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Book Title: Research Methods in Psychology

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Book Description: While Research Methods in Psychology is fairly traditional— making it easy for you to use with your existing courses — it also emphasizes a fundamental idea that is often lost on undergraduates: research methods are not a peripheral concern in our discipline; they are central. For questions about this textbook please contact [email protected]

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Book description.

Research Methods in Psychology is adapted from a work produced by a publisher who has requested that they and the original author not receive attribution. This adapted edition is produced by the University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing through the eLearning Support Initiative. For questions about this textbook please contact [email protected]

Research Methods in Psychology Copyright © 2016 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Research Methods in Psychology - 2nd Canadian Edition

(2 reviews)

Rajiv S. Jhangiani, Kwantlen Polytechnic University

I-Chant A. Chiang, Quest University Canada

Copyright Year: 2015

Publisher: BCcampus

Language: English

Formats Available

Conditions of use.

Learn more about reviews.

Reviewed by Bettina Spencer, Professor of Psychology, Saint Mary's College on 12/4/23

This book covers all of the main topics in research methods for psychology students. I appreciate that it also includes sections on qualitative methods as well as how to present results. read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This book covers all of the main topics in research methods for psychology students. I appreciate that it also includes sections on qualitative methods as well as how to present results.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

All of the information on methods is accurate, but the book references 6th edition APA style rather than 7th edition. As such, instructors will have to modify this particular portion although the general information about writing in APA style is good.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

Aside from the 6th edition APA style, this book is generally relevant and up to date. It does, however, often reference classic social psychology studies without addressing the limitations in the sampling.

Clarity rating: 5

This book is very clearly written and easily accessible. The sections on statistics are especially clear and organized, which is useful because this is an area students often need extra support in. All of the technical terminology throughout the book is thoroughly explained.

Consistency rating: 5

There is consistent writing and clarity throughout this book. The technical terms are consistent throughout the book which is good because we, psychologists, do sometimes use different jargon for the same thing depending on our subfield. The sections all build off of one another and reference back to each other in a way that makes the book easy to use.

Modularity rating: 5

An instructor could easily assign certain sections of the book. For example, you could just assign the chapter on experimental design, or research ethics, etc. without assigning the whole. There are times where a later section will reference a study that was used an example earlier, but it always restates the results so the reader does not have to actually go back and read the previous section,

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

This book is very well organized, beginning with theories and ethics, moving into the range of designs and approaches, and ending with how to present research and write statistics. The statistics sections almost feel like a bonus because students will most likely have taken a statistics course before taking a research methods course, so these parts serve as a good refresher.

Interface rating: 5

In the PDF version, sections are linked from the table of contents, and you can search and find specific sections quite easily.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The writing is very clear with no grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

This book references many classic social psychology studies for it's examples, but many of those studies were conducted with white, middle-class Americans. These old studies can't be changed, but instructors should address the problems and limitations with these findings, and the book does not do that. It generally takes a "color blind" approach and does not really mention cultural differences, which is a problem for teaching. For example, topics such as how to collect and report demographics is much more complicated than reported in the book.

Reviewed by Lisa Elliott, Assistant Teaching Professor, Pennsylvania State University- The Behrend College on 2/1/18

The book covers all of the standard research methods topics that I cover in class. I believe that it is more comprehensive than most commercial texts as it includes how to write survey questions, a chapter on the significance/replicability... read more

The book covers all of the standard research methods topics that I cover in class. I believe that it is more comprehensive than most commercial texts as it includes how to write survey questions, a chapter on the significance/replicability discussion, and qualitative methodologies with grounded theory. In the past, I have added a separate lecture to discuss qualitative methodologies. I am glad to see it covered with comprehensiveness in this book. I also liked the indepth discussion of measurement in relation to statistical analysis, operationalizing, and developing new measures. This is a finer point that I cover in class but rarely see covered indepth in the text.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

