Perspectivist Worksheets (modified)
Instructions:
The following worksheets are designed to help you develop research ideas. I have adapted them from a
famous set of materials by William J. McGuire. The originals can be found in the Appendix to a book
about McGuire’s legacy in psychology called “Perspectivism in Social Psychology: The Yin and Yang
of Scientific Progress” edited by Jost, Banaji, Prentice, & McGuire. The original version of the
worksheets was designed to accompany an advanced course in research methods and may be
excessively complex for anyone other than an advanced researcher, so I have adapted them to help the
beginning and intermediate researcher.
The worksheets have three purposes: (1) Walking you through steps to take in generating new research
ideas, (2) Translating your research idea into research questions and hypotheses, (3) Developing a
program of research.
A “Program of Research” is a game-plan for conducting multiple studies on a single topic that
comprehensively addresses all the implications and extensions of a single research idea. You are
welcome to start thinking about an entire “Program of Research” for any research idea that you may
have, but it may be easier to start by fully developing a single research idea, as compared to developing
an entire line of research. The worksheets are designed to help you think about all the different
implications and extensions of your research ideas, so you can then pick amongst the different ideas
for the one or two you feel is most important.
You do not need to answer every question. The purpose of the worksheets is to generate many different
ideas, and then translate those ideas into concrete hypotheses and materials, so it is not necessary to
answer every question. Instead, a good way to use the worksheets is by helping you to think more
about all the possible ways in which to investigate a research idea.
The worksheets parallel the three type of research: Descriptive, Relational, Causal: (1) Descriptive
research involves simply describing the variable. In Worksheet 1 you identify topics of interest that
you feel are important and worth investigating. In Worksheet 2 you then generate descriptive questions
about your topic, (2) Relational research involves looking at the relationship between two or more
variables. In Worksheet 3 you identify the variables and then clearly and concretely state the nature of
the relationship amongst the variables. This type of analysis also helps identify moderators, (3) Causal
research involves determining when one variable causes or affects another variable(s). In Worksheet 4
you identify causal relationships using "A-B-C” analysis: Antecedents-Behavior-Consequences. This
type of analysis also helps identify mediators and causal modeling.
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Worksheet 1
The purpose of Worksheet 1 is to get you started thinking about a variety of promising variables or
topics, one of which may serve as the focus of your research program.
1.
2.
3.
4.
A1.
A variable is either a person-variable or a situation-variable.
A person-variable is a dimension of thought, feeling, or action on which people differ.
For example, a person-variable could be belief in the “death penalty” or how jurors
perceive Jury Instructions.
A situation-variable is the different particular situations in which we find ourselves
during our daily lives. For example, a situation-variable could be witnessing a crime or
conducting a line-up at the police station.
You will be asked to generate three nominees for Variable A (the final variable that you
choose to investigate).
Discuss the initial nominee for Variable A on which you might focus your research program.
1.
Describe a variable that might serve as your Variable A1 by giving labels for it:
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2.
Give a (formal) definition of Variable A1:
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3.
Give several other labels that are synonymous to your definition of Variable A1:
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4.
Is it possible to divide this Variable A1 into two or more separate parts? If so, please
give each sub-variable a label and definition:
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5.
Give a few self-descriptive questions that could be used to measure Variable A1 and/or
each sub-variable of Variable A1:
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6.
Explain why you regard Variable A1 as worthy of your choice as the one on which you
will be developing a research study:
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A2 through A? -- Repeat the same six steps for as many variables as you like.
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Worksheet 2
The purpose of Worksheet 2 is to help you identify descriptive questions about your topic. Descriptive
research involves describing and explaining the variable.
1.
2.
3.
4.
A.
The goals of science are to describe, explain, predict, and control human nature. The
beginning steps to accomplish that goal are to use descriptive research to answer the
“Six Ws”: who, what, where, when, why, and how.
The maxim of the Six Ws (also known as the Five Ws, or Five Ws and one H) is that a
complete understanding can be accomplished by answering the checklist of six
questions.
How does this apply to psychology? For each topic, asking yourself the “Six Ws”
allows you to explore and classify the factors, situations, events, people, and boundary
conditions of the phenomenon.
