Psychological Research PDF

PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH  Scientific Research Science is a social institution and a way to produce knowledge. Scientific research is a way of gathering data and harnessing curiosity. This research provides scientific information and theories for the explanation of...

PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH  Scientific Research Science is a social institution and a way to produce knowledge. Scientific research is a way of gathering data and harnessing curiosity. This research provides scientific information and theories for the explanation of the nature and the properties of the world. It makes practical applications possible. The scientific method is a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry is commonly based on empirical or measurable evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning. The scientific method is to be understood as forming a sequence of discrete stages that moves the researcher from a position of relative ignorance to one of greater knowledge.  Four Methods of Knowledge 1. Method of Tenacity : Where men hold firmly to the truth and frequent repetition to establish it to be true. 2. Method of Authority : Method of established belief. It is a tradition, and superior to tenacity because human process can be achieved through it. 3. Method of Intuition : Proposition accepted by a priory, a sixth sense, but not necessarily by experience. 4. Method of Science : a. Practical b. Non-Scientist Thinks of science as a discipline, activity or understanding. The scientist is there to improve mankind through the road.  TYPES OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH QUANTITATIVE VS QUALITATIVE RESEARCH Quantitative research: It is an inquiry into an identified problem based on testing a theory, measured with numbers and analyzed using statistical technique. The goal of this method is to determine weather the predictive generalizations of a theory would hold true or not. Qualitative research: This type of research emphasizes verbal descriptions and explanations of human behavior. It is about recording, analyzing and attempting to uncover the deeper meaning and significance of human behavior and experience. The tools for gaining information includes : participant observation , in-depth interviews or an in-depth analysis of a single case.  DESCRIPTIVE VS EXPLANATORY VS PREDICTIVE RESEARCH Descriptive/exploratory research: It emphasizes the accurate description of some aspect of society.The researcher assesses specific characteristics of individuals , groups , situations. Descriptive research puts forward the 'what‘ questions. Explanatory research: It's primary goal is to understand or to explain relationship , it uses correlation to study relationship between dimensions or characteristics of individuals, group ,situations or event Explanatory research puts forward the 'why' question. Predictive research: This type of research moves beyond explanation to the prediction of precise relationship between dimensions or characteristics of a phenomenon or difference between groups.  BASIC VS APPLED RESEARCH Basic research: It focusses on understanding phenomena of interest. It is aimed to improve scientific theories for improved understanding or prediction of natural or other phenomena. It is conducted to accumulate information, extending the base of knowledge in a discipline to improve understanding or to formulate a theory. It is appropriate for discovering general principles of human behavior and bio-physiological processes. Applied research: This type of research is focused on finding an immediate solution. It is a form of systematic inquiry involving the practical application of science. It assesses and uses some part of the research communities accumulated theories, knowledge, methods and theories.  Psychological Research and it’s goals Psychological research refers to research that psychologists conduct to research and analyze the experiences and behaviors of individuals or groups. Their research can have educational, occupational, and clinical applications. The main goals of psychological research are : 1. Description 2. Explanation 3. Prediction 4. Control  Description Description represents the first step towards the generation of new knowledge since it is only by means of accurate description of a phenomenon that the real shape of a problem may become clear. The construction of a description is thus the first step towards probing more deeply into a scientific question. Accurate description always requires careful observation of the phenomenon being studied. Psychological researchers use a range of research methods to help describe behavior including observation, case studies, surveys, self report measures etc.  Explanation Scientific explanations frequently take the form of theories. It is important to know why and how some phenomena take place. Explanation is achieved when the cause or causes of a phenomenon are identified. Researchers are interested in the conditions under which the phenomena occurs or fails to occur, and in the kinds of natural processes on which it is based. It is through the construction and evaluation of answers to questions on these matters that one’s knowledge of the world develops incrementally.  Prediction Another primary goal of psychology is to make predictions about how we think and act. Once we understand more about what happens and why it happens, we can use that information to make predictions about when, why, and how it might happen again in the future. There is a close and two-way connection between prediction and explanation. The existence of a theory that explains some phenomenon is also quite likely to permit predictions to be made, and conversely, the ability to make an accurate prediction implies that some degree of understanding of the phenomenon has already been achieved. Clearly, prediction can be only as good as the accuracy of the underpinning theory. Thus a process of generating new predictions and then checking them out provides a very practical test of the explanatory power of a theory and represents the principal way in which the theories and refined and developed.  Control A theory that possesses good predictive power may also allow control to be exercised over the phenomena it deals with. If a phenomenon can be explained in detail so that accurate predictions can be made, then it may also be possible to manipulate it at will. But this is not possible for all areas of knowledge. In psychology, the possibility of controlling human behavior and experience exists in some applied areas of the discipline.  STEPS OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IDENTIFY A PROBLEM The process of knowledge generation can only begin once something has been defined. The problem can be identified by casual observation and scientific communication. DEVELOP A HYPOTHESIS Once a problem has been identified , a research hypothesis may be developed.Development of hypothesis is an initial explanation proposed for the phenomena in question. FORM A PREDICTION FROM THE HYPOTHESIS: Forming a specific prediction is a precise and testable statement about what data can be expected to be found if the hypothesis is correct TEST THE PREDICTION:COLLECT AND ANALYSE DATA The researcher need to select a method of research that is appropriate to the problem and then use it to collect information. The raw data need to be processed in order to find out whether the prediction was correct. EVALUATE THE RESULT The decision about whether a prediction has been confirmed involves comparing the predictions against the data obtained. DEVELOP A THEORY The ultimate goal of science is the development of theory, a theori is essentially an explanation that encapsulates current knowledge and represents what we know about the given topic.  Strengths of scientific research. The greatest advantage of the scientific method is in its objectivity. The central idea is that the techniques used to generate and collect the data are replicable, which means that the research can be repeated and that, if it is, it will yield similar results. Research conducted using the scientific method is controlled, which means that every effort is made to remove all variables, except for those under study. One or more factors is then varied (the independent variables), and the effect that this has on the dependent variable is observed. This allows researchers to establish a causal link (if any) between these two sets of variables.  Limitations of scientific research. One of the key disadvantages of the scientific method is the difficulty of replicating real- world scenarios in the lab. As a result of this, the findings of the study may not be generalised. The world we live in on a daily basis does not have carefully controlled variables, and other factors can influence our behaviour, which are not present in a lab setting. This can lead to explanations of behaviour becoming over-simplified. For example, the behaviourist school of thought disregarded all internal mental processes, focusing entirely on observable behaviour instead. However, human beings have complex internal lives that can have a huge impact on their behaviour.