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Research Methods for Psychological Science
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Research Methods for Psychological Science



August 2021 | 480 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
Written by experimental research expert, Dr. William J. Ray, Research Methods for Psychological Science introduces students to the principles and practice of conducting research in psychology in an engaging, story-telling format. Ray helps students understand how research increases our understanding of ourselves and our environment and how logic and best practices can increase our understanding of human behavior. Whether their future roles will be researchers, consumers of research, or informed citizens, students will learn the importance of developing testable hypotheses, how to evaluate new information critically, and the impact of research on ourselves and our society. Based on Ray’s influential textbook, Methods Toward a Science of Behavior and Experience, the book offers up-to-date pedagogy, structure, and exercises to reinforce the student’s learning experience.
 
Preface
 
About the Author
 
Introduction
 
Chapter 1 • What Is Science?
Learning Objectives

 
Science as a Way of Knowing

 
The Scientific Approach

 
Studying Behavior and Experience

 
 
Chapter 2 • Introduction to the Methods of Science
Learning Objectives

 
Naturalistic Observation

 
The Correlational Approach

 
The Experimental Method

 
Logic and Inference: The Detective Work of Science

 
Scientific Observation: The Raw Data of Science

 
 
Chapter 3 • Developing the Hypothesis
Learning Objectives

 
Making Our Hypotheses Concrete

 
Making Our Hypotheses Logical

 
Creating Testable Research Hypotheses and the Problem of Measurement

 
The Scientist’s Guide to Having an Idea

 
Tools for Library Research

 
 
Chapter 4 • Ethics
Learning Objectives

 
Ethical Considerations of Psychological Experimentation

 
Ingredients of the Initial Scientist–Participant Dialogue

 
The Rights of the Research Participant and the Responsibilities of the Experimenter

 
Deception Studies

 
Animals as Subjects

 
 
Chapter 5 • Description of Behavior Through Numerical Representation
Learning Objectives

 
Measurement

 
Measurement and Statistics

 
Measures of Central Tendency

 
Measures of Variability

 
Pictorial and Transforming Numerical Data

 
Measures of Association

 
 
Chapter 6 • Inferential Statistics: Making Statistical Decisions
Learning Objectives

 
Probability

 
The Normal Distribution

 
Hypothesis Testing

 
 
Chapter 7 • Testing the Hypothesis: A Conceptual Introduction
Learning Objectives

 
The Context of Experimentation: An Example

 
Types of Variation

 
Statistical Hypothesis Testing

 
Threats to Internal Validity

 
Conclusion

 
 
Chapter 8 • Control: The Keystone of the Experimental Method
Learning Objectives

 
Control Achieved Through Participant Assignment and Selection

 
Randomization

 
Control Achieved Through Experimental Design

 
Control as Related to the Logic of Experimentation

 
 
Chapter 9 • Applying the Logic of Experimentation: Between-Subjects Designs
Learning Objectives

 
Between-Subjects Design Terminology

 
Factorial Design

 
Factorial Designs: The Logic of Experimentation and the Interaction Effect

 
 
Chapter 10 • Extending the Logic of Experimentation: Within-Subjects and Matched-Subjects Approaches
Learning Objectives

 
Within-Subjects Designs

 
Mixed Designs

 
Matched-Subjects Designs

 
 
Chapter 11 • The Ecology of the Experiment: The Scientist and Research Participant in Relation to Their Environments
Learning Objectives

 
Ecology

 
Experimenter Factors

 
Subject Factors

 
Cultural and Social Bias

 
 
Chapter 12 • Quasi-Experimental, Correlational, and Naturalistic Observational Designs
Learning Objectives

 
Doing Research in the Real World: Closed and Open Systems

 
Quasi-Experimental Designs

 
Correlational Procedures

 
Naturalistic Observations

 
 
Chapter 13 • Single-Subject Designs
Learning Objectives

 
History of Single-Subject Designs

 
Case Study Designs

 
Experimental Single-Subject Designs

 
Alternative Types of Single-Subject Research

 
 
Chapter 14 • Questionnaires, Survey Research, and Sampling
Learning Objectives

 
Survey Question Construction and Formats

 
Methods of Administering a Survey

 
Sampling

 
 
Chapter 15 • Sharing the Results
Learning Objectives

 
Communication With Other Scientists: The Scientific Article

 
Publishing Your Article

 
 
Chapter 16 • Beyond Method
Learning Objectives

 
Dimensions of Research

 
Limitations to Finding Answers

 
Science as a Complex Human Process

 
Science as a Means of Transcendence

 
 
Glossary
 
References

Supplements

Instructor Resource Site
edge.sagepub.com/raymethods1e


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