My measure of accuracy, comprehensiveness, and clarity in a research methods textbook is how well the authors describe type I and type II errors. In this book, they use the metaphor of pregnancy: a type I error is a false positive such as when a man is diagnosed as pregnant; a type II error is a false negative such as when a clearly pregnant woman is diagnosed as not pregnant. This was illustrated very clearly with wonderful, tasteful photos. This difficult concept is the keystone for discussions on power and p value which are the topics that the authors tackle next. This example defines how carefully and well this book is written. If I were to place it next to publishers volumes of the same material. This book is better. It does a better job of describing important points in a coherent and clear manner. If there are mistakes, they must be very minor. All that I could find was a misspelled website url.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The only concern about longevity is over the permanence of the urls referred to in the book. However, the book functions without the urls and they are easily updated by the instructor during the lecture. With the exception of the significance/replicability discussion, the material covered in a current methods course has remained consistent over the past decade. I don't foresee the significance/replicability discussion resolved in the near future. This is a challenge that students should be prepared to face as they begin as junior researchers. I appreciate the authors including this chapter in the book as I will use this book if only for these chapters. No commercial textbook that I know about has this information presented in such a clear and objective manner.

I enjoyed the writing. It was very clear and concise. It was much better than the usual textbooks that students are forced to muddle through. The authors used good examples which should be accessible to an undergraduate audience. I particularly like that the authors gave good examples and bad examples of important concepts. Then, they went into detail as to why particular items were good and what was good about them. They detailed why particular items were bad and what made them poor choices. Finally, they describe the outcome of bad choices in the larger scheme. There is much jargon in every methods textbook. These authors define things well in concrete terms. I particularly liked the clarity of writing in this book.

The chapters in this book all have the same format. The authors begin with a brief paragraph which focuses on a modern experiment or study. Then, they use that as a basis to describe the topic in detail. This approach introduces students to a variety of research in a very accessible way. Each chapter is formatted in this way. All of the chapters have sections which focus in detail on a particular topic. Then these topics are cross listed across the different chapters through hyperlinks. Each topic is short with a summary and a suggestion for exercises at the end.

Often, authors in Methods textbooks are unclear where to put important topics such as reliability, validity, operationalizing, what a p-value really means, and sampling. In the textbook that I currently use, the authors have put all of these items into one omnibus chapter. I find that I must go back to this chapter again throughout the semester and then search for the particular item within the chapter. I like how this book separates these items and concentrates on explaining them in depth. I also like how the authors chose to create hyperlinks to the other places in the book that used these items. This allows me, as the instructor, to reorder the chapters in a way that fits with the class. In some courses, not all chapters will be needed. I could use some chapters for a graduate course in methods along with another book. Then, I could use the same book in its entirety for the undergraduate course. Sometimes, I have students in a more advanced course who took Methods at a different university or not at all. I like that this book is free and modular. I can refer these students to this book for review before a qualifying exam or before an important lesson that relies on pre-existing methods knowledge.

I liked the order of the chapters. This is how i prefer to teach methods with the experiment chapters before the qualitative chapters. However, other instructors may like the opposite. The modularity of this book allows either approach. I also like that the book has hyperlinks between the chapters. Often, students will need to review reliability and validity when they get to quasi experimental designs (several chapters ahead). They will have forgotten this information. The hyperlinks make it easy to go back and review. The short sections also create an easiness that encourages exploration. Within the chapters, I like how the authors begin with a description of a study and then use that description to illustrate the points throughout the entire chapter. The descriptions are brief and interesting. Then, there is the APA citation at the bottom of the page. It is easy to look up the article this way. Other textbooks put all of the references at the back of the book. It is much more effortful to find an interesting article when the references are at the back. By the time that you have found it, you forget what you just read.

I liked that the book was available in a variety of formats. I downloaded the pdf on my smart phone and found it fairly easy to read. Although I could not set bookmarks and that was frustrating. I also like to make comments and notes in my books. I think with a different app, I would be able to do these things just fine. Maybe there could be a few recommendations for apps on the website and which format works best with which app. I like that students can download the book on their phone. Most of them do this anyway from the publishers website. For the important classes (in their mind), they also have the printed copy or they rent the printed copy too. With the pdf, they have the option to print it out.

