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2-Research Methods in Psychology
2-Research Methods in Psychology
2-Research Methods in Psychology
Objectives:
3. Examine the purpose and nature of the different types of psychological research; and
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Research Methods in Psychology
A. PSYCHOLOGY AS A SCIENCE
It is the use of the scientific method that makes
psychology a science (Ray, 2012 in King, 2013). A key
theme in the scientific method is that knowledge comes
from empirical research. (King, 2013). Indeed most of the
studies psychologists publish in research journals follow
the scientific method, which is summarized in these five
steps:
1. Observing Phenomenon. The first step in conducting
scientific inquiry involves observing some phenomenon in
the world. The phenomena that the scientists study are
called variables – anything that can change. One example
of a variable is happiness. Some people are happier than
the others. What might account for the difference?
Considering the probable answer to this question, scientists
often develop a theory.
A theory is a broad idea or set of closely related
ideas that attempts to explain observation (King, 2013). An
important characteristic of scientific theory is that it must
be falsifiable; meaning that even a scientist who believes
that a theory is true must be able to generate ideas about
research that would prove the theory wrong and test those
ideas.
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Research Methods in Psychology
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Research Methods in Psychology
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Research Methods in Psychology
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Research Methods in Psychology
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Research Methods in Psychology
Reference:
King, L. (2013). Experience psychology. (2nd ed.)
Columbia. McGrawHill
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