PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH

AND THE RESEARCH

METHODS COURSE
Chapter One
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The Psychologist as Detective: An
Introduction to Conducting Research in
Psychology
Sixth Edition
Randolph A. Smith & Stephen F. Davis
The Psychologist as Detective
Knows the
boundaries of the
case
Eliminates suspects
Gathers evidence
Proposes a solution
Offers a solution to
the jury
Develops a research
question
Exercises control over
unwanted factors
Conducts the
experiment and makes
observations
Analyzes research
results and offers an
interpretation
Shares results and their
interpretation with peers
2
Copyright 2013 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
A Detective
A Psychological
Researcher
Driggers and Helms (2000)
Copyright 2013 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
3

Research
Questions: What
characteristics do
people look for in a
potential date?
Are there
differences in the
characteristics
looked for by men
and women?
Source: Fig. 1 from Driggers, K. J. and Helms, T. (2000). The effects of salary on willingness to date. Psi Chi
Journal of Undergraduate Research, 5, 7680. G144. Copyright 2000 Psi Chi, The National Honor Society in
Psychology (www.psichi.org). Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
How Psychologists Acquire
Knowledge

Copyright 2013 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
4

Psychological research deals with all behavior
of humans and animals and all of the contexts
in which these occur
Diversity of questions posed prompted
psychologists to develop different types of
research methods

Research Methods Used by
Psychologists
Copyright 2013 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
5
Method Location
Qualitative Research Chapter 4
Descriptive Methods Chapter 5
Correlational Studies Chapter 5
Surveys, Questionnaires, Tests, and
Inventories
Chapter 6
Ex Post Facto Studies Chapter 6
Experiments Chapter 7
The Research Process
Copyright 2013 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
6
Research is a recursive cycle
One activity leads to the next
One project often leads to another
The Research Process
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7
Finding
New
Problem
Literature
Review
Theoretical
Concerns
Hypothesis
Research
Plan
Conducting
Project
Analyzing
Findings
Decisions
About
Findings
Preparing
the Report
Sharing
Results
The Research Process
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8
Finding a Problem
Each research project begins as a problem or
a question for which we are seeking an
answer.
The Research Process
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9
Reviewing the Literature
Finding out what research studies already
exist in an area
The Research Process
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10
Theoretical Considerations
A theory is a formal statement of the relation
among the relevant variables in a particular
research area. All good theories:
Attempt to organize a given body of
scientific data.
Point the way to new research.
The Research Process
Copyright 2013 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
11
The Hypothesis
Attempts to state specific IV-DV relations
within a selected portion of a larger, more
comprehensive research area or theory.
The research or experimental hypothesis is
the predicted outcome of a research project.
The research hypothesis states a testable prediction about the
relations between the independent and dependent variables in
your experiment.


The Research Process
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12
Research Plan
A general plan for conducting your research.
Your research design specifies:
How you will select your participants and assign them to
groups.
The types of extraneous variable control(s) you will use.
How you will gather your data.
The Research Process
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13
Conducting the Project
The next step is to actually conduct the experiment
(gather the data) according to the research plan.
The Research Process
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14
Analysis of Research Findings
Type of analysis depends on research method used
and type of data.
Statistical analysis most often used on numerical
data.

The Research Process
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15
Decisions in Terms of Past Research and
Theory
Was our hypothesis supported?
Do results agree with past research?
How do our results fit into the current theoretical
structure in this research area?
If our results do not fit perfectly, what changes need to
be made in our interpretation or existing theory to
accommodate them?
Does lack of support for our hypothesis disconfirm the
theory?

The Research Process
Copyright 2013 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
16
Preparation of the Research Report
A research report is the way we share our results with
the scientific community.
A research report is prepared according to the format
prescribed by the American Psychological Association
(APA).
APA format allows researchers to know exactly what to include in their
papers and readers to know exactly where to look for specific
experimental details, procedures, and results.



The Research Process
Copyright 2013 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
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Sharing Your Results: Presentation and
Publication
The two most popular ways to share results are:
Present an oral paper or a poster at a psychological
convention, and/or
Publish an article in a professional journal
The Research Process
Copyright 2013 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
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Finding a New Problem
The more deeply you immerse yourself in a research
area, the more questions and problems you will find to
research.
Why is the Research Methods Course
Important?
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19
It assists you in other classes
The more completely you understand research methodology, the
better you will be able to master the material in your other classes.
Conducting an original research project
The research methods course often includes or is followed by
conducting an original project. This provides an excellent opportunity
to present or publish your findings.
Conducting a research project after
graduation
You might have to conduct research as a condition of future
employment (even if youre not particularly interested in research at
this point in time).


Why is the Research Methods Course
Important?
Copyright 2013 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
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Getting into Graduate School
Psychology graduate admissions committees view a course in research
methods or experimental psychology very positively.
Having presented or published a report is also rated very highly by
graduate school admissions committees.
Becoming a Knowledgeable Consumer of
Research
If you understand the research on which a variety of claims are based,
then you are in a position to make a more educated decision concerning
such knowledge claims.