I found no grammar or spelling errors. There was a link that seemed to be misspelled on page 71 the link to Hanover's Rescorla Wagner page.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

As an instructor who is a woman at a male dominated engineering school, sometimes the examples in psychology textbooks make me uncomfortable to discuss in class. This book's examples would not make me uncomfortable. There seems to be an equal number of men and women portrayed in the book as researchers and I don't sense a bias against any particular group. The writing is objective and sticks to the point without an agenda.

I wish that you had added a bit more about noisey data and maybe used some examples that had outliers. I also wish that you had discussed the issue of cherry picking.

Many commercial textbooks focus on research as a student's exploration or journey in science. Students misunderstand this perspective. I was very glad that you urge students to look for research ideas in the discussion section of peer reviewed articles, to base their methods on those that are previously published, and to use validated measures in their work. This approach trains students to rely on previous research and build on sound scientific foundations using theory. Thank you.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Science of Psychology

• Understanding Science
• Scientific Research in Psychology
• Science and Common Sense
• Science and Clinical Practice

Chapter 2: Getting Started in Research

• Basic Concepts
• Generating Good Research Questions
• Reviewing the Research Literature

Chapter 3: Research Ethics

• Moral Foundations of Ethical Research
• From Moral Principles to Ethics Codes
• Putting Ethics Into Practice

Chapter 4: Theory in Psychology

• Phenomena and Theories
• The Variety of Theories in Psychology
• Using Theories in Psychological Research

Chapter 5: Psychological Measurement

• Understanding Psychological Measurement
• Reliability and Validity of Measurement
• Practical Strategies for Psychological Measurement

Chapter 6: Experimental Research

• Experiment Basics
• Experimental Design
• Conducting Experiments

Chapter 7: Nonexperimental Research

• Overview of Nonexperimental Research
• Correlational Research
• Quasi-Experimental Research
• Qualitative Research

Chapter 8: Complex Research Designs

• Multiple Dependent Variables
• Multiple Independent Variables
• Complex Correlational Designs

Chapter 9: Survey Research

• Overview of Survey Research
• Constructing Survey Questionnaires
• Conducting Surveys

Chapter 10: Single-Subject Research

• Overview of Single-Subject Research
• Single-Subject Research Designs
• The Single-Subject Versus Group “Debate”

Chapter 11: Presenting Your Research

• American Psychological Association (APA) Style
• Writing a Research Report in American Psychological Association (APA) Style
• Other Presentation Formats

Chapter 12: Descriptive Statistics

• Describing Single Variables
• Describing Statistical Relationships
• Expressing Your Results
• Conducting Your Analyses

Chapter 13: Inferential Statistics

• Understanding Null Hypothesis Testing
• Some Basic Null Hypothesis Tests
• Additional Considerations
• From the “Replicability Crisis” to Open Science Practices

Ancillary Material

About the book.

The present adaptation constitutes the second Canadian edition and was co-authored by Rajiv S. Jhangiani (Kwantlen Polytechnic University) and I-Chant A. Chiang (Quest University Canada) and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Revisions include the following:

Chapter 1: Added a description of the “Many Labs Replication Project,” added a reference to the Neurobonkers website, and embedded videos about open access publishing, driver distraction, two types of empirical studies, and the use of evidence to evaluate the world around us. Chapter 2: Updated the exemplar study in the chapter overview, added relevant examples and descriptions of contemporary studies, provided a link to an interactive visualization for correlations, added a description of double-blind peer review, added a figure to illustrate a spurious correlation, and embedded videos about how to develop a good research topic, searching the PsycINFO database, using Google Scholar, and how to read an academic paper. Chapter 3: Added in LaCour ethical violation. Revised chapter headings and order to reflect TCPS-2 moral principles. Chapter 4: Added in difference between laws and effects and theoretical framework. Chapter 5: Added fuller descriptions of the levels of measurement, added a table to summarize the levels of measurement, added a fuller description of the MMPI, removed the discussion of the IAT, and added descriptions of concurrent, predictive, and convergent validity. Chapter 6: Added in construct validity, statistical validity, mundane realism, psychological realism, Latin Square Design. Updated references. Chapter 7: Added in mixed-design studies and fuller discussion of qualitative-quantitative debate. Chapter 8: Added an exercise to sketch the 8 possible results of a 2 x 2 factorial experiment. Chapter 9: Added information about Canadian Election Studies, more references, specific guidelines about order and open-ended questions, and rating scale. Updated online survey creation sites. Chapter 11: Updated examples and links to online resources. Chapter 13: Added discussion of p-curve and BASP announcement about banning p-values. Added a section that introduces the “replicability crisis” in psychology, along with discussions of questionable research practices, best practices in research design and data management, and the emergence of open science practices and Transparency and Openness Promotion guidelines.

