Introduction to

Field Methods in
Psychology
 Goals of Psychology

01 02
Describe Understand
03 04
Predict Control
Field Methods
- are methods used by field investigators from the
social and behavioral sciences in the collection,
management, analysis and presentation of data
about human thought and/or human behavior in
the natural world. The data can be qualitative or
quantitative, as can the methods for analysis and
presentation.
 “Research is to see what
everybody else has seen, and to
thnik what nobody else has
thought.”
—Albert Szent-Gyorgi
 Why Research?

1. To learn something and increase our

understanding.
2. To gather evidence, information and knowledge
needed for problem solving and making decisions.
3. To challenge the existing knowledge.
 What is Research?
1. The systematic investigation into and study of materials and
sources in order to establish facts and reach new
conclusions.
2. Research is finding out what you don't already know. No
one knows everything, but everybody knows something.
3. Check current theories and existing knowledge. Research
Challenges the status quo.
4. Research corrects our misconceptions and refute things we
dearly hold as truth.
 Difference between
QUALITATIVE and QUANTITATIVE Research
 How to help

Be there Hear how to

for them help them
Mercury is the Venus is the second
smallest planet planet from the Sun

Communication Take care of

lines yourself
Despite being red, Jupiter is the biggest
Mars is a cold place planet of them all
 Characteristics of Qualitative Research

● Human understanding and interpretation

- Data analysis results show an individual’s mental, social, and spiritual
understanding of the world. Hence, through their worldviews, you come to know what
kind of human being he/she is, including his/her values, beliefs, likes, and dislikes.
● Active, powerful, and forceful
- As you go through the research process, you find the need to amend or rephrase
interview questions and consider varied ways of getting answers, like shifting from
mere speculating to traveling to places for data gathering.
- You are not fixated to a certain plan. Rather, you are inclined to discover your
qualitative research design as your study gradually unfolds or reveals itself in
accordance with your research objectives
 Characteristics of Qualitative Research

● Multiple research approaches and methods

- Qualitative research allows you to approach or plan your study in varied ways. You
are free to combine this with quantitative research and use all gathered data and
analysis techniques.
- Being a multi-method research, a qualitative study applies to all research types:
descriptive, exploratory, explanatory, case study, etc.
● Specific to Generalization
- Specific ideas in a qualitative research are directed to a general understanding of
something.
- It follows an inductive or scientific method of thinking, where you start thinking of
particular or specific concept that will eventually lead you to more complex ideas such
as generalizations or conclusions.
 Characteristics of Qualitative Research

● Contextualization
- A qualitative research involves all variables, factors, or conditions affecting the
study. Your goal here is to understand human behavior. Thus, it is crucial for you to
examine the context or situation of an individual’s life—the who, what, why, how, and
other circumstances—affecting his or her way of life.
● Diversified data in real-life situations
- A qualitative researcher prefers collecting data in a natural setting like observing
people as they live and work, analyzing photographs or videos as they genuinely
appear to people, and looking at classrooms unchanged or adjusted to people’s
intentional observations .
 Characteristics of Qualitative Research

● Abounds with words and visuals

- Data gathering through interviews or library reading, as well as the presentation of
data analysis results, is done verbally.
- In some cases, it resorts to quoting some respondents’ answers. Likewise,
presenting people’s world views through visual presentation (i.e., pictures, videos,
drawings, and graphs) are significantly used in a qualitative research.
● Internal Analysis
- Here, you examine the data yielded by the internal traits of the subject individuals
(i.e., emotional, mental, spiritual characteristics).