Research Methods in Psychology : A Handbook

by Schweigert, Wendy A.

• ISBN13: 9781577664154
• ISBN10: 1577664159
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-02-15
• Publisher: Waveland Pr Inc

Summary

"Perfect as a main text or as a supplement, this versatile handbook is ideal for psychology courses devoted specifically to research methods as well as for more general psychology courses with a research component. Each chapter independently covers a commonly used research method, giving instructors the flexibility to assign chapters in a way that meets the needs of their own classes. Chapter outlines, concept questions and exercises (along with a selected set of answers), lists of important terms and concepts, and clearly written explanations of basic statistical techniques supplemented with illustrative statistical tables are among the book's many outstanding features. Basic guidelines of how to write, format, and publish results demonstrate an astute, hands-on approach to conducting research in psychology."--BOOK JACKET.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Introduction to the Scientific Method	1	(20)
Ways of Knowing	3	(8)
Intuition and Superstition	4	(1)
Authority	4	(1)
Rational-Inductive Argument	5	(1)
The Scientific Method	6	(5)
The Objectives of Science and the Scientific Method	11	(1)
Description as a Research Objective	11	(1)
Explanation and Prediction as Research Objectives	11	(1)
Control as a Research Objective	12	(1)
A Word about Theories	12	(3)
Research Criticism	15	(1)
Summary	16	(5)
Ethics in Research	21	(20)
Ethical Treatment of Research Participants	22	(12)
Ethical Treatment of Human Participants	22	(10)
Ethical Treatment of Animal Participants	32	(2)
Ethics and the Reporting of Research Results	34	(3)
Ethics and the Sponsorship of Research	36	(1)
Summary	37	(4)
The Research Process	41	(22)
Reliability and Validity	43	(3)
Internal Validity and Confounds	43	(1)
External Validity	44	(2)
Hypotheses	46	(2)
Hypothesis Testing	48	(6)
Errors in Hypothesis Testing	48	(3)
The Probability of a Type I Error	51	(1)
The Probability of a Type II Error	52	(1)
Why We Don't Accept the Null Hypothesis	53	(1)
How To Do Science	54	(3)
Summary	57	(6)
The Role of Statistics in Research	63	(18)
Scales of Measurement	64	(4)
Nominal Scale	65	(1)
Ordinal Scale	65	(1)
Interval Scale	66	(1)
Ratio Scale	67	(1)
Importance of Scales of Measurement	67	(1)
Types of Statistical Techniques	68	(8)
Describing the Data	68	(3)
Measures of Relationships	71	(3)
Comparing Groups	74	(2)
Summary	76	(5)
Introduction to Experimentation and the Between-Groups Design	81	(16)
Experiments versus Correlational Studies	81	(6)
Equivalent Groups	83	(3)
Control over Extraneous Variables	86	(1)
Internal Validity and Confounds	87	(5)
Experimenter Bias and Demand Characteristics	87	(1)
Instrumentation Effects	88	(1)
Subject Mortality	89	(1)
Comparable Treatment of Groups	89	(1)
Sensitivity of the Dependent Variable	90	(2)
Summary	92	(5)
The Within-Subjects Design	97	(18)
Types of Within-Subjects Designs	98	(1)
Benefits of the Within-Subjects Design	99	(2)
Disadvantages of the Within-Subjects Design	101	(3)
Counterbalancing	104	(5)
Complete-Within-Subjects Design	104	(3)
Incomplete Within-Subjects Design	107	(2)
Summary	109	(6)
Factorial Designs	115	(16)
Using a Factorial Design	116	(6)
Interpreting Main Effects	119	(1)
Graphing the Cell Means	120	(2)
Other Types of Two-Factor Designs	122	(2)
Other Higher-Order Designs and Their Interactions	124	(2)
Summary	126	(5)
Using Natural Settings: Observational Studies and Field Experiments	131	(20)
Observational Research Designs	132	(1)
Uses of Observational Studies	132	(1)
Two Types of Observational Research Designs	132	(4)
Naturalistic Observation	133	(1)
Participant Observation	134	(2)
Field Experiments	136	(1)
Problems and Pitfalls of Observational Studies	137	(3)
Influence of the Observer on Behavior	137	(1)
Expectancy Effects	138	(1)
Biases Resulting from the Use of Nonhuman Observers	139	(1)
Choosing the Type of Observational Design	140	(1)
Data Collection	140	(1)
Reliability	140	(1)
Techniques for Data Collection	141	(3)
Narrative Records	141	(2)
Checklists	143	(1)
Types of Data Collected	144	(1)
Sampling Techniques	145	(2)
Behavior Sampling	145	(1)
Situation Sampling	146	(1)
Summary	147	(4)
Mail Surveys, Telephone Surveys, and Personal Interviews	151	(24)
Surveys: How and Why To Use Them	152	(8)
Mail Surveys	153	(3)
Group-Administered Surveys	156	(1)
Telephone Surveys	156	(1)
Personal Interviews	157	(3)
Survey Construction	160	(6)
Layout of Questions	160	(1)
Wording of Questions	161	(4)
Survey Development	165	(1)
Sampling Techniques	166	(3)
Summary	169	(6)
Quasi-Experimental Designs	175	(14)
Types of Quasi-Experimental Designs	176	(5)
Nonequivalent-Control-Group Designs	177	(1)
Time-Series Designs	177	(4)
Threats to Internal Validity of Quasi-Experimental Designs	181	(2)
Summary	183	(6)
Single-Subject Designs	189	(20)
Types of Single-Subject Designs	192	(10)
Baseline Measures	192	(3)
Single-Subject Time-Series Designs	195	(1)
Reversal Design	196	(2)
Alternating-Treatments Design	198	(1)
Multiple-Baselines Design	198	(2)
Changing-Criterion Design	200	(2)
Threats to the Internal Validity of Single-Subject Designs	202	(1)
Summary	203	(6)
Physical Traces and Archival Data: Two Nonreactive Measurement Techniques	209	(12)
Physical Traces	210	(3)
Traces	210	(1)
Products	211	(1)
Concerns with Physical Trace Studies	211	(1)
Ethical Considerations	212	(1)
Archival Data Investigations	213	(4)
Concerns with Archival Data Studies	214	(2)
Ethical Considerations	216	(1)
Summary	217	(4)
Appendix A: Basic Statistical Techniques	221	(35)
Appendix B: Statistical Tables	256	(14)
Appendix C: Empirical Research Reports in Psychology	270	(21)
Glossary	291	(16)
Bibliography	307	(4)
Index	311