Research Methods In Psychology

What it’s about

Research Methods in Psychology takes a problem-solving approach to teaching how psychologists ask questions about behavior and mental processes and select methods to answer them. Organized as a toolbox of methods—moving from observation and survey research through experimental designs, single-case and quasi-experimental designs, to data analysis and scientific communication—the book grounds every technique in real, often classic, published studies. It emphasizes that no single method is sufficient: a multimethod approach yields converging evidence and the most complete understanding of behavior. With sustained attention to control, validity, reliability, ethics, and the correct interpretation of statistical results (including confidence intervals and the limits of null hypothesis significance testing), the book equips readers both to design sound research and to evaluate critically the claims they encounter in science and the media.

The through-line

Who it’s for

A psychology student or emerging researcher who is curious about why people and animals behave as they do and wants to both conduct sound research and critically evaluate the research claims they encounter.

The problem

They lack the methodological and statistical toolkit needed to design studies that yield interpretable answers and to judge whether reported findings are trustworthy. They feel intimidated by statistics, uncertain about how to draw valid conclusions, and worried about being fooled by 'bad science' or media hype.

The plan

1. Adopt an empirical, skeptical mindset and learn the scientific method.
2. Master ethical principles and obtain appropriate review before beginning research.
3. Choose descriptive (observation, survey) or causal (experimental) methods to fit the question.
4. Apply control techniques to achieve internal validity and replicate to establish external validity.
5. Analyze data through getting to know, summarizing, and confirming—using effect sizes and confidence intervals.

The payoff

The reader can design internally and externally valid studies, analyze and interpret data correctly, communicate results in APA style, and confidently distinguish solid science from weak claims.

See our guide

• The Bicycle Guide to Study People And Organizations With Scientific Rigor →
• The Bicycle Guide to The Behavioral Science Underneath It All →
• The Bicycle Guide to Understand Human Behavior From The Foundational Canon →
• The Bicycle Guide to Build A People Analytics Function →
• The Bicycle Guide to Deal With Burnout, Stress And Turnover →
• The Bicycle Guide to Make A Decision Your Biases Won't Wreck →
• The Bicycle Guide to Change A Behaviour That Won't Budge →
• The Bicycle Guide to Influence People Without Manipulating Them →
• The Bicycle Guide to Motivate People Without Bribing Them →
• The Bicycle Guide to Design The Organization And Change It →
• The Bicycle Guide to Build A Team People Speak Up In →
• The Bicycle Guide to Do Research That Holds Up →
• The Bicycle Guide to Design Surveys People Answer Honestly →
• The Bicycle Guide to Understand What Drives Individual Performance →

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Additional reading

• The Invisible Gorilla: How Our Intuitions Deceive Us · Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons

  The book suggests this text as a way to understand how intuition can be faulty, reinforcing the textbook's argument for the necessity of an empirical approach to knowledge.

• Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything · Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner

  Recommended as an engaging and accessible example of using archival data analysis to answer unconventional and interesting questions about human behavior in society.

• Blind Spot: Hidden Biases of Good People · Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald

  The book recommends this text as a resource for a general audience to understand the common errors and biases in human thinking that the scientific method seeks to overcome.

• Thinking, Fast and Slow · Daniel Kahneman

  Written by a Nobel Prize-winning psychologist, this book is highlighted as a key text for understanding human reasoning, decision making, and the cognitive biases that affect everyday judgments.

Featured in these guides

• The Bicycle Guide to Understand Human Behavior From The Foundational Canon →Cited source
• The Bicycle Guide to The Behavioral Science Underneath It All →Cited source
• The Bicycle Guide to Build A People Analytics Function →Cited source
• The Bicycle Guide to Deal With Burnout, Stress And Turnover →Cited source
• The Bicycle Guide to Make A Decision Your Biases Won't Wreck →Cited source
• The Bicycle Guide to Change A Behaviour That Won't Budge →Cited source
• The Bicycle Guide to Influence People Without Manipulating Them →Cited source
• The Bicycle Guide to Motivate People Without Bribing Them →Cited source
• The Bicycle Guide to Design The Organization And Change It →Cited source
• The Bicycle Guide to Study People And Organizations With Scientific Rigor →Cited source
• The Bicycle Guide to Build A Team People Speak Up In →Cited source
• The Bicycle Guide to Do Research That Holds Up →Cited source
• The Bicycle Guide to Design Surveys People Answer Honestly →Cited source
• The Bicycle Guide to Understand What Drives Individual Performance →Cited source

Where other books disagree

• Objectivity Control Versus Productive Reflexivity →