1. Research Methods & Design in Psychology Lecture 1 Introduction to Survey Research Lecturer: James Neill

2. Overview Purpose Goals Types Topics Advantages Disadvantages

3. Two broad purposes of research: information gathering theory testing and building Purpose of Research

4. Survey Research Goals Exploratory –“What psychological issues are being faced by Asian Tsunami survivors?” Descriptive –“Working conditions (hours, pay, etc.) of psychologists” Explanatory –“Are extraverts happier?” Predictive –“Does a couple’s length of time together prior to having children predict relationship satisfaction after having children?”

5. Experimental –Control over extraneous variables –random assignment Quasi-experimental –Control over some extraneous variables –Non-random assignment Non-experimental –Minimal control over extraneous variables Types of Research

6. Surveys are widely used in non-experimental social science research Often use interviews or questionnaires Involve real-world samples Often quantitative, but can be qualitative Survey Research Characteristics

7. Common topics in survey research –Demographics –Attitudes and opinions –Behaviours –Motivation and personality –Emotion, satisfaction, stress, etc.

8. Advantages of survey-based research Ecological validity Access to wide range of participants Potentially large amounts of data May be more ethical (than experiments)

9. Disadvantages of survey-based research Lack of control - less internal validity Self-report data only Potentially low compliance rates