FIELD METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY
MODULE 2: WHAT, WHY, AND HOW OF PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH
UNIT 1: Research Subject, Aims and Hypothesis
A. What is the Subject Matter of Psychological Research (Coolican, 2017)
- Psychology is the science of behaviour.
- Science is not just about people wearing white coats and studying microscopic organisms.
- It is a system of thought that lead us to a rational explanation of how things work in the world and
a process of getting closer to truths and further from myths, fables, and unquestionable or intuitive
ideas about people.
- Another point to emphasize is that we may not be ‘doing’ actual science but we can always choose
to think scientifically when understanding behavioural phenomena.
- Each major ‘schools’ of psychology (Psycho-analytic, Behaviourist, Cognitive Humanist etc.)
would see the focus for its subject matter differently - behaviour, the conscious mind, even the
unconscious mind.
- Different investigatory methods have been developed by different schools.
- The initial raw data which psychologists gather directly from humans can only be observed
behaviour (including physiological responses) or language (verbal report).
B. Aims in Research (Howitt and cramer)
Let us first examine some broad research objectives in psychology and decide what each of them
contributes.
Broad research objectives Aims Examples / Techniques
Descriptive or Exploratory To describe in detail the Qualitative studies, Case Studies,
studies characteristics and features of the Content Analysis
phenomenon. Descriptions require
that we categorize in some way the
observations are made
Evaluation or outcome To test the effectiveness of a Studies to test the effectiveness
studies particular feature or intervention. of psychotherapeutic treatments
(randomized controlled trials).
They tend to have purely empirical
objectives without attempting to test This frequently seeks to examine
theoretical propositions or ideas. whether an intervention has had
They often do not seek to develop its intended effect.
theory.
Meta - Analytic studies Statistically summarize and analyse Meta-analysis - systematic and
the results of the range of studies structured way using statistical
which have investigated a particulartechniques. A powerful
topic. integrative tool using effect sizes
combine and differentiate
Meta-analysis does this in a between the findings of a number
systematic and structured way using of data analyses.
statistical techniques
MODULE 2: WHAT, WHY, AND HOW OF PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH
UNIT 1: Research Subject, Aims and Hypothesis
A. What is the Subject Matter of Psychological Research (Coolican, 2017)
- Psychology is the science of behaviour.
- Science is not just about people wearing white coats and studying microscopic organisms.
- It is a system of thought that lead us to a rational explanation of how things work in the world and
a process of getting closer to truths and further from myths, fables, and unquestionable or intuitive
ideas about people.
- Another point to emphasize is that we may not be ‘doing’ actual science but we can always choose
to think scientifically when understanding behavioural phenomena.
- Each major ‘schools’ of psychology (Psycho-analytic, Behaviourist, Cognitive Humanist etc.)
would see the focus for its subject matter differently - behaviour, the conscious mind, even the
unconscious mind.
- Different investigatory methods have been developed by different schools.
- The initial raw data which psychologists gather directly from humans can only be observed
behaviour (including physiological responses) or language (verbal report).
B. Aims in Research (Howitt and cramer)
Let us first examine some broad research objectives in psychology and decide what each of them
contributes.
Broad research objectives Aims Examples / Techniques
Descriptive or Exploratory To describe in detail the Qualitative studies, Case Studies,
studies characteristics and features of the Content Analysis
phenomenon. Descriptions require
that we categorize in some way the
observations are made
Evaluation or outcome To test the effectiveness of a Studies to test the effectiveness
studies particular feature or intervention. of psychotherapeutic treatments
(randomized controlled trials).
They tend to have purely empirical
objectives without attempting to test This frequently seeks to examine
theoretical propositions or ideas. whether an intervention has had
They often do not seek to develop its intended effect.
theory.
Meta - Analytic studies Statistically summarize and analyse Meta-analysis - systematic and
the results of the range of studies structured way using statistical
which have investigated a particulartechniques. A powerful
topic. integrative tool using effect sizes
combine and differentiate
Meta-analysis does this in a between the findings of a number
systematic and structured way using of data analyses.
statistical techniques
