DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY
DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY The scientific method is a tool that researchers use to generate knowledge and evaluate claims when research findings are reported is characterised by the employment of clearly described empirical procedures rather than reliance (only) on intuition is intended to achieve four main goals description prediction understanding creating change and improvement. DESCRIPTIVE METHODS Observation Sampling behaviour Observation with and without intervention Survey research Correlational research Sampling in survey research Survey methods and research designs Unobtrusive measures of behaviour Physical traces Archival data Observation Observation: Sampling behaviour Often a complete record of behaviour cannot be obtained, so researchers seek to obtain a representative sample of behaviour they are interested in studying. ... Ethology Related to psychology, ethology is generally considered a branch of biology. ... Observation with intervention Most psychological research employs observation with intervention. The three main methods used are Participant observation Structured observation Field experiments Participant observation In participant observation, observers play a dual role: they observe people’s behaviour and participate actively in the situation they are observing. ... The essential difference between field experiments and other observational methods is that researchers exert more control in the former. Are frequently used in social psychology. A confederate is someone in the research situation who is instructed to behave in a certain way in order to create a situation for observing behaviour. ... Survey research Correlational research Assesses relationships among naturally occurring variables with the goal of identifying predictive relationships (middle class children score higher on IQ tests than working class children). ... Survey research Survey research is used to assess people’s thoughts, opinions and feelings. ... Social scientists, such as political scientists, sociologists and social psychologists often use surveys in their research. ... Sampling in survey research A census includes all members of a population (e. ... Survey methods Three methods for obtaining survey data are Mail surveys Personal interviews Telephone interviews Mail surveys Are used to distribute self-administered questionnaires that respondents fill out on their own.