As an example, if “criminal behavior” is your research topic, you will want to know
who are most likely to engage in that behavior, what is the prevalence and extent of the
behavior, under what circumstances does criminal behavior occur, and for what reasons,
when does criminal behavior occur, how does criminal behavior affect people’s lives,
what are the antecedents and consequences of the behavior for the individual or society,
how do they think or feel about their own behavior, how do victims of the behavior
think/feel about the same behavior, and etc.
Using the variable you choose to investigate from Worksheet1, identify as many descriptive
questions as possible using the following six categories:
1.
Who:
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2.
What:
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3.
Where:
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4.
When:
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5.
Why:
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6.
How:
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Worksheet 3
The purpose of Worksheet 3 is to get you started thinking about a variety of promising variables that
relate to Variable A in some way. We shall call this new variable, Variable B.
1.
2.
3.
B1.
The following questions help you identify Relational research questions. Relational
research involves examining the relationship between two or more variables.
The relationship can take many forms, such as a positive relationship, negative
relationship, linear relationship, or curvilinear relationship. The relationship can also
vary in strength or magnitude.
In relational research you need to identify the variables and then clearly and concretely
state the nature of the relationship amongst the variables. The following questions help
you identify variables and articulate the nature of the relationship.
Discuss the initial nominee for Variable B on which you might focus your research program.
1.
First, repeat each of the six steps from Worksheet 1 for Variable B1.
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2.
Now, for Variable B1, how do you think it relates to Variable A? Give possible
explanations that account for the relations.
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3.
Do you predict Variable A to be related to Variable B1 positively or negatively?
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4.
What set of circumstances do you think would strengthen the relationship between
Variable A and Variable B1:
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5.
What set of circumstances do you think would weaken the relationship between
Variable A and Variable B1:
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6.
Now, try to generate possible explanations (and/or circumstances) that accounts for why
Variable A and Variable B1 will have no relationship.
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7.
Try to generate possible explanations (and/or circumstances) that accounts for why
Variable A and Variable B1 will have the opposite relationship as predicted at Step 2.
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B2 – B? -- Repeat the same seven steps for as many variables as you like.
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Worksheet 4
The purpose of Worksheet 4 is to help you identify causal relationships amongst the variables. Causal
research involves determining when one variable causes or affects another variable(s).
1.
2.
3.
4.
A.
C.
At this point you have chosen a variable to investigate from Worksheet 1 (Variable A)
and you have used Worksheet 3 to help you identify variables with relationships to
Variable A. Worksheet 4 will help you identify whether those relationships to Variable
A are causal.
Worksheet 4 will also help you identify new variables that may have a causal
relationship to Variable A.
We will be using "A-B-C” analysis: Antecedents-Behavior-Consequences. In A-B-C
analysis, you identify a target behavior and then examine what triggers or prompts the
behavior, and what is the end result or outcome of the behavior.
Although A-B-C analysis in psychology originated concerning “Behaviors”, your target
topic need not be a “behavior” per se, but could be an emotion, thought, situation, or
any other aspect or variable within psychology.
Using the variables from Worksheet 3, ask yourself the following questions:
1.
Do any variables from Worksheet 3 trigger or prompt Variable A, and why?
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2.
Are any variables from Worksheet 3 the end result or outcome of Variable A, and why?
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Now, discuss new variables that may fit the A-B-C model:
1.
What set of circumstances do you think would trigger or prompt Variable A, and why?
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2.
What set of circumstances do you think would be the end result or outcome of Variable
A, and why?
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3.
Now, think of your topic (Variable A) as the “Antecedent”. Try to name all the
different outcomes (e.g., Behaviors and Consequences) that result from Variable A.
You may think of individual variables that are Behavior and Consequences, or you may
think of a string of different variables that are in a row or interrelate.
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4.
Now, think off your topic (Variable A) as the “Consequences”. Try to name all the
different predictors (Antecedents and Behaviors) that trigger Variable A. You may think
of individual variables that are Antecedents and Behaviors, or you may think of a string
of different variables that are in a row or interrelate.
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