LESSON 10.

SCIENTIFIC APPROACH TO RESEARCH IN PSYCHOLOGY

What is the Scientific Method?

All scientists (whether they are physicists, chemists, biologists, sociologists, or psychologists)
rely on scientific methods. They are engaged in the basic processes of collecting data and
drawing conclusions about those data.

(The methods used by scientists have developed over many years and provide a common framework for
developing, organizing, and sharing information. The scientific method is the set of assumptions, rules,
and procedures scientists use to conduct research.)

SCIENTIFIC METHOD - According to Sparknotes, it is a standardized way of making

observations, gathering data, forming theories, testing predictions, and interpreting results.

The word “science” comes from the Latin word that means knowledge. So we can think of
science as a way to gain knowledge of the world around us! The word “method” comes from
the Greek word that means road. If you put the words “science” and “method” together, you
get something like the road or path to gaining knowledge. This is called the scientific method! A
way to figure things out or a process to gain knowledge.

(For instance, (1) research psychologists use scientific methods to create new knowledge about the
causes of behavior, whereas (2) psychologist practitioners, such as clinical, counseling,
industrial-organizational, and school psychologists, use existing research to enhance the everyday life of
others.)

Why is the use of scientific methods important in Psychology?

In a sense all humans are scientists. We all have an interest in asking and answering questions
about our world. We want to know why things happen, when and if they are likely to happen
again, and how to reproduce or change them. Such knowledge enables us to predict our own
behavior and that of others. We may even collect data (i.e., any information collected through
formal observation or measurement) to aid us in this undertaking. It has been argued that
people are “everyday scientists” who conduct research projects to answer questions about
behavior (Nisbett & Ross, 1980). (1) When we perform poorly on an important test, we try to
understand what caused our failure to remember or understand the material and what might
help us do better the next time.

The problem, however, with the way people collect and interpret data in their everyday lives is
that they are not always particularly thorough. Often, when one explanation for an event seems
“right,” we adopt that explanation as the truth even when other explanations are possible and
potentially more accurate. For example, people become easily convinced about the predictive
value of astrology because they believe it resonates with them. When in fact, sometimes we
tend to rationalize ourselves into those predictions just to say that it resonates. In summary,
accepting explanations for events without testing them thoroughly may lead us to think that we
know the causes of things when we really do not.

(This is why the use of scientific method is important; The act of stating the question, offering a theory
and then constructing rigorous laboratory or field experiments to test the hypothesis, apply the
understanding gleaned through these processes to create evidence-based strategies that solve problems
and improve lives.)

The scientific method employs three steps.

1. Formulating the problem or purpose of the study.

- Research problems or questions are the fuel driving the entire scientific process and
they serve as the foundation of any experimental design or method, from case studies
to real experiments.
- Why? (1) Introduces the reader to the importance of the topic being studied; (2) Places
the problem into a particular context; (3) Provides the framework for reporting the
results.
- How? (1) Specify your research objectives; (2) Review its context or environment; (3)
Explore its nature; (4) Determine variable relationships; (5) Anticipate the possible
consequences of alternative approaches.
2. Developing a conceptual or theoretical framework and hypotheses on the specific
phenomenon to be studied.
- The conceptual framework steers the whole research activity. The conceptual
framework serves as a “map” or “rudder” that will guide you towards realizing your
study’s objectives or intent.
- In other words, the conceptual framework is the researcher’s understanding of how the
particular variables in his study connect. The conceptual framework lies within a much
broader framework called a theoretical framework. The latter draws support from
time-tested theories that embody many researchers’ findings on why and how a
particular phenomenon occurs.
- Why? The theoretical and conceptual framework explains the path of a research and
grounds it firmly in theoretical constructs.
- How? (1) CHOOSE YOUR TOPIC; (2) DO A LITERATURE REVIEW; (3) ISOLATE THE
IMPORTANT VARIABLES.
3. Gathering pieces of evidence that either support or refute the research framework.
- Why? There will be no results if there is no data to study.
- How? Psychologists collect information for a case study through psychometric testing,
observation, interviews, experiments and case study archives. These studies typically
 explore psychological processes and behaviors to provide information for future
research on a condition or behavior.

Methods of Research

1. Controlled experiments
- It is an experiment in which all factors are held constant except for one: the
independent variable.
2. Animal studies
- Famous examples are Skinner’s rats, Pavlov’s dogs, Harlow’s monkeys.
3. Qualitative and descriptive research
- It attempts systematically to describe a situation, problem, or phenomenon.
4. Survey questionnaires
- It is a research instrument that consists of a set of questions to collect information from
a respondent.
5. Longitudinal studies
- Researchers repeatedly examine the same individuals to detect any changes that might
occur over a period of time.
6. Neuropsychological methods
- It is a performance-based method to assess cognitive functioning.
7. Computational modeling
- It is the use of computers to simulate and study complex systems using mathematics,
physics and computer science.
8. Correlational method
- It is used to investigate relationships between two variables (or more) without the
researcher controlling or manipulating any of them.
9. Indigenous research method
- Research by and for idigenous people, using techniques and methods drawn from the
tradition and knowledge of those people.