The Very Brief Guide to Research Design Options for Writing in Psychology

The Case Study What is a case study? ◦Purpose – usually pedagogical -- provides a detailed account of a person or small group to exemplify a disorder, condition, or intervention ◦Method – observation, may include interview, considered a form of qualitative research ◦Paper Structure – brief introduction, patient background, condition/disorder/intervention, analysis, conclusion

Two Types of Case Studies Typical – illustrates the norm of situation ◦Examine whole situation  PTSD patient going through PE therapy ◦Specific trait/aspect of situation  The use of pleasant stimuli to re-associate memories Exceptional– illustrates a non-typical example ◦Examine the whole situation  PTSD complicated by substance abuse and depression ◦Specific trait/aspect of situation  PTSD patient exhibiting hyper-vigilance that requires adjustment to therapeutic strategy

Survey Research What is survey research? ◦Purpose – to assess beliefs, attitudes, perceptions about a topic ◦Method – distribution of same instrument to many people – usually requires statistical analysis ◦Paper Format – classic IMRD

Types of Survey Research Pilot Study ◦Research to determine whether an idea is feasible  Will participants react favorably to private mental health screenings? Validation Study ◦Research to determine whether qualitative findings can generalize  Are the literacy habits of individual health care providers similar to the group as a whole? Extension Study ◦Research to determine if results from previous research are found in a different population  Research demonstrates that images of $$ make middle- aged people feel unhappy – will same be true of college students?

Quasi/Non Experimental Study What is quasi/non-experimental research? ◦Study in which there is little to no control over groups (no randomization, no control group, though there may be variables (e.g., gender) Purpose – to discover information within a specific population Paper Format – classic IMRD

Quasi/Non-Experiments Task specific design - participants do something or respond to something often through re- direction ◦RQ: What kinds of images best prompt people to make junk food purchases?  participants see pictures of healthy people, happy people, cute animals, expensive objects, families, desserts ◦ Participants look at different kinds of pictures, answer dummy questions, then answer actual experimental question/s ◦ Must be very well-controlled instrument