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Summary Research Methodology - Numerus Fixus RuG Psychology
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Summary of the Research Methodology chapter for the numerus fixus test of the psychology course at the University of Groningen.
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INTRODUCTIE IN DE PSYCHOLOGIE HOOFDSTUK 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGYBy understanding how psychologists study human behavior and mental processes, you will learn how to
interpret information that is presented to you.
HOW IS THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD USED IN PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH?
Empiricism is the approach that says that you only gain knowledge by observing the world and measuring
aspects of it. Empirical research involves data collection and analysis and requires carefully planned, systematic
steps. By using scientific methods psychologists can be confident their results provide a true understanding of
mental activities and behavior. The best possible evidence for supporting a claim is via empirical research.
2.1 SCIENCE HAS THREE PRIMARY GOALS
Psychological scientists use research to describe what a phenomenon is, predict where and when it will occur,
and explain the mechanisms behind why it occurs. The goals of science are description, prediction and
explanation.
Prevalence: ‘the total number of individuals in a population who have a disease or health condition at a specific
period of time, usually expressed as a percentage of the population’
Research involves the careful collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, which are measurements during
the research process. While conducting research, researchers follow a systematic procedure called the
scientific method. It begins with observing a phenomenon and asking why it occurred.
This is the scientific method. It is a
cyclical process. One or more
testable hypotheses are needed
according to the theory. Sound
research produces findings that can
reevaluated and adjust the theory. A
good theory evolves over time, and
that will result in an increasingly
accurate model.
The role of theory. The scientific
method is an interaction among
research, theory and hypotheses. A
theory is an explanation or model of
how a phenomenon works. It
consists of interconnected ideas or
concepts. It is used to describe prior observations and make predictions about future ones. A hypothesis is a
testable prediction that is narrower than the theory it is based on. A good theory should be falsifiable. It should
be testable that the hypothesis could be wrong. Understanding of a phenomenon is enhanced when evidence
supports a theory and when it does not.
Occam’s razor or The law of parsimony: When two theories try to explain the same concept the simpler
explained theory is preferred. Simplicity is also preferred when creating a good theory.
2.2 THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD IS A SYSTEMATIC WAY TO TEST HYPOTHESES
Seven steps that define the scientific method:
, Step 1: Pose a specific, testable research question.
It makes sense to start with a basic question that directly tackles the theory.
Step 2: Educate yourself about what is already known about the theory.
To find what other research uncovered about a subject you can conduct a literature review. Different
databases can help you find if other researchers have tested the same or similar ideas. You can find the
literature by using keywords.
Step 3: Form a hypothesis that will guide your study.
Based on the knowledge you gained in the literature review you design tests aimed at examining the theory’s
prediction. Results that are consistent with a good hypothesis can provide support for your theory. Results that
are inconsistent can be taken as evidence against your hypothesis.
Step 4: Design a study.
You choose which research method you want to use to test your hypothesis. You could use a survey,
naturalistic observation or perform an actual experiment for example. All of them have positives and negatives.
Step 5: Conduct the study
After choosing the research method, you conduct the study. You recruit participants and measure their
response. This is also known as data collection/gathering. All types of research involve variables. It is something
in the world that can vary and can be manipulated, measured or both by the researcher (age, peer-pressure,
number of usages, etc.). That’s why it is important to have clear operational definitions. They qualify (describe)
and quantify (measure) variables so they can be understood. It shows exactly what the researchers
manipulated and how they did so, and how to measure the results. It makes it possible for other researchers to
conduct a similar study. Clearly defining when somebody is a friend is an example of making an operational
definition (what if person A says they’re friends with person B, but not vice versa?)
Step 6: Analyze the data
First, describe the data. What is the average? How often did that occur? etc. Second, you want to know what
conclusion you can draw from your data. Using statistical methods can help you know whether your results are
meaningful or happened by chance.
Step 7: Report the results
For other people to use the information, it needs to be reported. Scientists make their findings public to benefit
society, support scientific culture, and permit other scientists to build on their work. Brief reports (sort studies)
can be presented at conferences on a poster for example. Full reports can be published in peer-review scientific
journals or on a preprint server, where other researchers can comment on the work.
Peer review is a process by which other scientists with similar expertise evaluate and critique research reports.
It provides a check for quality of the methods and validity of the conclusions. Preprint are becoming more and
more popular because it allows the researcher to present the results to the field and the general public faster
than they would in scientific journals. Preprints can be reviewed, and can be peer reviewed after made public.
A full report consists of the background and significance of the research, the full methodology for how the
question was studied, the complete results of the statistical analyses, and a discussion of what the results mean
in relation to the accumulated body of scientific evidence. The results of the results are ideally attractive to the
media and public reading the research. Scientists are increasingly communicating directly to general audiences
through blogs, social media and video-presentations.
2.3 THE SCIENTIFIC METHODY IS CYCLICAL
If the study used appropriate methods and data analysis to test the hypothesis, data either supports the theory
or suggests that the theory needs to be modified or discarded. Confidence in scientific findings increase once
the results are replicated.
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