Five Basic Goals in Research
Basic Research Process
Types of Research
RESEARCH METHODS IN
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Research Methods
Being a Wise Consumer of Information:
 Media only publishes parts of research when
of public interest.
 All information for public consumption may be:
 Oversimplified, condensed with few details
 Distorted or exaggerated
 People must consider information carefully:
 Separate group from individual outcomes
 Do not over generalize from small sample
 Look for additional information on a study
 Do not attribute causes when none exist
 Evaluate the source of information
Parents’
Explanations
of Science to
Sons and
Daughters at a
Science
Museum
30
25
Percentage
parent–child
interactions in
which the
parent
explained
science
concepts
20
15
10
5
0
Boys
Girls
Five Basic Goals in Research
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Describe:
Explain: Why did the subject produce the behavior?
Predict: The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.
Control: What can we do to change the behavior?
Improve:
Research Methods
Main Types of Psychological Research:
Basic: Study of psychological issues in order to seek
knowledge for its own sake.
Applied: Study of psychological issues that have direct
practical significance, application.
Research Methods
Types of research:
 Descriptive: observes and records behavior
 Laboratory research
 Naturalistic observation
 Surveys and interviews
 Standardized tests
 Case studies
 Life-history records
 Physiological measures
Research Methods
Two main divisions of research:
 Correlational research Measures relationships
 No causation
 Experimental research-
 Independent variable gets manipulated
 Dependent variable is the resulting change
 Experimental group is manipulated
 Control group serves as the “norm” for comparison
Research Methods
 Time-span research:
 Focus on the relation of age to some other variable
across the life span.
 Cross-sectional approach:
 Compares different age groups at one time
 Longitudinal approach:
 Studies a group over a period of time
 Sequential approach:
 Combines longitudinal and cross-sectional approaches
 Cohort effects:
 Due to time or era of birth but not due to one’s actual age
Research Methods
 Theory: General principle proposed to explain how a number of separate
facts are related. An idea about a relationship. Research is necessary in
order to validate or invalidate a theory.
 Experiment: Manipulate a situation in order to prove/disprove a
hypothesis.
 Meta-Analysis: Summary of past research on a given topic.
 Placebo: No treatment given, participant assumes treatment is present.
 Confederate: Experimenter assumes the role of a participant or
antagonist.
Basic Research Process
“Too many cookies make penguins go crazy.”
1. Have a question or idea about a relationship.
2. Develop a Null Hypothesis: (H0)
 The reverse of what the experimenter believes
will happen.
 Cookies don’t make penguins go crazy.
 Very easy to test this, all you have to do is find one
case where this is not so.
3. Develop an Alternative Hypothesis: (H1)
 Statement that attempts to describe or explain a given behavior.
 Leads to specific predictions of what will happen in very specific situations.
 Certain types and quantities of cookies may make specific penguins go
crazy.
Basic Research Process
“Too many cookies make penguins go crazy.”
4. Conduct the Experiment:
 Variable: Anything that can be measured or is changed.
 Independent Variable: Input variable.
 Dependent Variable: Outcome variable.
 Empirical Evidence: Can be measured and observed.
 Control Condition: No manipulation added.
 Operational Definition: How the phenomenon is to be observed and
measured.
 Principal of Falsifiability: Hypotheses could be disproved if contradictory
evidence were observed/introduced.
5. Complete the Result Section:
 Collected data from experiment, prove or disprove the null
 Statistical Significance: Results are probably true, not due to chance.
 Occam’s Razor: When conflicting results/solutions to a given problem
occur, the shortest and least complex one is the correct choice
Types of Research
Naturalistic Observation: Observing behavior in its natural environment. Can
involve counting specific behaviors.
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Advantage: Provides more qualitative information than the other methods.
Disadvantage: Presence of an observer modifies the participant’s behavior.
No two observers produce the same results.
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Case Study: Following a single case for an extended period of time.
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Advantage: Gather extensive information, both qualitative and quantitative
and can be helpful in better understanding rare cases or very specific
interventions
Disadvantage: Only one case is involved severely limiting generalization
Types of Research
Survey: Questionnaires gather info from asking people directly.
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Advantage: Can gather large amounts of information in a relatively short time, cost
effective.
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Disadvantage: Based solely on subjects’ responses which can be inaccurate due to
outright lying, misunderstanding of the question, placebo effect, and even the
manner in which the question is asked.
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Correlational Study: Determine if a relationship exists, what direction the relationship is,
and how strong it is.
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Positive Correlation: As one increases the other increases, as one decreases the
other decreases.
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Negative Correlation: As one increases the other decreases, as one decreases
the other increases.
Advantage: Measures the strength of a relationship between two groups.
Disadvantage: Can’t make any assumptions of cause and effect. No knowledge of
effect of a third variable.
Twin Studies
Defined: Studying identical twins separated near birth is one behavioral genetic
method.
 Example: Gerald and Mark
 Met at age 31 after being separated at birth.
 Both:
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Are volunteer firefighters
Like to hunt, eat Chinese food, and watch John Wayne movies
Drink the same brand of beer, with their hands held the same way (pinky curled)
Evaluating Genetic Theories
 Reasons for caution:
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Not all traits are equally heritable or unaffected by shared environment.
Some studies may underestimate the impact of the environment.
Even traits that are highly heritable are not rigidly fixed.
Genetic predisposition does not imply inevitability.
Research Focus
Development of:
 Motor Skills
 Problem Solving
 Conceptual Understanding
 Moral Reasoning
 Identity Formation
Research Focus
Stages of Development:
 Prenatal
 Infancy
 Toddler
 Early Childhood
 Childhood
 Adolescence
 Early Adulthood
 Middle Age
 Old Age
 Death
Is age static?