Research Methods In Psychology

by Elmes,David G.

• ISBN13: 9780534609764
• ISBN10: 0534609767
• Additional ISBN(s): 9780534558192, 9781111350741
• Edition: 8th
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-07-15
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing
• More Book Details
• Purchase Benefits

Summary

Using contemporary examples from primary sources, RESEARCH METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY, Eighth Edition encourages students to become engaged in the basics of scientific investigation through an example-based approach. This text displays the authors' commitment to ensuring that the student has a thorough understanding of the research process from the very beginning. Highly readable, it avoids the heavy statistical tone that some introductory students find difficult to understand. Rather, it is conceptually driven to offer students a big picture view of the experimental approach to research. Empirical examples and applications are consistently used throughout to foster critical thinking skills. In many chapters, a unifying empirical example at the beginning of the chapter is cited throughout the chapter to help clarify terms or design problems. By presenting concepts with concrete examples, the text aids students in applying related ideas to their areas of research interest.

Table of Contents

PART I Basics of Scientific Psychology	1	(86)
Overview of Psychological Research	2	(27)
An Investigation of Reading	3	(3)
Introduction and Method	3	(1)
Results and Discussion	4	(2)
Goals of Psychological Research	6	(5)
Conducting Research	6	(1)
Evaluating Research	7	(4)
Sources of Research Ideas	11	(2)
Observation	11	(1)
Experts	11	(1)
Literature Search	12	(1)
Developing Testable Hypotheses	13	(1)
Reviewing the Literature	14	(2)
Conducting Pilot Research	16	(1)
Some Pitfalls to Avoid	16	(5)
Breaches of Ethical Practice	17	(1)
Biased Research	17	(3)
Reliability of Communication	20	(1)
Finishing the Research Project	21	(1)
Summary	22	(1)
Key Concepts	23	(1)
Exercises	23	(1)
Suggested Resources	24	(1)
Web Resources	24	(1)
Laboratory Resource	24	(1)
Psychology in Action	25	(4)
Explanation in Scientific Psychology	29	(27)
Making Sense of the World	30	(2)
Social Loafing	30	(2)
Sources of Understanding	32	(2)
Fixation of Belief	32	(2)
The Nature of Scientific Explanation	34	(5)
Induction and Deduction	34	(5)
From Theory to Hypothesis	39	(9)
What Is a Theory?	41	(1)
Intervening Variables	42	(4)
Evaluating Theories	46	(1)
Foxes and Hedgehogs Roaming Through Psychological Theory	47	(1)
The Science of Psychology	48	(5)
Hard Science as a Model for Experimental Psychology	49	(1)
Psychology and the Real World	49	(4)
Summary	53	(1)
Key Concepts	53	(1)
Exercises	54	(1)
Suggested Resources	54	(1)
Web Resource	54	(1)
Psychology in Action	55	(1)
Exploring the Literature of Psychology	56	(31)
How to Do a Literature Search	57	(3)
The Parts of an Article	60	(7)
Title and Author(s)	60	(1)
Abstract	60	(1)
Introduction	61	(1)
Method	61	(1)
Results	61	(6)
Discussion	67	(1)
References	67	(1)
Checklist for the Critical Reader	67	(4)
Introduction	67	(1)
Method	68	(1)
Results	69	(1)
Discussion	69	(1)
Checklist Summary	70	(1)
A Sample Journal Article	71	(11)
Summary	82	(1)
Key Concepts	83	(1)
Exercise	83	(1)
Suggested Resource	83	(1)
Web Resources	84	(1)
Psychology in Action	84	(3)
PART II Basic Research Methods	87	(100)
Observations in Psychological Research	88	(22)
Descriptive Observation Methods	89	(8)
Naturalistic Observations	91	(4)
The Case Study	95	(2)
Survey Research	97	(1)
Advantages of Descriptive Observations	97	(2)
Sources of Error in Descriptive Research	99	(3)
Reactivity in Descriptive Research	102	(4)
Summary	106	(1)
Key Concepts	107	(1)
Exercises	107	(1)
Suggested Resources	108	(1)
Web Resources	108	(1)
Laboratory Resource	108	(1)
Psychology in Action	108	(2)
Relational Research	110	(21)
Contingency Table Research	111	(3)
Correlational Research	114	(14)
The Correlation Coefficient	114	(7)
Regression	121	(1)
Complex Correlational Procedures	122	(3)
Experimentation and Internal Validity	125	(3)
Summary	128	(1)
Key Concepts	128	(1)
Exercises	128	(1)
Suggested Resource	129	(1)
Web Resources	129	(1)
Laboratory Resources	129	(1)
Psychology in Action	130	(1)
Basics of Experimentation	131	(32)
Experimentation: An Example	132	(2)
What Is an Experiment?	134	(2)
Advantages of Experimentation	136	(2)
Variables in Experimentation	138	(11)
Independent Variables	138	(1)
Dependent Variables	139	(1)
Control Variables	140	(1)
Using Variables	141	(1)
Naming the Variables	141	(3)
More Than One Independent Variable	144	(4)
More Than One Dependent Variable	148	(1)
Possible Sources of Experimental Error	149	(5)
Reactivity in Experimentation	149	(5)
External Validity of the Research Procedure	154	(5)
Participant/Subject Representativeness	154	(2)
Variable Representativeness	156	(1)
Setting Representativeness	157	(2)
Summary	159	(1)