Glossary of key terms: Added.

In addition, throughout the textbook, we revised the language to be more precise and to improve flow, added links to other chapters, added images, updated hyperlinks, corrected spelling and formatting errors, and changed references to reflect the contemporary Canadian context.

About the Contributors

Rajiv S. Jhangiani . Faculty member in the Department of Psychology at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, where I conduct research on open education, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and political psychology.

I am also an Open Learning Faculty Member at Thompson Rivers University, an OER Research Fellow with the Open Education Group, and an Associate Editor of Psychology Learning & Teaching. I formerly served as the Associate Editor of NOBA Psychology and as a Faculty Fellow with the BC Open Textbook Project

My professional affiliations include the Association for Psychological Science, the Society for the Teaching of Psychology, the Society for Personality & Social Psychology, the Social Psychology Network, Sigma Xi, and the International Society of Political Psychology.

I-Chant A. Chiang . Growing up in a bilingual environment was the start of I-Chant’s interest in the intersection of language, culture, and thinking. Through studying English, she pursued her love of literature, writing and words. At the same time, I-Chant became fascinated with studying human behaviour through psychology. She received a BA and BS from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before heading to Stanford University for an MA and PhD in psychology. Her dual interests are combined by studying the psychology of language in the context of other disciplines, such as political science, communication, and education. Prior to Quest, I-Chant was at Aberystwyth University in Wales where she was a founding member of their psychology department. She recently published a textbook, Research Methods in Psychology – 2nd Canadian Edition, and an edited volume, Explorations in Political Psychology.

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Research methods in psychology

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Research Methods in Psychology Investigating Human Behavior

• Paul G. Nestor - University of Massachusetts Boston, USA
• Russell K. Schutt - University of Massachusetts Boston, USA
• Description

The authors are proud sponsors of the  2020 SAGE Keith Roberts Teaching Innovations Award —enabling graduate students and early career faculty to attend the annual ASA pre-conference teaching and learning workshop.

Research Methods in Psychology: Investigating Human Behavior draws on fascinating stories to illustrate the entire research process within a unifying conceptual framework. Bestselling authors Paul G. Nestor and Russell K. Schutt present a clear and comprehensive introduction to the logic and techniques of research methods in psychology by employing a unique combination of two distinct yet complementary pedagogical techniques. First, chapters designed for experiential, hands-on studies put the student in the roles of researcher, participant, and consumer to bring concepts to life. Second, the findings of cognitive science guide the text in a way that is most conducive to learning. This novel approach serves as an effective way to make the world of psychological research fun and rewarding for students, in addition to allowing them to gain the foundational knowledge they need to design, conduct, and present research.

See what’s new to this edition by selecting the Features tab on this page. Should you need additional information or have questions regarding the HEOA information provided for this title, including what is new to this edition, please email [email protected] . Please include your name, contact information, and the name of the title for which you would like more information. For information on the HEOA, please go to http://ed.gov/policy/highered/leg/hea08/index.html .

For assistance with your order: Please email us at [email protected] or connect with your SAGE representative.

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Supplements

SAGE edge for instructors supports teaching by making it easy to integrate quality content and create a rich learning environment for students.

• Test banks provide a diverse range of pre-written options as well as the opportunity to edit any question and/or insert personalized questions to effectively assess students’ progress and understanding.
• Sample course syllabi for semester and quarter courses provide suggested models for structuring one’s course.
• Editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint ® slides offer complete flexibility in creating a multimedia presentation.
• EXCLUSIVE! Access to full-text SAGE journal articles that have been carefully selected support and expand on the concepts presented in each chapter. 
• Multimedia content appeals to diverse learners and includes a carefully curated list of online supporting audio and video resources.
• Lecture notes summarize key concepts by chapter to help prepare for lectures and class discussions.

