The Role of Research and Statistics in Psychology
Research is a study or investigation of a subject. An investigation or study uses different methods of research such as the scientific method. Using the scientific method, psychology researchers gather primary and secondary data or information with the secondary data collected first. This data helps psychologists formulate a hypothesis and gather data that will be beneficial to the outcome of the research project. Psychologists doing research use statistics consistently to help them understand, interpret, draw conclusions, and summarize data. Statistics are an essential part of any type of research done by psychologists, scientists, and others.
Definition of Research
The word research has been in use since 1577. The word comes from a Middle French word recherché, which means to go about seeking (Webster, 2009). One defintion is a detailed study of a subject with the goal of discovering information about and understanding of, the subject. Research, as a process of investigation, also describes many similar and often overlapping activities involving the search for information and understanding (Dictionary, 2003). Psychologists use different methods to research a subject. One of these methods is the scientific method.
Defintion of the Scientific Method
The scientific method is a set of guiding principles for scientific research and experimentation (Mallery, 2009). This method is often used to discover information about a subject. The scientific method follows a set of steps that guide the researcher from a question to a hypothesis, to the results that support or do not support that hypothesis. This method involves the use of inductive and deductive reasoning. Inductive reasoning is reasoning from specific information such as from observations or experiments to general hypotheses or theories. Deductive reasoning is reasoning from theories that account for specific results from experiments. Science uses these reasoning processes to develop universal laws of science such as Sir Isaac Newton’s Law of Gravitation (Mallery, 2009). The steps of the scientific method are the way researchers ask and answer scientific questions through the use of observation and experimentation (Sciencebuddies, 2009). These steps are: ask a question, research background, construct a hypothesis, test that hypothesis through experimentation or observation, analyze the data and draw a conclusion, and communicate the results. Before communicating the results, look at the conclusion to determine if the hypothesis is true, partially true, or false. If the hypothesis is false or partially true, the researcher can return to the original hypothesis and consider whether or not to go through the steps again (Sciencebuddies, 2009). An example of the use of these steps in environmental psychology could be:
1. The possible sources of pollution of the Willamette River
2. Do a background investigation to find any other research on this issue. If it has been a well researched and documented question, there may be no need to repeat what has already been done.
3. Construct a hypothesis: The Willamette River has pollution from sewage spills, illegal dumping, and polluted water sources that feed into it.
4. Test the hypothesis by experimentation. Take water samples from all water sources that feed into the river, take water samples from different places along the length of the river and test for sewage and other bacteria, and interview the dredging company that has dredged the river over the years.
5. From the information gathered from water testing and interviews, draw conclusions by making a list of all the sources of pollution discovered in this experiment. Compare the results with the original hypothesis to see if it is true, false, or partially true. If partially true or false, reconsider the hypothesis and the validity of trying again.
6. Publish the results in places such as a scientific journal or at a science gathering/symposium.
Following the scientific method as a series of steps does not mean that psychologists cannot return to repeat steps at any point in the process. New information or thinking may come up and the psychologist may want or need to return to former steps so that the results may be accurate and acceptable to the scientific community (Sciencebuddies, 2009).
Comparisons and Contrasts of Primary and Secondary Data
Psychologists use primary and secondary data in research. Primary data is reliable, original material. This is data that has never been interpreted by anyone other than its creator (libs.uga, 2003). Examples of primary data in research are questionnaire surveys, structured or formal interviews, and overt or covert observations (acadgrammar, 2009). Primary data in research can be quick and easy, is codable in computers for quick analysis and repetition, allows comparisons to large populations, comparisons of multiple variables, and psychologists can easily find data needed for their purposes. This kind of data is gathered after secondary data is collected. A disadvantage is that it is costly and time consuming to collect. (indstate, 2009).
Secondary data analyzes, interprets, and explains primary data. The authors of secondary data tend to be scholars or commentators rather than eyewitnesses to what they write about. Sources include scholarly books, articles in journals, and textbooks (libs.uga, 2003). Secondary data is material that has been gathered by another source such as through surveys, interviews, or research studies. This data is easily accessible and unlike primary data, is not time consuming to collect. More secondary data is available than primary data, and it is much cheaper and easier to acquire (Kelly, 2009). This data is collected before primary data because it is wise to determine what is already known about the research topic and if there are questions already answered by other investigators before beginning an investigation. A disadvantage with secondary data however, is that its reliability, accuracy, and integrity is often unknown (Kelly, 2009).
The Role of Statistics in Research
Statistics help psychologists interpret data collected from the research they are conducting. Statistics can tell these psychologists whether their hypotheses are correct or not and help interpret numbers they collect in their research. Two main branches of statistical methods are descriptive and inferential (Aron, 2006). Psychologists use descriptive statistics to transform and precisely describe research data in tabular or graphical form (Chow, 2003) and to summarize, and make numbers from a research study understandable (Aron, 2006). Inferential statistics are used to draw conclusion and make inferences based on research study numbers and beyond (Aron, 2006). In summary, statistics are used consistently by researchers to interpret, summarize, describe, make sense of, make inferences, and draw conclusions about their research data.
Conclusion
Research as a study or process of investigation of a subject, uses different methods. One of the more common research methods is the scientific method that has a set of steps to follow beginning with a question and ending with conclusions or results of the investigation. The scientific method uses inductive and deductive reasoning. Data used for research and experimentation is primary and secondary. Primary is original information untouched by anyone except its creator. This type of data is time consuming and costly to obtain. Secondary data is information published by someone else that is easily obtainable, cost-effective, but carries a degree of uncertainty about its accuracy. Statistics are used consistently in research and are divided into descriptive and inferential. Both of these types of statistics enable psychologists to interpret and understand numbers from a research study. Research uses statistics, primary and secondary data, and different methodologies such as the scientific method. These allow psychologists to formulate a plan, gather information, create a hypothesis, and draw conclusions. Each plays a vital role in psychological and other types of research.
References
acadgrammar. (2009). Primary and secondary research. Retrieved December 18, 2009, from ec.hku.hk: http://www.ec.hku.hk/acadgrammar/report/resProc/research.htm
Aron, A. A. (2006). Statistics for psychology, fourth edition. Upper Saddle River , NJ
Chow, S. L. (2003, February 21). Statistics and its role in psychological research - cogprints. Retrieved December 18, 2009, from cogprints.org: http://www.cogprints.org/2782/-
Dictionary. (2003). 2.1 Definition of research. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from uidaho.edu: http://www.webs.uidaho.edu/info_literacy/modules/.../2_1.htm
indstate.edu. (2009). Primary data. Retrieved December 18, 2009, from misnt.indstate.edu: http://www.misnt.indstate.edu/.../336%20Primary%20&%20Secondary%20Data_2.ppt
Kelly, M. (2009). IT lecture notes - primary and secondary data. Retrieved December 18, 2009, from mckinnonsc.vic.edu: http://www.mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au/.../infodata/primarysecondary.htm
libs.uga.edu. (2003, December 12). What kind of information: primary vs secondary. Retrieved December 18, 2009, from libs.uga.edu: http://www.libs.uga.edu/researchcentral/choosing/.../primary.html
Mallery, C. (2009, May 20). Defintion of scientific method. Retrieved December 18, 2009, from bio.miami.edu: http://www.bio.miami.edu/~cmallery/.../definition_sci_method.htm
Sciencebuddies. (2009). Scientific method/steps of the scientific method. Retrieved December 18, 2009, from sciencebuddies.org: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects_scientific_methods.shtml
Webster, M. (2009). Research - definition from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary. Retrieved December 18, 2009, from Merriam-Webster.com: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/RESEARCH
No comments:
Post a Comment