Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences, 4th Edition

Front Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 3
Copyright......Page 4
Brief Contents......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
Preface......Page 17
PART ONE: GETTING STARTED......Page 25
1. Introduction to Research......Page 26
Behavioral Research......Page 28
Everyday Science Versus Empirical Research......Page 29
Values Versus Facts in Scientific Research......Page 32
Basic and Applied Research......Page 35
The Importance of Studying Research Methods......Page 36
Research Designs: Three Approaches to Studying Behavior......Page 37
Current Research in the Behavioral Sciences: Preferences for Brands That Contain the Letters of Our Own Name......Page 44
SUMMARY......Page 45
KEY TERMS......Page 46
RESEARCH PROJECT IDEAS......Page 47
2. Developing the Research Hypothesis......Page 49
Getting Ideas......Page 50
Doing a Literature Search......Page 54
Formalizing Ideas Into Research Hypotheses......Page 59
SUMMARY......Page 62
RESEARCH PROJECT IDEAS......Page 63
3. Ethics in Research......Page 65
What Is Ethical Research?......Page 66
Protecting Research Participants From Physical and Psychological Harm......Page 68
Providing Freedom of Choice......Page 71
Maintaining Awareness of Power Differentials......Page 75
Honestly Describing the Nature and Use of the Research......Page 76
Using Animals as Research Participants......Page 80
Ensuring That Research Is Ethical......Page 81
KEY TERMS......Page 85
RESEARCH PROJECT IDEAS......Page 86
PART TWO: MEASURING AND DESCRIBING......Page 89
4. Measures......Page 90
Operational Definition......Page 91
Self-Report Measures......Page 96
Behavioral Measures......Page 104
Choosing a Measure......Page 107
Current Research in the Behavioral Sciences: Using Multiple Measured Variables to Assess the Conceptual Variable of Panic Symptoms......Page 108
KEY TERMS......Page 110
RESEARCH PROJECT IDEAS......Page 111
5. Reliability and Validity......Page 112
Random and Systematic Error......Page 113
Reliability......Page 115
Construct Validity......Page 119
Improving the Reliability and Validity of Measured Variables......Page 124
Comparing Reliability and Validity......Page 125
Current Research in the Behavioral Sciences: The Hillyer-Joynes Kinematics Scale of Locomotion in Rats With Spinal Injuries......Page 127
KEY TERMS......Page 128
RESEARCH PROJECT IDEAS......Page 129
6. Surveys and Sampling......Page 130
Surveys......Page 131
Sampling and Generalization......Page 134
Summarizing the Sample Data......Page 138
Sample Size and the Margin of Error......Page 146
Current Research in the Behavioral Sciences: Assessing Americans’ Attitudes Toward Health Care......Page 147
KEY TERMS......Page 148
REVIEW AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS......Page 149
RESEARCH PROJECT IDEAS......Page 150
7. Naturalistic Methods......Page 151
Naturalistic Research......Page 152
Observational Research......Page 153
Case Studies......Page 156
Systematic Coding Methods......Page 157
Archival Research......Page 159
Current Research in the Behavioral Sciences: Detecting Psychopathy From Thin Slices of Behavior......Page 161
SUMMARY......Page 162
RESEARCH PROJECT IDEAS......Page 163
PART THREE: TESTING RESEARCH HYPOTHESES......Page 165
8. Hypothesis Testing and Inferential Statistics......Page 166
Probability and Inferential Statistics......Page 167
Sampling Distributions and Hypothesis Testing......Page 169
Reduction of Inferential Errors......Page 173
Statistical Significance and the Effect Size......Page 177
KEY TERMS......Page 180
RESEARCH PROJECT IDEAS......Page 181
9. Correlational Research Designs......Page 183
Associations Among Quantitative Variables......Page 184
Statistical Assessment of Relationships......Page 187
Correlation and Causality......Page 194
When Correlational Designs Are Appropriate......Page 201
Current Research in the Behavioral Sciences: Moral Conviction, Religiosity, and Trust in Authority......Page 203
KEY TERMS......Page 204
RESEARCH PROJECT IDEAS......Page 205
10. Experimental Research: One-Way Designs......Page 207
Demonstration of Causality......Page 208
One-Way Experimental Designs......Page 209
Analysis of Variance......Page 214
Repeated-Measures Designs......Page 217
Presentation of Experiment Results......Page 221
When Experiments Are Appropriate......Page 222
Current Research in the Behavioral Sciences: Does Social Exclusion “Hurt”?......Page 223
SUMMARY......Page 224
REVIEW AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS......Page 225
RESEARCH PROJECT IDEAS......Page 226
PART FOUR: DESIGNING AND INTERPRETING RESEARCH......Page 229
11. Experimental Research: Factorial Designs......Page 230
Factorial Experimental Designs......Page 231
Understanding Interactions......Page 237
More Factorial Designs......Page 240
Comparison of the Condition Means in Experimental Designs......Page 243
Current Research in the Behavioral Sciences: Using Feelings in the Ultimatum Game......Page 246
KEY TERMS......Page 248
RESEARCH PROJECT IDEAS......Page 249
12. Experimental Control and Internal Validity......Page 251
Threats to the Validity of Research......Page 252
Experimental Control......Page 253
Control of Extraneous Variables......Page 255
Creation of Valid Manipulations......Page 260
Threats to Internal Validity......Page 265
Current Research in the Behavioral Sciences: Testing the “Romantic Red” Hypothesis......Page 272
SUMMARY......Page 273
REVIEW AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS......Page 274
RESEARCH PROJECT IDEAS......Page 275
13. External Validity......Page 278
Understanding External Validity......Page 279
Generalization......Page 280
Replications......Page 284
Summarizing and Integrating Research Results......Page 287
Current Research in the Behavioral Sciences: A Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Current Treatment Approaches for Withdrawal From Tranquilizer Addictions......Page 292
KEY TERMS......Page 293
RESEARCH PROJECT IDEAS......Page 294
14. Quasi-Experimental Research Designs......Page 296
Program Evaluation Research......Page 297
Quasi-Experimental Designs......Page 298
Time-Series Designs......Page 305
Participant-Variable Designs......Page 307
Single-Participant Designs......Page 308
Current Research in the Behavioral Sciences: Damage to the Hippocampus Abolishes the Cortisol Response to Psychosocial Stress in Humans......Page 310
SUMMARY......Page 311
REVIEW AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS......Page 312
RESEARCH PROJECT IDEAS......Page 313
APPENDIX A: Reporting Research Results......Page 314
APPENDIX B: Data Preparation and Univariate Statistics......Page 362
APPENDIX C: Bivariate Statistics......Page 382
APPENDIX D: Multivariate Statistics......Page 398
APPENDIX E: Statistical Tables......Page 419
APPENDIX F: Using Computers to Collect Data......Page 439
Glossary......Page 442
References......Page 453
Index......Page 460