zero knowledge of vocabulary.

Relative nature of psychological tools

The nature of psychological tools is relative, not absolute and they are
developed keeping in view the important features of a particular context.

Subjective interpretation of qualitative data

The interpretation of the qualitative data used in the research is


characterized by subjective interpretation which means that it varies from
individual to individual.
Ethical Issues with Methods of Enquiry in Psychology
Informed consent

The principle of informed consent states that potential participants must


understand what will happen in the experiment and to them during the study
so that they can make an informed decision about their participation in the
study.

Confidentiality of data source

Participants of the study have the right to privacy and the researcher must
safeguard the privacy of the participants by keeping the information
provided by them confidential.

Voluntary participation

As per this principle, the participants must have the freedom to decide
whether to participate in the study or not.

Debriefing

Once the study is over, the participants are provided with the necessary
information to complete their understanding of the research. The researcher
should make efforts to remove any sort of anxiety which may have taken
place as a result of the experiment

Q1. What are the ethical guidelines that a psychologist needs to


follow while conducting a psychological enquiry?
The relationship between the client and the therapist requires a lot of trust,
empathy, and non-judgemental behaviour, and keeping that in mind the
ethical guidelines to be kept in consideration are informed consent, the
confidentiality of data source, voluntary participation, and debriefing.

Q2. Dr Ram is going to observe and record children’s play behaviour


at a nursery school without attempting to influence or control the
behaviour. Elucidate the process, merits and demerits of the
method discussed.
The method used by Dr Ram is the observation method. In this method, the
to be observed is selected, recorded and then analysed properly to draw
relevant conclusions. The advantage of this method is that phenomena can
be observed in real-time but the disadvantage is it can be time-consuming at
times.

Q3. Explain the nature of psychological data


The psychological data basically comprises demographic information,
psychological and physical information

Q4. What are the goals of psychological enquiry?


The goals of psychological enquiry are description, prediction, explanation,
control and application.
Q5. Describe the various steps involved in conducting a scientific
enquiry
Scientific inquiry is a lengthy and detailed process that involves
conceptualizing a problem, identification of the problem, collecting data,
drawing conclusions, and revising research conclusions.

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