Research Methods

RESEARCH
METHODS
“PSYCHOLOGY AS SCIENCE”
Psychology as Science
The word science derives from a latin word meaning “knowledge.”
Psychologists insist that their field is a science, and they are often
defensive about it. WHY????
All sciences share common goals: the understanding, prediction,
and control of some phenomenon of interest. Physics addresses
physical matter, chemistry addresses elements of matter, biology
deals with living things, and psychology is concerned with behavior.
The I-O psychologist is particularly interested in understanding,
predicting, and influencing behavior related to the workplace.
02
Psychology as Science
Statistics and methods are not the most interesting aspects of psychology.
(However, they are probably the most important)
Statistics and methods enable the field of psychology to progress. If
psychologists knew nothing about statistics and research methods,
 how would they learn whether a new therapy really improves psychological health?
 How would they determine whether a new memory technique really helps people to
remember?
 How would they discern whether a new plan to reduce prejudice has much chance of
success?
The only way to know is to test such ideas, and that requires an understanding
of statisticsThe
andfact
research methods. gather data to test hypotheses
that psychology
is what makes psychology a science.
02
Theories, Hypotheses, and Science
Theory : “A general idea or framework that helps to organize

what we know and want to know about a topic”.
Hypothesis : “A testable idea derived from a theory / Prediction

about relationship(s) among variables of interest”.
Science is method, not content. “An approach that involves the

understanding, prediction, and control of some phenomenon of
interest”.
03
All sciences also share certain common methods by which they study the
object of interest:
 Science is marked by a logical approach to investigation, usually

based on a theory, a hypothesis, or simply a basic curiosity about
an object of interest. In I-O psychology, this might be a theory
about what motivates workers, a hypothesis that freedom to
choose work methods will lead workers to be more involved with
their work, or curiosity about whether people who work from
their homes are more satisfied with their jobs than people who
work in offices.
03
object of interest:
 Science depends on data. These data can be gathered in a

laboratory or in the real world (or, as it is sometimes referred to,
the field). The data gathered are intended to be relevant to the
theory, hypothesis, or curiosity that precipitated the investigation.
For example, I-O psychologists gather data about job
performance, abilities, job satisfaction, and attitudes toward
safety.
03
object of interest:
 Science must be communicable, open, and public. Scientific research

is published in journals, reports, and books. Methods of data
collection are described, data are reported, analyses are displayed for
examination, and conclusions are presented.
In I-O psychology, there is often debate-sometimes heated argument-
about theories and hypotheses. The debate goes on at conferences, in
journals, and in books. Anyone can join the debate by simply reading
the relevant reports or publications and expressing opinions on them
or by conducting and publishing their own research.
03
object of interest:
 Science does not set out to prove theories or hypotheses. It sets out to disprove them. The
goal of the scientist is to design a research project that will eliminate all plausible
explanations for a phenomenon except one. The explanation that cannot be disproved or
eliminated is the ultimate explanation of the phenomenon. For example, in lawsuits
involving layoffs brought by older employees who have lost their jobs, the charge will be
that the layoffs were caused by age discrimination on the part of the employer. A
scientific approach to the question would consider that possibility, as well as the
possibility that the layoffs were the result of:
 Differences in the past performance of the individuals who were laid off
 Differences in the skills possessed by the individuals
 Differences in projected work for the individuals
 Differences in training, education, or credentials of the individuals 03
object of interest:
 One other characteristic of science that is frequently mentioned

is that of “disinterestedness” - the expectation that scientists will
be objective and not influenced by biases or prejudices.
I-O psychology is a science. I-O psychologists conduct

research based on theories and hypotheses. They gather
data, publish those data, and design their research in a way
that eliminates alternative explanations for the research
results. 03
Research Design
Research design provides the overall structure or architecture for

the research study; allows investigators to conduct scientific
research on a phenomenon of interest.
Research designs in I-O psychology:

 Experimental design
 Quasi-experimental design
 Non-experimental design
03
Research Design
03
Basic Vs Applied Research
 Basic research is research designed to test theory, to expand the borders of

knowledge. Oftentimes basic research does not have an obvious practical use.
 Applied research does have obvious practical significance. A researcher might

try to discover a good way to reduce smoking, or increase literacy, or reduce
violent crime.
Industrial-Organizational Research
 Micro-research : The study of individual behavior.
 Macro-research : The study of collective behavior.
 Meso-research : The study of the interaction of individual and collective
behavior.
03
Methods of Data Collection
 “Quantitative methods” Rely on tests, rating scales, questionnaires, and

physiological measures and yield numerical results.
 “Qualitative methods” Rely on observations, interviews, case studies, and
analysis of diaries or written documents and produce flow diagrams and
narrative descriptions of events or processes.
 “Introspection” Early scientific method in which the participant was
also the experimenter, recording his or her experiences in completing
an experimental task; considered very subjective by modern.
 “Triangulation” Approach in which researchers seek converging
information from different sources.
03
Data Analysis
 Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

“Descriptive statistics” Statistics that summarize, organize, and describe a
sample of data.
“Inferential statistics” Statistics used to aid the researcher in testing
hypotheses and making inferences from sample data to a larger sample or
population.
03
Data Analysis
 Correlation and Regression
 “Correlation coefficient” Statistic assessing the bivariate, linear association between
two variables. Provides information about both the magnitude (numerical value) and
the direction (+or -) of the relationship between two variables.
 “Regression line” Straight line that best “fits” the scatterplot and describes the
relationship between the variables in the graph; can also be presented as an equation
that specifies where the line intersects the vertical axis and what the angle or slope of
 the line is.correlation” coefficient Statistic that represents the overall linear
“Multiple
association between several variables (e.g., cognitive ability, personality, experience)
on the one hand and a single variable (e.g., job performance) on the other hand.
 Meta-analysis Statistical method for combining and analyzing the results from
many studies to draw a general conclusion about relationships among variables.
03
Data Analysis
03
Reliabiity & Validity
 “Reliability” Consistency or stability of a measure.
 “Validity” The accuracy of inferences made based on test or performance

data; also addresses whether a measure accurately and completely
represents what was intended to be measured.
03
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Research Methods

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RESEARCH

Theory : “A general idea or framework that helps to organize

Hypothesis : “A testable idea derived from a theory / Prediction

Science is method, not content. “An approach that involves the

 Science is marked by a logical approach to investigation, usually

 Science depends on data. These data can be gathered in a

 Science must be communicable, open, and public. Scientific research

 One other characteristic of science that is frequently mentioned

I-O psychology is a science. I-O psychologists conduct

Research design provides the overall structure or architecture for

Research designs in I-O psychology:

 Basic research is research designed to test theory, to expand the borders of

 Applied research does have obvious practical significance. A researcher might

 “Quantitative methods” Rely on tests, rating scales, questionnaires, and

 Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

 “Reliability” Consistency or stability of a measure.

 “Validity” The accuracy of inferences made based on test or performance

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