Psychology Methods

Psychologists do more than just wonder about human behavior: they conduct research to understand exactly why people think, feel, and behave the way they do. Like other scientists, psychologists use the scientific method, a standardized way to conduct research. A scientific approach is used in order to avoid bias or distortion of information. After collecting data, psychologists organize and analyze their observations, make inferences about the reliability and significance of their data, and develop testable hypotheses and theories.
Psychological research has an enormous impact on all facets of our lives, from how parents choose to discipline their children to how companies package and advertise their products to how governments choose to punish or rehabilitate criminals. Understanding how psychologists do research is vital to understanding psychology itself.
Psychological Research Introduction
The Scientific Method
Psychologists study a wide range of topics, such as language development in children and the effects of sensory deprivation on behavior. They use scientifically testable models and methods to conduct their research.
Describing Research
Scientists use the following terms to describe their research:
• Variables: the events, characteristics, behaviors, or conditions that researchers measure and study.
• Subject or participant: an individual person or animal a researcher studies.
• Sample: a collection of subjects researchers study. Researchers use samples because they cannot study the entire population.
• Population: the collection of people or animals from which researchers draw a sample. Researchers study the sample and generalize their results to the population.
The Purpose of Research
Psychologists have three main goals when doing research:
• To find ways to measure and describe behavior
• To understand why, when, and how events