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Meaning of Research:
Re means: again, a new, over again
Search means: to examine closely and carefully to test and
to try
Definition:
Research is a systemic effort to gain new knowledge.
It is a collection of information about a particular subject.
Research is a careful investigation or inquiry specilly to search new facts in any
branch of knowledge or about a particular subject
According to John W.Best (2002) Research may to define as systematic and
objective analysis of controlled observations that may lead to development of
organizations, principles & possibility ultimate control of events.
According to Kothari (2002) Research is a systematic investigation to find solution
to a problem.
Cooper & Schindler (2003) Research in any organization is the inquiry carried out
to provide information for solving problem.
According to Fred N. Kerlinger (2004) Scientific research is systematic controlled,
empirical &critical investigation of hypothetical propositions about the presumed
relations among the natural phenomenon.
According to Wolf & Pant (2005) Research activities are deigned to discover
knowledge aid in answering specific questions or issues
Objectives Of Research:
To investigate a subject.
To collect data regarding a problem
To conduct logical or objective study.
To conduct the systematic incury of the subject
For carefully recording reporting and presenting a fact.
The Five goals of Psychology are:
1. DESCRIBING
behavior
2. EXPLAINING why those processes occur
3. PREDICTING future events
4. CONTROLLING/CHANGING behaviors and mental processes
5. OBSERVE so they know what problem their dealing with
Psychologists have four things they do:
describe, explain, predict, and influence behavior
Variable
A variable is some thing that can be changed, such as a characteristics or value.
Variable are generally used in psychology experiment to determine if changes to
one thing result in changes to other.
Independent variable
Situational variable
It is a situation that can effect variable. Situational Variables are factors in the
environment that can unintentionally affect the results of a study. Such variables
include noise, temperature, odors, and lighting. For example, lets say researchers
are investigating the effects of caffeine on mood. One day the air conditioning
breaks down in the lab. The participants who visit the lab that day to take part in
the study get very hot and comfortable, and when filling out the questionnaire to
measure their mood most of them report being in a bad mood.
Extraneous variable
These extraneous variables are related to things in the environment that may
impact how each participant responds. For example, if a participant is taking a
test in a chilly room, the temperature would be considered an
extraneous variable.
What is hypothesis?
A hypothesis is a unsure statement about the relationship between two or
more variables. A hypothesis is a specific, testable prediction about what you
expect to happen in your study. For example, a study designed to look at the
relationship between sleep deprivation and test performance might have a
hypothesis that states, "This study is designed to assess the hypothesis that sleep
deprived people will perform worse on a test than individuals who are not sleep
deprived."
Unless you are creating a study that is exploratory in nature, your hypothesis
should always explain what you expect to happen during the course of your
experiment or research.
Correlational studies are used to look for relationships between variables. There
are three possible results of a correlational study: a positive correlation, a
negative correlation, and no correlation. The correlation coefficient is a measure
of correlation strength and can range from 1.00 to +1.00.
Positive Correlations: Both variables increase or decrease at the same time. A
increases, the other decreases (and vice versa). A correlation coefficient close
to -1.00 indicates a strong negative correlation.
Longitudinal research
Longitudinal research is a type of research method used to discover relationships
between variables that are not related to various background variables. This
observational research technique involves studying the same group of individuals
over an extended period of time.
Data is first collected at the outset of the study, and may then be gathered
repeatedly throughout the length of the study. In some cases, longitudinal studies
can last several decades.
The benefit of this type of research is that it allows researchers to look at changes
over time. Because of this, longitudinal methods are particularly useful when
studying development and lifespan issues.
Qualitative Research
Qualitative research gathers information that is not in numerical form. For
example, diary accounts, open-ended questionnaires, unstructured
interviews and unstructured observations. Qualitative data is typically descriptive
data and as such is harder to analyze than quantitative data.
Qualitative research is useful for studies at the individual level, and to find out, in
depth, the ways in which people think or feel (e.g. case studies).
Analysis of qualitative data is difficult and requires accurate description of
participant responses, for example, sorting responses to open questions and
Quantitative Research
Quantitative research gathers data in numerical form which can be put into
categories, or in rank order, or measured in units of measurement. This type of
data can be used to construct graphs and tables of raw data.
Experiments typically yield quantitative data, as they are concerned with
measuring things. However, other research methods, such as observations
and questionnaires can produce both quantitative and qualitative information.
For example, a rating scale or closed questions on a questionnaire would generate
quantitative data as these produce either numerical data or data that can be put
into categories (e.g. yes, no answers). Whereas open-ended questions would
generate qualitative information as they are a descriptive response.
Experimental methods limit the possible ways in which a research participant can
react to and express appropriate social behavior. Findings are therefore likely to
be context-bound and simply a reflection of the assumptions which the
researcher brings to the investigation.
Basic research
The term basic research refers to study and research on pure science that is
meant to increase our scientific knowledge base. This type of research is often
purely theoretical with the intent of increasing our understanding of certain
phenomena or behavior but does not seek to solve or treat these problems.
Applied research
Applied research refers to scientific study and research that seeks to solve
practical problems. Applied research is used to find solutions to everyday
problems, cure illness, and develop innovative technologies. Psychologists
working inhuman factors or industrial fields often do this type of research.
Applied research examines a specific set of circumstances, and its ultimate goal
is relating the results to a particular situation. That is, applied research uses the
data directly for real world application.
Experimental variable
This is conducted to systematically evaluate the effect of independent variable on
dependent variable such as effect of repeated practice on learning.
Summary
Psychologists do more than just wonder about human behavior: they conduct
research to understand exactly why people think, feel, and behave the way they
do. Like other scientists, psychologists use the scientific method, a standardized
way to conduct research. A scientific approach is used in order to avoid bias or
distortion of information. After collecting data, psychologists organize and analyze
their observations, make inferences about the reliability and significance of their
data, and develop testable hypotheses and theories.
Psychological research has an enormous impact on all facets of our lives,
from
how parents choose to discipline their children to how companies package and
advertise their products to how governments choose to punish or rehabilitate
criminals. Understanding how psychologists do research is vital to understanding
psychology itself.
Reference
www.sparknotes.com
www.simplypsychology.or
www.wikipedia.org
www.slideshare.net
www.about.com