Research Methods in Psychology For Dummies

Learn to:

• Understand the scientific method
• Design a research study
• Conduct surveys, case studies, tests, experiments, and more
• Interpret data

Don't be stumped by research methods—let this book help!

Need an overview of psychology research methods that's more approachable than your textbook? This plain-English guide explains research fundamentals and methodologies in easily digestible bites, helping you understand surveys, case studies, laboratory observations, tests and experiments, and much more. You'll find it pays off at exam time, too!

• Understand the basics — explore what different research methods accomplish and the importance of reliability, validity, and ethical studies
• Designing for validity — examine different survey and experimental designs and understand how to develop them to support validity
• It's qualitative — discover how to approach qualitative research using the method of thematic analysis and explore some specific techniques
• What to do with the results — get guidelines for reporting your research results and learn to prepare a written report and a conference presentation
• Prepare a proposal — find out what goes into a research proposal and how to develop one, write it up, and create a research protocol

Open the book and find:

• Common research methods
• How to maintain scientific integrity
• Tips on designing questionnaires
• Secrets of successful small experiments
• Principles used in analysing qualitative data
• Ways to manage anxiety during a conference presentation
• How to calculate sample size
• Ten common mistakes and how to avoid them