Axia College Material

Appendix B Research Methods Matrix

A psychologist is planning to conduct a study that would examine pathological liars and the quality of their romantic relationships. You have been asked to provide the psychologist with a recommendation for which research method should be used to gather data on the pathological liars and their spouses. Using the table below list each research method and its advantages and disadvantages for use in this study.

Research Method
Naturalistic Observation

Advantages
Accurate and spontaneous data Detailed information gained on subjects Inexpensive and quick to perform. Great for a limited number of variables like in this case Great for determining cause and effect

Disadvantages
Observer bias is very likely and gathering data may make couples uncomfortable. Difficult to apply to large groups Wording of questions must be precise Not useful in determining cause and effect, what is needed for this case. Difficult and costly to conduct and controlled environment would be hard to produce.

Case Studies Survey research Correlational research Experimental Research

Make your recommendation to the psychologist and explain the rationale behind your choice. Your response should be 100-200 words.

I believe in a study like the one we are conducting can benefit greatly from a simple survey research. This should be the most cost effective way to gather data without any bias from observers. By posing the same questions to both spouses we can quickly determine the differences in their answers and with them answering there is no bias. The data can easily be reviewed and compared with little cost involved. We have to carefully word the questions however to assure

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that they will best fit the study. If the questions are poorly worded then the outcome of the data will be ineffective.

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