Key Concepts	160	(1)
Exercises	161	(1)
Suggested Resource	161	(1)
Web Resources	161	(1)
Laboratory Resources	161	(1)
Psychology in Action	162	(1)
Validity and Reliability in Psychological Research	163	(24)
Validity	164	(5)
Predictive Validity	164	(1)
Construct Validity	165	(2)
External Validity	167	(1)
Internal Validity	168	(1)
Reliability	169	(5)
Types of Reliability	170	(1)
Statistical Reliability and Validity	171	(1)
Sampling	172	(2)
Meta-analysis	174	(2)
Measurement Procedures	176	(7)
Psychophysics	180	(2)
Psychometrics	182	(1)
Summary	183	(2)
Key Concepts	185	(1)
Exercises	185	(1)
Suggested Resources	185	(1)
Web Resources	185	(1)
Psychology in Action	186	(1)
PART III Advanced Research Topics	187	(90)
Experimental Design	188	(23)
Internal Validity in Experiments	189	(4)
Executive Monkeys	189	(2)
Experiments with LSD	191	(2)
Experimental Design	193	(8)
Between-Subjects Designs	194	(2)
Within-Subjects Designs	196	(5)
Control Conditions	201	(2)
Mixed Designs	203	(1)
Choosing an Experimental Design	203	(4)
Carryover Effects	203	(1)
Individual Differences	204	(1)
Contrasting Between- and Within-Subjects Designs	204	(1)
Design Problems	205	(2)
Summary	207	(1)
Key Concepts	208	(1)
Exercises	208	(1)
Suggested Resources	208	(1)
Web Resources	209	(1)
Laboratory Resources	209	(1)
Psychology in Action	209	(2)
Complex Design	211	(23)
Factorial Designs	212	(10)
A 2 X 2 Experiment in Social Psychology: The Sleeper Effect	212	(5)
Patterns of Interaction	217	(3)
Control in Between-Subjects Factorial Design	220	(2)
Complex Within-Subjects Designs	222	(4)
A Complex Within-Subjects Experiment	222	(4)
Mixed Designs	226	(4)
A Route Guidance Experiment	226	(3)
Memory for ATIS Messages	229	(1)
Summary	230	(1)
Key Concepts	231	(1)
Exercises	231	(1)
Suggested Resource	232	(1)
Web Resource	232	(1)
Laboratory Resource	232	(1)
Psychology in Action	232	(2)
Small-n Experimentation	234	(19)
Small-n Designs	235	(12)
The AB Design	236	(1)
The ABA or Reversal Design	237	(4)
Alternating-Treatments Design	241	(1)
Multiple-Baseline Design	242	(4)
Changing-Criterion Design	246	(1)
Clinical Psychology	247	(2)
A Case Study on Dissociative Identity Disorder	247	(2)
Summary	249	(1)
Key Concepts	249	(1)
Exercises	249	(1)
Suggested Resource	250	(1)
Web Resources	250	(1)
Laboratory Resource	250	(1)
Psychology in Action	250	(3)
Quasi-Experimentation	253	(24)
Internal Validity in Quasi-Experiments	254	(20)
Natural Treatments	254	(1)
One-Shot Case Studies	255	(5)
Interrupted-Time-Series Design	260	(4)
Designs Employing Subject Variables	264	(2)
Matching	266	(5)
Age as a Variable	271	(3)
Summary	274	(1)
Key Concepts	275	(1)
Exercises	275	(1)
Suggested Resources	276	(1)
Web Resources	276	(1)
Psychology in Action	276	(1)
PART IV The Practice of Scientific Psychology	277	(82)
Conducting Ethical Research	278	(22)
Research with Human Participants	279	(9)
Informed Consent and Deception	281	(2)
Freedom to Withdraw	283	(1)
Protection from Harm and Debriefing	284	(1)
Removing Harmful Consequences	285	(1)
Confidentiality	285	(3)
Ethics in Research with Animals	288	(4)
Arguments against Research with Animals	288	(1)
Arguments for Research with Animals	289	(1)
Guidelines for Use of Animals in Research	290	(2)
Scientific Fraud	292	(2)
Monitoring Ethical Practices	294	(1)
Summary	295	(1)
Key Concepts	296	(1)
Exercises	296	(2)
Suggested Resources	298	(1)
Web Resource	298	(1)
Laboratory Resource	298	(1)
Psychology in Action	298	(2)
Interpreting the Results of Research	300	(24)
Interpreting Specific Results	301	(8)
The Problem of Scale Attenuation	301	(4)
Regression Artifacts	305	(4)
Interpreting Patterns of Research	309	(11)
Reliability and Replication	310	(4)
Converging Operations	314	(6)
Summary	320	(1)
Key Concepts	320	(1)
Exercises	321	(1)
Suggested Resources	322	(1)
Web Resource	322	(1)
Laboratory Resource	322	(1)
Psychology in Action	322	(2)
Presenting Research Results	324	(35)
How to Write a Research Report	325	(28)
Format	325	(3)
Sample Manuscript	328	(22)
Style	350	(3)
How to Publish an Article	353	(2)
How to Give an Oral Presentation	355	(2)
Content	355	(1)
Style	356	(1)
How to Give a Poster Presentation	357	(1)
Summary	358	(1)
Key Concepts	358	(1)
Exercise	358	(1)
Web Resources	358	(1)
Statistical Appendices	359	(1)
Appendix A Descriptive Statistics	360	(14)
Descriptive Statistics: Telling It Like It Is	361	(5)
Central Tendency	362	(1)
Measures of Dispersion: Variability in Data	363	(3)
The Normal Distribution	366	(7)
Correlation Coefficient	369	(4)
Additional Information on Descriptive Statistics	373	(1)
Appendix B Inferential Statistics	374	(38)
Statistical Reasoning	375	(36)
Sampling	375	(5)
Testing Hypotheses	380	(7)
Tests for Differences Between Two Groups	387	(9)
The Analysis of Variance	396	(15)
Additional Information on Inferential Statistics	411	(1)
Appendix C Statistical Tables	412	(19)
References	431	(10)
Glossary	441	(10)
Name Index	451	(4)
Subject Index	455