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PSY-101 Instructor: Lubna Ghazanfar

This document provides an overview of scientific research methods in psychology. It defines science as the observation and investigation of natural phenomena using the scientific method. The scientific method involves asking questions and using logic and empirical evidence to gain answers. Research aims to describe, explain, predict, and control behaviors and involves systematically investigating questions, generating new information, and testing ideas. Key aspects of research include formulating hypotheses, designing studies, analyzing data, and drawing conclusions. The goals of research are description, prediction, explanation, and control. Ethical considerations like informed consent, confidentiality, and debriefing are important to protect research participants.

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Syed Ifran Ejaz
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35 views21 pages

PSY-101 Instructor: Lubna Ghazanfar

This document provides an overview of scientific research methods in psychology. It defines science as the observation and investigation of natural phenomena using the scientific method. The scientific method involves asking questions and using logic and empirical evidence to gain answers. Research aims to describe, explain, predict, and control behaviors and involves systematically investigating questions, generating new information, and testing ideas. Key aspects of research include formulating hypotheses, designing studies, analyzing data, and drawing conclusions. The goals of research are description, prediction, explanation, and control. Ethical considerations like informed consent, confidentiality, and debriefing are important to protect research participants.

Uploaded by

Syed Ifran Ejaz
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PSY-101

Lecture
Instructor: Lubna Ghazanfar
What is Science?
a body of established knowledge
the observation, identification,
investigation, and theoretical explanation of
natural phenomenon
What is scientific method??
The scientific method refers to the ways in
which scientists ask questions and the logic and
methods used to gain answers
Cont..
It is an approach that practitioners of psychology
are interested in for assessing, measuring, and
predicting behavior. It is used to come to an
understanding about the world.
Research

• “Systematic investigation
to establish facts and reach new conclusions”
• The application of the scientific method
• Variety of techniques are applied for doing
research
Cont..
Attempt to achieve systematically and with the
support of data the answer to a question, the
resolution to a problem, or the greater
understanding of a phenomenon
Generation of new information and testing of
ideas
Characteristics of Scientific findings
Empirical (research based on experimentation or observation
or evidence)
Systematic (follows a specified system, an organized ways of
collecting and tabulating information)
Precise (Used or intended for accurate or exact
measurement)
Verifiable (confirmed by acceptable evidence, valid)
Public (findings are not any personal authority of anyone)
Ethical neutrality (no influence of individual ideologies,
religious affiliations, cultural differences on findings)
Objective (have fixed answers. It is unbiased; the researcher’s
likes and dislikes do not interfere with the study or findings
)
Goals of Scientific Research
Description
Researcher seek to describe events and relationship
between variables
Prediction
Description of events and their relationships often
provide a basis for prediction, researcher predict
behavior or events
Cont..
Explanation
Researcher understand the causes of a phenomena
Control
Researcher can manipulate variable in order to produce
specific behavior
Goals Questions asked to
reach the goal
Description What happens?
When and where does it
happen?

Explanation Why does it happen?


How does it happen?
Prediction What will happen next?

Control How can we influence this


behavior or intervene in
this situation?
Goals of Psychological Research
Description of social behavior
Are people who grow up in warm climates different from those in
cold climates?
Establish a relationship between cause & effect
Does heat cause higher amounts of aggression?
Develop theories about why people behave the way that
they do

Application
Creating effective therapeutic treatment and greater understanding
amongst groups of people
Purposes of Research
A research can be undertaken for two different purposes:
 To solve a currently existing problem (applied
research)
Applied psychology conduct a study to address a specific
concern or to offers solutions to a problem
 To contribute to the general body of knowledge in a
particular area of interest
(basic/fundamental/academic research)
Basic research is the source of most new scientific ideas
and ways of thinking about the world.
Steps of the Research Process
Identifying the problem
Review of the literature
Formulating Hypothesis
Designing and conducting
the research
Analyzing the data
Drawing conclusion
Preparing a report
The Process of Doing Research
First, identifying the problem and select a
topic
The most important step while conducting research is
identify and specify the area of interest in which one is
going to conduct a research. The research problem can be
identified in many ways, including personal
interest, brainstorming, scientific developments knowledge
etc.
Second, search the literature review
Searching the research findings in relation with the research
one is going to conduct, in order to see how others
approached the same or similar issues. Also, it can give some
idea as to what would be the probable outcome of one’s
research.
Cont..
Third , formulate hypotheses
Hypothesis:
A hypothesis is a tentative explanation for
something. Its state the relationship
between two variables

Variable: can be any event, characteristic,


condition, or behavior
Let’s take a closer look . . .at variables

Independent variable (predictor variable)


The variable that is controlled and manipulated by
the experimenter. For example, in an experiment on
the impact of sleep deficiency on test performance,
sleep deficiency would be the independent variable.
Dependent variable (outcome variable)
The variable that is measured by the experimenter.
In previous example, the scores on the test performance
measure would be the dependent variable.
Examples
IV DV

exercise
participation
Cont..
Then pick your research method
 Experimental vs. correlational
 Field vs. laboratory (Setting)
Setting
 Research methods used in psychology:
 Observation
 Case Study
 Tests, Questionnaire, Survey
 Experiment
Finally, collect & analyze your
data
Important Concepts in Research
 Population: any set of individuals (or objects) having some common
observable characteristics.
 Sample: the subset of a population which represents the
characteristics of the population.
 A sample consists of respondents or subjects

 A corpus is a collection of written or spoken material.

 Triangulation is an approach to data analysis that creates data from


multiple sources.
Major Limitations in
Conducting a Research
Time
Costs
Access to resources
Approval by authorities
Ethical concerns
Expertise
Ethics in Research
How do we protect subject?
 Informed consent
Researchers are ethically obligated to describe the
research procedures clearly, identify any potential
risks that might influence the individual’s willingness
to participate and answer any questions participants
have about the research
 Confidentiality
Information viewed as highly confidential by research
participants and not for sharing with others.
 Anonymity
A person's identity kept secret. The researcher does not
collect identifying information of individual subjects
(e.g., name, address, Email address, etc)
 Debriefing
Researcher provide a opportunity for participants to
obtain appropriate information about the nature, results
and conclusions of the research after the research is
completed

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