SAGE edge for students provides a personalized approach to help students accomplish their coursework goals in an easy-to-use learning environment.

• Mobile-friendly eFlashcards strengthen understanding of key terms and concepts.
• Mobile-friendly practice quizzes allow for independent assessment by students of their mastery of course material.
• SPSS exercises provide opportunities for additional practice.
• EXCLUSIVE! Access to full-text SAGE journal articles that have been carefully selected support and expand on the concepts presented in each chapter.
• Expanded coverage of correlational, quasi-experimental, and qualitative design keeps readers informed on these increasingly popular methods.
• Updated examples combining classic and cutting-edge research apply literature review in research to modern questions and debates.
• Expanded coverage of rooting out error and myth with the scientific method from traditional narrative literature review to meta-analysis includes a 32-item survey used by researchers to measure “neuromyths” and show how they can be debunked by scientific evidence.
• A new Chapter 3: Literature Review in Research show readers the different roles a literature review can play in research, including ne w sections on systematic literature reviews that reflect the rapidly increasing role of the Internet.
• New content in Chapter 4: Ethics in Behavioral Research includes new examples of unethical practice and lessons from international and online research.
• New content on the “replication crisis” provides lessons on the practices and techniques of research in psychology.

KEY FEATURES:

• Case studies from psychological literature in each chapter are carefully deconstructed to illustrate the procedures, logic, and design of research.
• An emphasis on cultural and developmental perspectives illuminates how culture shapes our thinking and how our thinking shapes culture.
• Research in the News sections summarize scientific stories that students are then prompted to reflect on and evaluate.
• Ethics in Action exercises encourage readers to apply ethics to a topic at hand.
• Coverage of statistics emphasizes probabilistic reasoning in a student-friendly manner.

Qualitative Data Coding

What Is a Focus Group?

Reviewed by Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc

Cross-Cultural Research Methodology In Psychology

What is internal validity in research.

Reviewed by Saul Mcleod, PhD

Scientific Method

Qualitative research, experiments.

The scientific method is a step-by-step process used by researchers and scientists to determine if there is a relationship between two or more variables. Psychologists use this method to conduct psychological research, gather data, process information, and describe behaviors.

Learn More: Steps of the Scientific Method

Variables apply to experimental investigations. The independent variable is the variable the experimenter manipulates or changes. The dependent variable is the variable being tested and measured in an experiment, and is 'dependent' on the independent variable.

Learn More: Independent and Dependent Variables

When you perform a statistical test a p-value helps you determine the significance of your results in relation to the null hypothesis. A p-value less than 0.05 (typically ≤ 0.05) is statistically significant.

Learn More: P-Value and Statistical Significance

Qualitative research is a process used for the systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of non-numerical data. Qualitative research can be used to gain a deep contextual understanding of the subjective social reality of individuals.

The experimental method involves the manipulation of variables to establish cause-and-effect relationships. The key features are controlled methods and the random allocation of participants into controlled and experimental groups.

Learn More: How the Experimental Method Works in Psychology

Frequent Asked Questions

What does p-value of 0.05 mean?

A p-value less than 0.05 (typically ≤ 0.05) is statistically significant. It indicates strong evidence against the null hypothesis, as there is less than a 5% probability the results have occurred by random chance rather than a real effect. Therefore, we reject the null hypothesis and accept the alternative hypothesis.

However, it is important to note that the p-value is not the only factor that should be considered when interpreting the results of a hypothesis test. Other factors, such as effect size, should also be considered.

Learn More: What A p-Value Tells You About Statistical Significance

What does z-score tell you?

A  z-score  describes the position of a raw score in terms of its distance from the mean when measured in standard deviation units. It is also known as a standard score because it allows the comparison of scores on different variables by standardizing the distribution. The z-score is positive if the value lies above the mean and negative if it lies below the mean.

Learn More: Z-Score: Definition, Calculation, Formula, & Interpretation

What is an independent vs dependent variable?

The independent variable is the variable the experimenter manipulates or changes and is assumed to have a direct effect on the dependent variable. For example, allocating participants to either drug or placebo conditions (independent variable) to measure any changes in the intensity of their anxiety (dependent variable).

