NCJ Number
66079
Date Published
1980
Length
398 pages
Annotation
INTENDED TO HELP STUDENTS TO ACQUIRE BASIC KNOWLEDGE ABOUT RESEARCH METHODS AND TO DEVELOP ANALYTIC SKILLS, THIS BOOK FOCUSES ON RESEARCH IN PSYCHOLOGY, ALTHOUGH THE MATERIAL ALSO APPLIES TO RESEARCH IN OTHER FIELDS.
Abstract
THE TEXT PROCEEDS FROM BROADER ISSUES TO MORE SPECIFIC TECHNIQUES AND FROM SIMPLER, BASIC CONCEPTS TO MORE COMPLEX METHODS. A DISCUSSION OF THE ROLE THAT RESEARCH PLAYS IN SCIENCE INCLUDES EXAMINATION OF CHARACTERISTICS OF SCIENCE, SOURCES OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS, AND RESEARCH OUTCOMES, AND IT PRECEDES A CONSIDERATION OF THE ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF RESEARCH (I.E., MEASUREMENT, CONTROL, AND ETHICS). NEXT, FACTORS MOST RELEVANT TO RESEARCH IN PSYCHOLOGY AND RELATED DISCIPLINES ARE EXAMINED, FOLLOWED BY AN EXPLANATION OF THE TREATMENT OF DATA AND OF THE USE OF RESEARCH FINDINGS IN MAKING DECISIONS AND INFERENCES FROM BOTH STATISTICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES. CORRELATIONAL METHODS, INCLUDING SCATTER DIAGRAMS AND CORRELATION COEFFICIENTS, ARE REVIEWED, AND FACTORIAL DESIGNS AND MULTIPLE-STAGE RESEARCH ARE SURVEYED. FINALLY, THE TEXT PRESENTS A POSTTEST OF PROBLEMS IN RESEARCH DESIGN AND SUGGESTIONS FOR USING AND IMPROVING RESEARCH SKILLS IN PSYCHOLOGY. THE BOOK INCLUDES 65 PROBLEMS WHICH THE STUDENT IS SUPPOSED TO SOLVE, AS WELL AS TABLES, GRAPHS, REFERENCES, AND AN INDEX. INFORMATION ON WRITING A RESEARCH REPORT AND STATISTICAL METHODS IS APPENDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--PRG)