Contents
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Research Methods
Planning Research
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The Experimental Method
Advantages and Disadvantages
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Questioning
Advantages and Disadvantages
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The Observational Method
Advantages and Disadvantages
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Case Studies
Advantages and Disadvantages
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Correlation
Advantages and Disadvantages
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Summary
Research Methods
Psychologists carry out research using a number of techniques.
Planning Research
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Formulate a hypothesis. A hypothesis is a prediction or a testable statement.
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Choose an appropriate research method for testing the hypothesis.
Research Methods
1) The Experimental Method
2) Questioning
3) The Observational Method
4) Case Studies
5) Correlational Method
The Experimental Method
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Psychologists carry out experiments both in the laboratory and in the field (the outside world).
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Both methods involve the manipulation of an independent variable and the measurement of a
dependent variable.
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Experimental method is more controlled than other methods allowing Psychologists to claim that
behaviour is a result of the independent variable. (cause and effect)
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Experimental Method
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Manipulation of the independent variable
under controlled conditions allows cause and
effect to be inferred, although there is less
control in field experiment.
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Experiments are artificial environments
which may produce artificial behaviour. Field
experiments are less artificial and therefore
they are more ecologically valid.
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Easy to replicate due to standardised
procedure
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Ethical Problems over deception, consent,
invasion of privacy, potential harm etc.
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More accurate data collected
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Data is more objective than other methods.
Questioning
There are many questioning techniques. Psychologists use both interviews and questionnaires.
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Questionnaires
Often used to find out people’s opinions or behaviours.
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They can be highly structured enabling results to be easily analysed using descriptive statistics.
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Questionnaires can be less structured allowing the respondent to give further details.
Interviews
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This involves the researcher asking verbal questions to the participant. Interviews range from having
no structure e.g just a topic area established to being very structured e.g a list of pre-prepared
questions.
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Questioning Method
Questionnaires
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Questionnaires
Questionnaires can be highly structured
enabling results to be easily analysed using
descriptive statistics.
Easy to analyse and quantify
Easy to replicate
Easy to administer
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Interviews
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Very Detailed
Very Flexible allowing the researcher to
explore interesting things that may arise.
Lacks flexibility
People may give biased answers to create a
socially desirable response.
Interviews
Very Time Consuming
Difficult to analyse and quantify
Potential for participants to give incorrect
responses.
The Observational Method
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This method involves observing people’s natural or freely chosen behaviour. Observation can take
place within an experiment, but the term “observational method” usually refers to research carried
out in a natural environment like a town centre.
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Controlled Observations measure people’s natural behaviour, but under contrived conditions. E.g a
laboratory setting.
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Naturalistic Observations involve the recording of people’s natural behaviour in a natural setting.
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Observational Method
Controlled Observations
Controlled Observations
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More controlled enabling more accurate
observations.
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Easy to replicate
Validity problems. If the participants know
that there behaviour is being observed their
behaviour may change. This would mean that
their behaviour was unnatural.
Naturalistic Observations
Naturalistic Observations
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High in Ecological Validity
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This method is often the only appropriate and
ethical method.
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Cause and Effect can not be established
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Ethical Concerns. Is this an invasion of
privacy?
The Case Study Method
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This method involves studying one individual or one social group in detail.
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Case studies are often used when looking at people who have gone through an unusual experience or
they are used when looking at exceptional cases e.g. looking at an individual with a rare mental
disorder.
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It can be used to look at a broad range of traits as opposed to a small number of traits that can easily
be looked at in a laboratory.
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Case Study Method
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Highly detailed data is collected.
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The data is high in Ecological Validity
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It is often the only suitable method. E.g.
Teaching a Chimpanzee to speak. (Gardner
and Gardner 1969)
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It is the only suitable method when
researching very rare cases. A Case of
Multiple Personality. E.g. Thigpen and
Cleckley (1954)
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It lacks generalisability to the rest of the
population due to having a very small and
unrepresentative sample.
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No cause and effect can be legitimately
established.
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Very difficult to replicate.
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Time Consuming and Expensive
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Problems with a participants’ memory
distortions when recalling past events
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More potential for observer bias due to the
subjective nature of the method.
The Correlation
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Correlation measures the relationship between 2 variables to see if there is a trend or a systematic
pattern.
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In Psychology the pairing of two variables would usually be a particular individual’s score in 2
variables. E.g Stress Score and Caffeine intake. Stress is not determined by caffeine intake so there
can be no cause and effect from a correlation.
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Correlation can be plotted out on scatter grams.
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Correlation Method
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Precise information about the degree of the
relationship can be established by the
correlation coefficient.
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No manipulation of behaviour is required
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Establishing a relationship between the 2
variables may imply that there could a cause
and effect relationship. Further experimental
research can be conducted to establish cause
and effect.
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No cause and effect can be established. E.g.
There may be a positive correlation between
caffeine intake and stress scores, but the
correlation does not indicate that caffeine is
causing the stress.
Summary
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Psychologists carry out research using experimental and non-experimental methods
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Experiments are more scientific, but they lack ecological validity
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Questioning people can be a useful way to measure opinions. An interview would allow more depth
than a questionnaire, but a questionnaire is easier to administer.
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The observational method allows observations of naturally occurring behaviour. The presence of an
observer can change participants’ behaviour.
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Case Studies are used when more detail is required or when looking at an unusual case. They are
time consuming and lack generalisability.
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A correlation indicates whether there is a relationship between 2 variables, but it does not establish
cause and effect.