1. Research in Psychology

2. Quantitative Methods  Quantitative: experiments and studies gathering data with questionnaires and analyzing results with correlations Seek objective knowledge, gather data with numbers  Have 7 qualities: intended to be narrow, objective, artificial, highly structured, do not show context of real life, reliable, and have low researcher influence

3. Qualitative Methods  Qualitative: case studies, interviews, observations Seek meaning and context, do not quantify human characteristics  7 key qualities: (opposite of quantitative) provide a range of information, are subjective, reflect the natural environment, loosely structured, show context of real life, have low reliability, and have high researcher influence

4. Aim, Procedure, Findings  Aim – purpose of study, what will be studied  Target population – group you wish to generalize your finding to  Procedure – step by step process to carry out the study, must be able to replicate  Findings – how researcher interpreted the data, always open to debate (flaws, bias, other findings, application to various groups?)

5. Participants  Participants - people who are in the study  Sample – can’t study the whole target population, so a portion is selected  Representative sample – a subsample that represents the target population  Size matters – too small of a sample can lead to skewed results

6. Representative Sampling  Allows the researcher to generalize the finding to a larger group  Rarely used (difficult to do)  Most appropriate for quantitative studies  Representative sampling is the only kind that allows for the statistical generalization of study results outside the sample  Two examples: Simple random sampling Stratified random sampling

7. Simple Random Sampling - Every member of the target population has an equal chance of being selected. -Assign everyone in the target population a #, then randomly select numbers.  Obtain a representative sample  Often the most desirable sampling method  Easier to generalize findings to larger populations  Random sample may accidentally over represent different groups

8. Systematic Random Sampling  Researcher randomly picks the first subject from the population (must have equal chance of being first subject chosen)  Then each n’th subject from the list will be selected  More simple than simple random sampling  Population will be evenly sampled

9. Stratified Random Sampling  Target population is divided into subcategories that represent a proportion of the total population  Draw random samples from each subpopulation within the target population (ex. IB students 5%)  More accurate reflection of the actual distribution of population  Very time-consuming process

10. Opportunity Sampling sample whoever happens to be there  Easy way to get participants  Often used at universities with undergraduate students  Great chance for bias  What type of people are they?  Is there a gender imbalance?  College students are not typical of the larger population, harder to generalize findings

11. Self-selected Sample made up of volunteers  Relatively easy to obtain  Most likely highly motivated  Rarely reflect the more general population  Not clear the results can apply to people outside the group

12. Snowball Sampling Participants recruit others from friends and family  Used in social psychology  Makes it easier to access participants  Can lack participant variability  Participants will share common traits that may bias the outcome of the study

13. Ethics  Participants should be treated in an ethical manner  Informed Consent is required  Slight deception is allowed if it doesn’t cause stress and it’s explained at end  Debrief the aims and purpose so participant doesn’t leave with stress

14. Ethics  Right to withdraw from a study at any time  All information is confidential  Protection from potential physical or mental harm

15. Triangulation  Make sure there is enough evidence to make valid claims  Studying theories from more than one viewpoint  Greater certainty about findings if similar findings emerge from research using other methods, samples, and data sources

16. 6 Types of Triangulation  Method: use a variety of methods  Time: use a variety of time periods (longitudinal studies)  Observer: research by variety of investigators  Theory: when similar theories have support  Space: study various cultures  Combined levels: (individual, group, society) interpretation of research should span all levels

17. Validity of Findings  Validity – does the research do what it claims to do? Does it test what it claims to test?  Ecological Validity – study represents what happens in real life. If participants do things in a lab that they wouldn’t do in real life, then it lacks ecological validity  Cross-cultural validity – is the research relevant to other cultures or ethnocentric (based on the values and beliefs of one culture)?

18. Reliability of Findings  Reliable – the results can be replicated  For experimental study – procedure is standardized, so another researcher should get the exact same results