Introducing Research Methods

Methods in Behavioral Research

Paul C. Cozby
Mayfield Publishing Company
Slide show developed by
Craig Baker, M.A.
California State University, Fullerton
 Uses of Research Methods
• Evaluate research reported in the media
• Many occupations require the use of
research findings (e.g., health,
education, legal, and political)
• Conducting research
 Intuition and Authority

• Problem: biases affect our perceptions

and may lead to erroneous conclusions
• How do we know if our intuitions are
correct or incorrect?
• How do we know if an authority’s
conclusions are correct or incorrect?
 Authority and Intuition
• Use intuition and authority as guides
and ideas for research
• Question authority!
 The Scientific Method
• The essence of the scientific method is
that all propositions be subjected to an
empirical test
 Empiricism
• Practice based on experiment and
observation
• The doctrine that all knowledge is
derived from sense-experience
Two Components of Empirical Approach

• An idea must be studied under

conditions in which it may be either
supported or refuted
• The research is done in a way that can
be observed, evaluated, and replicated
by others
 Goals of Behavioral Science
• Description of behaviour

• Prediction of behaviour

• Finding causes of behaviour

• Explanation of behaviour
 Basic Research
• Addresses fundamental questions about
the nature of behaviour
• Often tests theories of behaviour
 Applied Research
• Addresses issues in which there are
practical problems and potential
solutions
• Often guided by basic theory and
research