Introduction to research methods in psychology

Description

Cover Contents Guided tour Introduction Acknowledgements Part 1 The basics of research 1 The role of research in psychology Overview 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Reading 1.3 Evaluating the evidence 1.4 Inferring causality 1.5 Types of research and the assessment of causality 1.6 Practice 1.7 Conclusion Key points Activities 2 Aims and hypotheses in research Overview 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Types of study 2.3 Aims of research 2.4 Research hypotheses 2.5 Four types of hypothesis 2.6 Difficulties in formulating aims and hypotheses 2.7 Conclusion Key points Activities 3 Variables, concepts and measures Overview 3.1 Introduction 3.2 The history of the variable in psychology 3.3 Types of variable 3.4 Independent and dependent variables 3.5 Measurement characteristics of variables 3.6 Stevens’ theory of scales of measurement 3.7 Operationalising concepts and variables 3.8 Conclusion Key points Activities 4 The problems of generalisation and decision-making in research: Chance findings and sample size Overview 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Universalism 4.3 Sampling and generalisation 4.4 Statistics and generalisation 4.5 Directional and non-directional hypotheses again 4.6 More on the similarity between measures of effect (difference) and association 4.7 Sample size and size of association 4.8 Conclusion Key points Activities 5 Research reports: The total picture Overview 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Overall strategy of report writing 5.3 The sections of the research report in detail 5.4 Conclusion Key points Activities 6 Examples of how to writeresearch reports Overview 6.1 Introduction 6.2 A poorly written practical report 6.3 Analysis of the report 6.4 An improved version of the report 6.5 Conclusion Key points Activity 7 The literature search Overview 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Library classification systems 7.3 Electronic databases 7.4 Obtaining articles not in your library 7.5 Personal bibliographic database software 7.6 Conclusion Key points Activities 8 Ethics and data management in research Overview 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Ethics: general principles 8.3 Research ethics 8.4 Ethics and publication 8.5 Obtaining the participant’s consent 8.6 Data management 8.7 Conclusion Key points Activities Part 2 Quantitative research methods 9 The basic laboratory experiment Overview 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Characteristics of the true or randomised experiment 9.3 More advanced research designs 9.4 Conclusion Key points Activity 10 Advanced experimental design Overview 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Multiple levels of the independent variable 10.3 Multiple dependent variables 10.4 Factorial designs 10.5 The psychology and social psychology of the laboratory experiment 10.6 Conclusion Key points Activities 11 Cross-sectional or correlational research: Non-manipulation studies Overview 11.1 Introduction 11.2 Cross-sectional designs 11.3 The case for non-manipulation studies 11.4 Key concepts in the analysis of cross-sectional studies 11.5 Conclusion Key points Activities 12 Longitudinal studies Overview 12.1 Introduction 12.2 Panel designs 12.3 Different types of third variable 12.4 Analysis of non-experimental designs 12.5 Conclusion Key points Activities 13 Sampling and population surveys Overview 13.1 Introduction 13.2 Types of probability sampling 13.3 Non-probability sampling 13.4 National surveys 13.5 Socio-demographic characteristics of samples 13.6 Sample size and population surveys 13.7 Conclusion Key points Activities Part 3 Fundamentals of testing and measurement 14 Psychological tests: Their use and construction Overview 14.1 Introduction 14.2 The concept of a scale 14.3 Scale construction 14.4 Item analysis or factor analysis? 14.5 Other considerations in test construction 14.6 Conclusion Key points Activities 15 Reliability and validity: Evaluating the value of tests and measures Overview 15.1 Introduction 15.2 Reliability of measures 15.3 Validity 15.4 Types of validity 15.5 Conclusion Key points Activity 16 Coding data Overview 16.1 Introduction 16.2 Types of coding 16.3 Reliability and validity 16.4 Qualitative coding 16.5 Conclusion Key points Activities Part 4 Qualitative research methods 17 Why qualitative research? Overview 17.1 Introduction 17.2 What is qualitative research? 17.3 History of the qualitative/quantitative divide in psychology 17.4 The quantification–qualitative methods continuum 17.5 Evaluation of qualitative versus quantitative methods 17.6 Conclusion Key points Activity 18 Qualitative data collection Overview 18.1 Introduction 18.2 Major qualitative data collection approaches 18.3 Conclusion Key points Activities 19 Transcribing language data: The Jefferson system Overview 19.1 Introduction 19.2 Jefferson transcription 19.3 Advice for transcribers 19.4 Conclusion Key points Activities 20 Thematic analysis Overview 20.1 Introduction 20.2 What is thematic analysis? 20.3 A basic approach to thematic analysis 20.4 A more sophisticated version of thematic analysis 20.5 Conclusion Key points Activity 21 Grounded theory Overview 21.1 Introduction 21.2 Development of grounded theory 21.3 Data in grounded theory 21.4 How to do grounded theory analysis 21.5 Computer grounded theory analysis 21.6 Evaluation of grounded theory 21.7 Conclusion Key points Activity 22 Discourse analysis Overview 22.1 Introduction 22.2 Important characteristics of discourse 22.3 The agenda of discourse analysis 22.4 Doing discourse analysis 22.5 Conclusion Key points Activities 23 Conversation analysis Overview 23.1 Introduction 23.2 Precepts of conversation analysis 23.3 Stages in conversation analysis 23.4 Conclusion Key points 24 Interpretative phenomenological analysis Overview 24.1 Introduction 24.2 Philosophical foundations of interpretative phenomenological analysis 24.3 Stages in interpretative phenomenological analysis 24.4 Conclusion Key points Activities 25 Evaluating and writing up qualitative research Overview 25.1 Introduction 25.2 Evaluating qualitative research 25.3 Validity 25.4 Criteria for novices 25.5 Conclusion Key points Activities Part 5 Research for projects, dissertations and theses 26 Developing ideas for research Overview 26.1 Introduction 26.2 Why not a replication study? 26.3 Choosing a research topic 26.4 Sources of research ideas 26.5 Conclusion Key points Activity Glossary References Index