Principles and Methods of Social Research

by Crano; William D.

• ISBN13: 9780805839043
• ISBN10: 0805839046
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2001-12-01
• Publisher: Lawrence Erlbau

Summary

An extensive revision, this classic text presents the most recent advances in social research design and methodology. The authors thoroughly describe the research process using methods derived from basic principles of scientific inquiry and demonstrate how they apply to the study of human behavior. These applications make it an indispensable resource for all fields of human social research, particularly communication, psychology, public health, and marketing. With a heavy emphasis on reliability and validity, the book considers experimental, quasi-experimental, and survey research designs in light of these qualities. Principles and Methods of Social Research is noted for its: *emphasis on understanding the principles that govern the use of a method to facilitate the researcher's choice of the proper methodological approach; *use of the laboratory experiment as a point of reference for describing and evaluating field experiments, correlational designs, quasi-experiments, and survey designs; and *unique chapter on the ethics of social research including the power a researcher wields and tips on how to use it responsibly. Highlights of the thoroughly expanded and updated edition include: *new chapters on meta-analysis and social cognition methods; * the latest on experimental operations and procedures, such as implicit measures, simulations, and Internet experiments; * expanded coverage of conducting experiments outside of the lab, including conducting experiments on the Web and on applied evaluation research methods, including efficacy and effectiveness research. Intended as a text for upper-level and graduate courses in research methods in social psychology, the social sciences, communications, and public health research. No previous methods courses are required.

Author Biography

Dr. William D. Crano is Professor of Psychology at Claremont Graduate University in California. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, as well as a past president of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology. He received his Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Northwestern University. Dr. Marilynn B. Brewer is a Professor and Eminent Scholar of Social Psychology at Ohio State University. She has served as President of the American Psychological Society, the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, and the Psychological Study of Social Issues as well as editor for Personality and Social Psychology Review. The 1995 recipient of the Kurt Lewin Memorial Award from SPSSI, Dr. Brewer is currently an associate editor of Psychological Review. She received her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Northwestern University

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
I Introduction to Social Research Methods	1	(58)
Basic Concepts	3	(14)
Fitting Research Design to Research Purpose: Internal and External Validity	17	(19)
Measuring Concepts: Reliability and Validity	36	(23)
II Research Design Strategies	59	(136)
Designing Experiments: Variations on the Basics	61	(15)
Constructing Laboratory Experiments	76	(20)
External Validity of Laboratory Experiments	96	(16)
Conducting Experiments Outside the Laboratory	112	(13)
Correlational Design and Causal Analysis	125	(21)
Quasi-Experiments and Evaluation Research	146	(23)
Survey Design and Sampling	169	(26)
III Data Collection Methods	195	(134)
Systematic Observational Methods and Naturalistic Research	197	(26)
Interviewing	223	(22)
Content Analysis	245	(19)
Scaling Stimuli: Social Psychophysics	264	(13)
Scaling Individuals: Questionnaire Design and Rating Scale Construction	277	(16)
Social Cognition Methods: Measuring Implicit Thoughts and Feelings	293	(18)
Methods for Assessing Dyads and Groups	311	(18)
IV Concluding Perspectives	329	(30)
Synthesizing Research Results: Meta-Analysis	331	(13)
Social Responsibility and Ethics in Social Research	344	(15)
References	359	(40)
Author Index	399	(12)
Subject Index	411