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Research Method in Psychology

This module covers essential research methods in psychology, including participant selection, experiment design, and statistical analysis. It emphasizes ethical considerations, bias reduction, and the importance of generalizing results. Additionally, it provides guidelines for writing an empirical research report, including structure and referencing standards.

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16 views5 pages

Research Method in Psychology

This module covers essential research methods in psychology, including participant selection, experiment design, and statistical analysis. It emphasizes ethical considerations, bias reduction, and the importance of generalizing results. Additionally, it provides guidelines for writing an empirical research report, including structure and referencing standards.

Uploaded by

Dreams OfRomania
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Simple Summary:

This module introduces key research methods used in psychology. It explains how
researchers select participants, design experiments, and use statistics to analyze
data. It highlights ways to reduce biases, control variables, and conduct ethical
research. It also covers how to interpret results and make valid conclusions that
can be generalized to a larger population.

Key Ideas:
1.​ Inferential vs. Descriptive Statistics​
○​ Descriptive statistics summarize data.​
○​ Inferential statistics help make conclusions about a population based
on sample data.​
2.​ Participant Selection​
○​ Random Sampling: Everyone has an equal chance to participate.​
○​ Stratified Sampling: Ensures sample represents specific population
characteristics (e.g., gender, age).​
3.​ Participant Allocation​
○​ Independent Variable (IV): What the experimenter changes.​
○​ Dependent Variable (DV): What is measured as the outcome.​
○​ Control Group: Not exposed to IV, used for comparison.​
○​ Experimental Group: Exposed to IV.​
4.​ Placebo Effect​
○​ Changes due to participants believing they received treatment when
they did not.​
5.​ Experimenter Effect​
○​ Unintentional influence by the experimenter on results.​
6.​ Blinding Procedures​
○​ Single-blind: Participants don’t know their group.​
○​ Double-blind: Neither participants nor experimenters know group
assignments.​
7.​ Minimizing Extraneous Variables​
○​ Use designs like:​
■​ Repeated-measures Design: The same subjects were tested
under all conditions.​
■​ Matched-subjects Design: Participants matched on key
variables and assigned to groups.​
■​ Independent-groups Design: Different subjects in each group,
with random or matched assignment.​
8.​ Operational Hypothesis​
○​ The hypothesis must clearly define how variables are measured and
predict outcomes.​
9.​ Inferring from Data​
○​ Use statistical significance (commonly p < .05 or p < .01) to judge if
results are likely real or by chance.​
10.​Conclusion and Generalisation​
○​ Conclude if the study is valid internally (no confounds).​
○​ Generalise results only if the sample represents the population
(external validity).​
11.​Correlation​
○​ Measures relationships between variables (positive, negative, or zero
correlation).​
○​ Correlation does not imply causation.​
12.​Ethics in Research​
○​ Confidentiality: Keep participant data private.​
○​ Voluntary Participation: No coercion; participants can withdraw
anytime.​
○​ Informed Consent: Participants must know the study’s nature before
agreeing.​
○​ Debriefing: Explain the true purpose after participation.​
○​ Researchers must maintain professionalism and respect participants'
rights.
Overview of Ethical Considerations in
Psychological Research
●​ Before starting research, ensure all ethical considerations are met to
protect participants physically and psychologically.​
●​ Submit your research proposal to an ethics committee for approval.​
●​ Maintain professionalism and never breach ethical boundaries during the
study.​
●​ Participants must be volunteers, given full information, and their
confidentiality protected.​
●​ After the study, debrief participants to explain the true nature of the
research.​

Writing an Empirical Research Report


1. Title
●​ Short, specific (ideally under 12 words).​
●​ Indicates the study’s variables or theoretical issues.​

2. Abstract (about 100 words)


●​ Summarizes: problem & hypothesis, participants, method, main findings,
and conclusions.​
●​ Use past tense for what was done; present tense for conclusions.​
●​ Write last but place it immediately after the title.​

3. Introduction (200–250 words)


●​ Starts broad, narrows down to the study’s aim and hypothesis.​
●​ Reviews previous research with proper citations.​
●​ Aim states the purpose; hypothesis predicts outcomes and must be testable
and operationally defined.​
4. Method (150–200 words)
●​ Describe participants (number, age, gender, selection method).​
●​ Details apparatus/materials.​
●​ Step-by-step procedure, precise enough for replication.​
●​ Use neutral terms like “subjects” and “experimenter.”​

5. Results (150–200 words)


●​ Summarize key findings.​
●​ Use descriptive statistics and visual aids (tables, graphs).​
●​ Number and title tables above, figures below.​

6. Discussion (200–250 words)


●​ State if the hypothesis is supported or rejected (avoid “prove/disprove”).​
●​ Compare results with previous research.​
●​ Discuss limitations and improvements.​
●​ End with a broad concluding statement.​

7. References
●​ Use the Harvard referencing system.​
●​ Include only sources cited in the report.​
●​ List alphabetically by the first author’s surname.​

8. Appendices
●​ Attach supplementary materials like questionnaires or raw data.​
●​ Number as Appendix 1, Appendix 2, etc.​

Referencing Guidelines
In-Text Citation
●​ Direct quotes use quotation marks plus (Author, year, p. page number).​
●​ Paraphrasing uses (Author, year, p. page number) without quotes.​
●​ Internet sources include author/organization, date, and URL.​
●​ Secondary sources should be cited as (Original study cited in Secondary
source, year, p. page number).​

Reference List Examples


●​ Books:​
Author(s). (Year). Title (edition). Place: Publisher.​
Example: Coon, D. (1995). Introduction to psychology: exploration and
application (7th ed.). St. Paul: West Publishing.​
●​ Journals:​
Author(s). (Year). Article title. Journal Title, volume, page numbers.​
Example: Buckhout, R. (1974). Eyewitness testimony. Scientific American,
231, pp. 23–31.​
●​ Websites:​
Author/Org. (Year). Title. URL​
Example: Kaiser, P. (1996). The Joy of Visual Perception.
http://www.yorku.ca/eye/thejoy.htm​
●​ CD-ROMs:​
Author/Org. (Year). Article title. CD-ROM title. Place: Publisher.​
Example: Ryan, C. (1997). Exploring perception: A CD-ROM for Macintosh
and Microsoft Windows. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.​

Key Research Concepts Highlighted


●​ Descriptive vs. Inferential Statistics
●​ Participant selection methods: random, stratified sampling
●​ Placebo and experimenter effects
●​ Single-blind and double-blind experiments
●​ Operationalising variables and hypotheses
●​ Correlation method vs. causation
●​ Confidentiality and voluntary participation

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