The Nature of

Research
 Why Research is of value

• The Scientific Method provides a vital way to

obtain accurate and reliable information
• It attempts to minimize the influence of bias or
prejudice in the experimenter.
 Ways of Knowing
• There are many ways to obtain information, including
sensory experience (intuition), agreement with others
(rationalism), expert opinion (authority), logic
(rationalism), and scientific method
 THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
• The scientific method is a process of systematically collecting and evaluating evidence to test
ideas and answer questions. While scientists may use intuition, authority, rationalism, and
empiricism to generate new ideas they don’t stop there. Scientists go a step further by using
systematic empiricism to make careful observations under various controlled conditions in
order to test their ideas and they use rationalism to arrive at valid conclusions. While the
scientific method is the most likely of all of the methods to produce valid knowledge, like all
methods of acquiring knowledge it also has its drawbacks. One major problem is that it is not
always feasible to use the scientific method; this method can require considerable time and
resources. Another problem with the scientific method is that it cannot be used to answer all
questions. As described in the following section, the scientific method can only be used to
address empirical questions. This book and your research methods course are designed to
provide you with an in-depth examination of how psychologists use the scientific method to
advance our understanding of human behavior and the mind.
 Types of Research
1. Experimental research involves manipulating conditions and studying the effects
2. Correlational research involves studying relationships among variables within a single group and
frequently suggests the possibility of cause and effect
3. Causal-comparative research involves comparing known groups who have different experiences to
determine possible causes or consequences of group membership
4. Survey research involves describing the characteristic of a group using such instruments as interview
questions, questionnaires, and tests.
5. Ethnographic research concentrates on documenting or portraying the everyday experiences of
people, using observations and interviews.
6. A case study is a detailed analysis of one or a few individuals
7. Historical research involves studying some aspects of the past
8. Action research is a type of research practitioners designed to help improve their practice
 General Research Types

• Descriptive — survey, historical, content analysis, qualitative (ethnographic,

narrative, phenomenological, grounded theory, and case study)
• Associational — correlational, causal-comparative
• Intervention — experimental, quasi-experimental, action research (sort of)
 Critical Analysis of Research
• Critical research analysis raises fundamental questions about the assumptions
and implications of educational research.
• The purpose of critical analysis is to expose and to challenge taken-for-
granted power structures and to offer alternative perspectives to knowledge,
theory-building, and social reality. Critical analysis continues to gain
significant importance in academic research due to its interdisciplinary appeal
and application.