The Very Brief Guide to
Research Design
Options for Writing in Psychology

What is a case study?
◦ Purpose – usually pedagogical -- provides a
detailed account of a person or small group to
exemplify a disorder, condition, or intervention
◦ Method – observation, may include interview,
considered a form of qualitative research
◦ Paper Structure – brief introduction, patient
background, condition/disorder/intervention,
analysis, conclusion
The Case Study

Typical – illustrates the norm of situation
◦ Examine whole situation
 PTSD patient going through PE therapy
◦ Specific trait/aspect of situation
 The use of pleasant stimuli to re-associate memories

Exceptional– illustrates a non-typical example
◦ Examine the whole situation
 PTSD complicated by substance abuse and depression
◦ Specific trait/aspect of situation
 PTSD patient exhibiting hyper-vigilance that requires
adjustment to therapeutic strategy
Two Types of Case Studies

What is survey research?
◦ Purpose – to assess beliefs, attitudes,
perceptions about a topic
◦ Method – distribution of same instrument to
many people – usually requires statistical
analysis
◦ Paper Format – classic IMRD
Survey Research

Pilot Study
◦ Research to determine whether an idea is feasible
 Will participants react favorably to private mental health
screenings?

Validation Study
◦ Research to determine whether qualitative findings can
generalize
 Are the literacy habits of individual health care providers
similar to the group as a whole?

Extension Study
◦ Research to determine if results from previous research
are found in a different population
 Research demonstrates that images of $$ make middleaged people feel unhappy – will same be true of college
students?
Types of Survey Research

What is quasi/non-experimental research?
◦ Study in which there is little to no control over
groups (no randomization, no control group,
though there may be variables (e.g., gender)

Purpose – to discover information within a
specific population

Paper Format – classic IMRD
Quasi/Non Experimental Study

Task specific design - participants do something
or respond to something often through redirection
◦ RQ: What kinds of images best prompt people
to make junk food purchases?
 participants see pictures of healthy people, happy
people, cute animals, expensive objects, families,
desserts
◦ Participants look at different kinds of pictures, answer
dummy questions, then answer actual experimental
question/s
◦ Must be very well-controlled instrument
Quasi/Non-Experiments