Types Of Research In Psychology

Whether you’re a psychology student or simply curious about the foundations of psychological experiments, this article explains the different types of research, what they signify, and how they operate. One of the main modules in a course majoring in psychology is a research methodology.

A wide variety of research methodologies are used in psychology. Quantitative and qualitative are the two main categories. This approach uses numbers to describe and forecast outcomes as well as to examine the possible correlations between variables that may exist.

In addition to helping students become more knowledgeable consumers of psychological research, teaching research methodologies fosters a critical mindset that can be used in various settings.

Types of Research

More details about the types of research are discussed below.

Correlational or correlated research

“Relational research” refers to investigating the relationship between two or more factors. It is a non-experimental research method. It makes use of statistical analysis to study the various variables included. Generally, the factors that are compared are already present in the group or population being studied.  

Experimental Research

 An experimental study employs two sets of variables to test a hypothesis. The first set serves as a baseline from which you can compare the second set’s changes. The experimental nature of quantitative research methodologies, for instance, may be seen here.

The facts must be established before making any conclusions based on a lack of data. Experimentation helps you make better choices by providing the information you need.

Experimental procedures are used in any scientifically valid research. For an experiment to succeed, researchers must prove that a variable’s change was purely caused by manipulating a constant variable. There should be a clear link between the variables studied.

Correlation

A correlation is a way of determining how closely two different variables are related to one another. The researcher has no influence over these factors since they naturally appear in the sample. A positive correlation is a one-to-one correspondence between the changes in one variable and the changes in the other. As the quantity of a variable increases, the level of other variables decreases. A change in one variable does not always lead to a change in the other. Simply put, correlations show that two variables have a statistically significant link with each other. 

Strength and direction are two of the characteristics of correlations. Positive, negative, or zero are all possible values for the strength or degree of a link. Positive and negative correlations have a direction. 

Correlations of the same strength but different orientations, such as.78 and -.78, are examples (.78 is positive and -.78 is negative). However, the strength of the two correlations of .05 and .98 are vastly different, despite their direction being the same (positive). Although.05 implies a moderate link, .98 suggests a solid relationship between two variables. This suggests that the variables are unrelated.

When two variables have a positive correlation, such as.8, they rise together. The link between high school and college grades may be expected to be positive; that is, students with good marks in high school are more likely to do well academically in college as well.

If the two variables have a negative correlation of -.8, then the first grows as the second increases. In other words, one may predict a negative association between the amount of partying one does the night before a test and one’s test result.

Descriptive studies

Descriptive studies are those in which no causal correlations between variables are tested. Observed and assessed behaviours and characteristics might be generic or specialised in these investigations. 

A hypothesis may be difficult to create during the early phases of research, particularly if there is no prior study in the field. An experiment would be premature in these cases since the hypothesis is not yet well stated. 

It is common for scientists to begin their research using non-experimental methods like descriptive studies in order to obtain more background data before moving on to more formal methods like experiments or correlational studies. Also, this form of study establishes if one variable is responsible for another. 

Changing the dosage of therapy and seeing how it affects study participants is an example of this type of research. These studies aim to describe what exists within a certain group or demographic. For instance, an opinion poll may be used to identify who people expect to vote for in the next presidential election. No attempt is made to determine the magnitude of a variable’s influence in a descriptive study. However, even though descriptive research cannot be generalised, it may help psychologists obtain more knowledge about a subject and generate ideas for future research.

Conclusion

Now, psychologists are pondering whether or not our assumptions about ourselves are accurate. They are trying to figure out how what people publish, what they report, and how students are trained as researchers impact what is referred to as “knowledge” in psychology. 

It is worth wondering whether this information reflects human behaviour and brain processes in real life or a byproduct of the techniques we use. Psychologists are in an uproar about this, but it has to be allowed to be played out. Hope this helped in understan