Research Methods in Psychology
Beth Morling
Chapter 1: Psychology Is a Way of Thinking
Research Producers, Research Consumers
Many psychologists engage in both roles.
Why the Producer Role is Important
For your future coursework in psychology, it is important to know how to be a producer of research.
Why the Consumer Role is Important
Whatever you choose to do in life, you will need to know how to interpret published research with a
critical eye. In many professions you use evidence-based treatments, therapies that are supported by
research.
The Benefits of Being a Good Consumer
The benefits of being a good consumer are that you can decide when research supports a certain idea
or program, and when it doesn´t. Then you can decide to use or not to use the idea.
How Scientists Approach their Work
Scientists Are Empiricists
Empiricism involves using evidence from the senses or from instruments that assist the senses as the
basis for conclusions. Empiricists aim to be systematic, rigorous, and to make their work
independently verifiable by others. Empiricism is considered the most reliable basis for conclusions.
The Theory-Data Cycle
In the theory-data cycle scientists collect data to test, change, or update their theories.
THE CUPBOARD THEORY VS. THE CONTACT COMFORT THEORY
Why do animals form such strong attachments to their caregivers? One theory, the cupboard theory, is
that a mother is valuable to a baby mammal because she is a source of food. An alternative theory, the
contact comfort theory, is that the baby is attached to their mother because of the comfort and cozy
touch. In the natural world, the mother provides both food and comfort, so it is impossible to test these
theories. The researcher created to monkey mother of his own. One was cold and hard but had a bottle
of milk. The other was warm and soft but did not have food. There are three possible outcomes, the
baby chooses the comfort mother, the baby chooses the food mother, or the baby divides it´s time over
both mothers. The outcome was that the baby spent 12-18 hours a day with the comfort mother. And
only went to the food mother when it was hungry. The researcher used two theories to make two
specific predictions. Then he used the data he recorded to support only one of the theories.
THEORY, HYPOTHESIS, AND DATA
A theory is a set of statements that describes general principles about how variables relate to one
another. A hypothesis or prediction is the specific outcome a researcher expects to observe in a study
if the theory is accurate. Data are a set of observations.
FEATURES OF GOOD SCIENTIFIC THEORIES
, 1. Good theories are supported by data. A theory that is supported by a large quantity and variety
of research studies is a good theory.
2. Good theories are falsifiable. A theory must lead to hypothesis that, when tested, could
actually fail to support the theory. This is falsifiability.
3. Good theories have parsimony. If two theories explain the data equally well, most scientists
will opt for the simpler theory. This is called parsimony.
THEORIES DON´T PROVE ANYTHING
The word ´prove´ is not used in science. Rather than thinking of a theory as proved or disproved by a
single study, scientists evaluate their theories based on the weight of the evidence, for and against.
Scientists Tackle Applied and Basic Problems
The empirical method can be used for both applied and basic research questions.
Applied research is done with a practical problem in mind. The researchers conduct their work in a
particular real-world context.
Basic research is not intended to address a specific practical problem. The goal is to enhance the
general body of knowledge.
Translational research represents a bridge from basic to applied research. It uses the lessons from basic
research to develop and test applications and solutions for the real world.
Scientists Dig Deeper
Psychological scientists rarely conduct a single investigation and then stop. Instead, each study leads
them to a new question. Such as: ´why does this occur?´ ´when does this happen the most?´ ´for whom
does this apply?´
The Publication Process
When scientists want to share their work with the scientific world, they write a paper and submit it to a
scientific journal. The articles in a scientific journal are peer-reviewed by three or four experts on the
subject. The experts submit their opinions to the editor of the journal, who then decides whether the
paper deserves to be published. The peer-review process in the field of psychology is rigorous and
anonymous. Peer-reviewers are supposed to ensure that the articles published are innovative, well-
done studies without any major flaws. When the article is published other scientists can cite and do
further work on a study, or they can find flaws and publish commentaries or competing studies.
Through publishing their work, scientists make their research transparent, and the scientific
community evaluates it.
From Journal to Journalism
Journalism includes the kind of news and commentary that most of us read or hear on television, in
newspapers, in magazines, or on websites. These are usually written by journalists, not scientists. They
are easy to access and understand. A journalist turns a research study into a news story by
summarizing it, giving it an interesting headline, and writing about it using non-technical terms.
BENEFITS AND RISKS OF JOURNALISM COVERAGE
Benefits:
By reading about psychological research, the general public can learn about what
psychologists really do.
