Discovering Research Methods in Psychology

Discovering Research Methods in Psychology: A Student's Guide presents an accessible introduction to the research methodology techniques that underpin the field of psychology Offers a unique narrative approach to introducing the complexities of psychological research methods to first year students Introduces the reader to the three main types of research methods used in psychology – observation, experimentation and survey methods Provides clear summaries of 21st-century published studies that reflect diversity and best illustrate issues in research methodology Includes an emphasis on topics of most interest to students, from those with a personal perspective such as romantic relationships, prejudice and career decisions, to clinical topics including eating disorders, heavy drinking and paranoia  Features a comprehensive glossary of all research terminology used in the narrative

Acknowledgements vii 1. Introduction and How To Use This Book 1 2. Ethics 4 3. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder 15 Experiment – A Randomised Controlled Trial 4. Music and Stress 27 Experiment – A Matched Pairs Design 5. Competitive Anxiety 41 Experiment – A Repeated Measures Design 6. Change Blindness 51 Experiment – A Single Sample Design 7. Acoustic Preferences 67 Programme of Experiments – Animal Studies 8. Cognitive Costs of Racial Prejudice 83 Experiment – Unrelated Three-Factor Design, Between Groups and Between Conditions 9. Mate-Selection Strategies 96 Experiment – A Mixed Two-Factor Design, Within and Between Groups 10. The Autistic Spectrum 110 Structured Observation 11. Cognitive Maps 121 Clinical/Laboratory Observation 12. Eating Disorders and the Media 134 Observation – Quantitative Content Analysis 13. Eating Disorders: The Experience 146 Observation – Qualitative Content Analysis 14. Face Recognition 157 Observation – Clinical Case Study 15. Choices and Decisions 166 Survey Methods – Quantitative Questionnaire 16. Measuring Romance 181 Survey Methods – Scale Development 17. Paranoia 196 Survey Methods – Interview 18. Understanding Heavy Drinking 207 Survey Methods – Qualitative and Quantitative 19. Attributing Success and Failure 217 Cross-Cultural Study Using Mixed Methods 20. Contrasting the Methods 231 An Overview Key Topics 246 BPS Ethical Principles for Conducting Research with Human Participants 268 Glossary 275 References 309 Index 320