Learn More : What are Independent and Dependent Variables?

What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative?

Quantitative data is numerical information about quantities and qualitative data is descriptive and regards phenomena that can be observed but not measured, such as language.

Learn More: What’s the difference between qualitative and quantitative research?

Explore Research Methodology

What Is Face Validity In Research? Importance & How To Measure

Criterion Validity: Definition & Examples

Convergent Validity: Definition and Examples

Content Validity in Research: Definition & Examples

Construct Validity In Psychology Research

Concurrent Validity In Psychology

Internal vs. External Validity In Psychology

Qualitative Research: Characteristics, Design, Methods & Examples

Demand Characteristics In Psychology: Definition, Examples & Control

Between-Subjects vs. Within-Subjects Study Design

Random Assignment in Psychology: Definition & Examples

Double-Blind Experimental Study And Procedure Explained

Observer Bias: Definition, Examples & Prevention

Sampling Bias: Types, Examples & How to Avoid It

What is The Null Hypothesis & When Do You Reject The Null Hypothesis

Between-Subjects Design: Overview & Examples

What Is A Case Control Study?

Case Study Research Method in Psychology

Cohort Study: Definition, Designs & Examples

Cluster Sampling: Definition, Method and Examples

Convenience Sampling: Definition, Method and Examples

Confounding Variables in Psychology: Definition & Examples

Control Group vs Experimental Group

Controlled Experiment

Correlation in Psychology: Meaning, Types, Examples & coefficient

Extraneous Variables In Research: Types & Examples

Ethnocentrism In Psychology: Examples, Disadvantages, & Cultural Relativism

Ethical Considerations In Psychology Research

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Hugo Alberts, PhD., Psychologist

Laura Wells, DClinPsy

Saima Latif, Ph.D.

Jo Nash, Ph.D.

Jeremy Sutton, Ph.D.

Anna Katharina Schaffner, Ph.D.

We help 16,000 professionals like you make progress toward new levels of success

Debra Heslin: A Transformative Corporate Coaching Toolkit For The Real World

“These products and resources have helped both personally and professionally. I go through them frequently and often do a ‘tip of the day’ from a [...]

Allison Cowan: Building Trust and Driving Impact as a Life Coach

“There is so much offered that it's a continuous learning experience—and it will help you, both you and your clients. There are always new ideas, [...]

Adam Schilling: Using Positive Psychology to Help Others Overcome Addiction

“I started to see people who weren't just wanting to move away from addiction, but also to work more on the voice in their head [...]

Learn effective strategies to enhance well-being

Emotional Intelligence

The Emotional Intelligence Masterclass© is a complete, 6-module emotional intelligence training template for helping professionals. Besides the masterclass for you, the practitioner, it also includes all the materials you need to deliver high-quality EQ training sessions that are science-based.

Realizing Resilience

Help others become more resilient with this complete, 6-module resilience training template for practitioners. Besides the masterclass for you, it also includes all the materials you need to deliver high-quality resilience training sessions that are science-based.

Motivation & Goal Achievement

The Motivation & Goal Achievement Masterclass© is a comprehensive six-module coaching package. With this masterclass, you will be able to help your clients achieve meaningful success through the science of motivation and goal setting.

Essential tools for applying positive psychology

17 Positive CBT & Cognitive Therapy Exercises

Positive CBT broadens the focus of traditional CBT to include themes such as optimism, strengths, positive emotions, meaning, and life goals. Help your clients find new pathways to reduce pain and suffering, resolve concerns and conflicts, and more effectively cope with life stressors.

17 Positive Psychology Exercises

Positive psychology is the study of what is going right with people and how to use those insights and tools to help people not only cope, but thrive. We created this signature collection of 17 Positive Psychology Exercises (PDF) for professionals to leverage the best science-based tools the field has to offer to increase the wellbeing of others.

17 Strength-Finding Exercises

One of the key contributions of positive psychology is that it encourages individuals to reflect on, consider, and identify their core strengths to utilize them to lead a flourishing life.We created this collection of 17 Strength Finding Exercises (PDF) for professionals to help others better understand and harness their strengths in life-enhancing ways.