Understanding the Basics of Research Methods Part I

What is Research ? The main motivation of research is to answer questions, solve problems or to expand man’s knowledge. It involves the gathering of data, facts and other information Experiments are the purest research.

Informal Research Reading a book of any sort, surfing the internet or watching the news is a kind of research. Even just watching the way someone acts is research. This research just reviews the facts, though. It can’t prove anything. It is not scientific. Informal research is a review of information and does not use the scientific method.

Scientific Research True research always involves the scientific method. Scientific research answers specifically designed questions. Research is driven by a researcher’s curiosity or interest in answering that specific question in a way that can be scientifically proven.

Research is an ORGANIZED and SYSTEMATIC way of FINDING ANSWERS to QUESTIONS. Scientific Research…

THE QUESTION The primary purpose of research is to focus on relevant, and useful questions. The question gives a study ; focus, drive, and purpose. If there is no defined question, then the research will lack direction and it would be difficult to find answers.

Question Examples Bad Example: ◦ Why does sugar make me fat? Good Example ◦ At what excess of the dietary recommended allowance of sugar, will person gain ___% of their body weight after 1 year?

Organized: A study is a planned procedure. It is focused and limited to a specific scope. Structure: method in performing experiment Systematic: Definite set of procedures with a step by step process in order to get accurate results &… FIND ANSWERS (goal of all research)

Understanding Research Design

Research Design : method & design to answer question Study Question Study Hypothesis –The “Why” behind the question. It includes the reasoning that guides the study parameters (design). Study Design/Parameters how, what, where,when, whom- THE TYPE OF EXPERIMENT

Research Terms

Hypothesis/Study Reasoning An educated explanation or guess of why this study is being done.  Will include background information behind the hypothesis. Population Study subjects- people, cells, animals

The Sample A subset of the population whom you are studying. * You must choose a sample because it would be next to impossible to study every single subject.

Examples of Samples Representative Sample- A sample that closely resembles the population. Random Sample- A sample chosen according to a random procedure in which every element in the population has an equal chance of being selected.

Sampling Concerns How big is the sample? 6 vs. 50,000 (for example) How was the sample selected? -Were they chosen in a way that would affect the results? -Did they volunteer? -Were they randomly selected? Are they representative of the population? Was the sample influenced or swayed in anyway that could effect the results. Is there a control group?

Sampling

Validity Reliability When the study findings measure what they say they will measure. Must test your hypothesis. Doing a study over and over again and still getting the same findings or results

Validity means truth

Significance The results don’t just happen by chance. The findings are significant because of the reliability & validity of the experiment.

Study Conclusions/Findings The results of the study What were the findings? How can the results be interpreted? How do the findings relate to the hypothesis? Do the findings lead to the need for more studies? Create more questions? Usually written up at the beginning or end of a research report.

Researcher Affiliation The credentials of the researchers (degrees, specialties, etc) Who do the researchers work for? Is it a reputable research institution? Is there $ involved? Are they published? & What type of journal? Do they use the peer review process?

Peer Review Peer Review-The process of subjecting research to the scrutiny of others who are experts in the same field. Peer Publications- Academic Journals and newsletters read, scrutinized and reviewed by experts in the field. *** This leads to quality control.

Peer Review A well designed study can stand up to peer review and many times the findings lead to more studies. This is how many new discoveries, new medicines, cures for diseases, etc have been found.

Other Terms

Variable s Most studies analyze the relationship between variables. It’s important to identify the variables that the researcher is studying. Usually the variables are closely related to the study question.

Variables A study usually tests or observes if one variable changes in response to another variable. Ex. Students of different ages were given the same jigsaw puzzle to put together. They were timed to see how long it took them to finish the puzzle.

Experiments and variables In an experiment, the independent variable(s) are manipulated to see if any change is produced(caused) in the dependent variable

Independent Variable: The variable(s), that the researcher manipulates is called the independent variable(s) Different ages of students.

Dependent Variable: While the second variable, the variable measured for change, is called the dependent variable. Ex. The time was measured for change.

Confounding Variables An unforeseen and unaccounted-for variable that jeopardizes the reliability and validity of the outcome of a study. Someone has already put this puzzle together 20 times.

Confounding Variable Example A soccer coach wanted to improve the team's playing ability, so he had them run two miles a day. At the same time the players decided to take vitamins. In two weeks the team was playing noticeably better, but the coach and players did not know whether it was from the running or the vitamins. This is confounding…

Study Confounders/Flaws Any Problem with the study design that can change the results. An unaccounted for variable that can change the outcome of a study or bias that was built into the study.

Bias Any partiality in a study that interfere with fair results. Bias in research misleads us into believing in a false relationship between variables.

Bias Bias is so pervasive because we want to confirm our beliefs. The goal of research is to understand the “true” relationship between variables, not what we want or think the relationship should be. There are many ways a study can be biased…. including funding sources, who is doing the study, political motives, core personal beliefs of researchers, measurement and/or design flaws, subject selection, etc. A study can be designed to control for these and other biases.

Placebos Placebo= fake treatment (placebos are meant to control for the placebo effect) Placebo Effect= When a person experiences effects of a treatment during a study when not receiving the actual treatment because they expect to feel different.

Hawthorne Effect Changes that occur in people’s behavior because they know they are being studied. They act differently than they normally do, due to the study itself. This contaminates the results.

The Internet and Research Flaws The Internet is widely used as a research tool. Unfortunately it is easily manipulated as well. The Internet is useful for informal research if it is used with skepticism. Be wary of the source. Check your sources. Doing a search and reading what is found is not research. As a matter of fact, what is found could be totally invalid.

Helpful websites to detect fraud Quackwatch.org

How research goes bad…. When study subjects are harmed. When the public makes harmful decisions based on flawed study results. The study is poorly designed (flawed) It is designed purposely to come out a certain way (biased) The purpose of the study is questionable (profits, political, ethical, etc.) When researchers are more dedicated to their theory than they are to the facts.

Ethics and Research All research is not ethical. Care needs to be taken especially when it comes to experiments. Keep in mind…. - Is there a possibility that this experiment will harm the subjects? - Who is doing or funding the study (will they benefit in anyway from this study?) - What is the “true” purpose of this study?