METHODS IN BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH NINTH EDITION PAUL C. COZBY Copyright © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

CHAPTER 2 WHERE TO START

LEARNING OBJECTIVES Discuss how a hypothesis differs from a prediction Describe the different sources of ideas for research, including common sense, observation, theories, past research, and practical problems Identify the two functions of a theory

LEARNING OBJECTIVES Summarize the fundamentals of conducting library research in psychology, including the use of PsycINFO Summarize the information included in the abstract, introduction, method, results, and discussion sections of research articles

HYPOTHESES AND PREDICTIONS Hypothesis: A tentative idea or question that is waiting for evidence to support or refute it Prediction: A statement that makes an assertion concerning what will occur in a particular research investigation

WHO WE STUDY: A NOTE ON TERMINOLOGY Participants (APA preferred) Subjects Respondents Informants

SOURCES OF IDEAS Common Sense Observation of the World Around Us Theories Organize and explain Generate new knowledge Modified by new research Past Research Practical Problems

LIBRARY RESEARCH The Nature of Journals Where researchers publish the results of their studies Psychological Abstracts Abstracts published in hardcopy each month PsycINFO Electronic index of all abstracts from 1800s to present PsycFIRST Electronic index of all abstracts published in last 3 years

LIRARY RESEARCH Some PsychINFO search strategies Strategy 1: Use fields such as TI and AU. Example: (divorce) in TI requires that a term appear in the title Strategy 2: Use AND to limit search Example: divorce AND child requires both terms to be included Strategy 3: Use OR to expand search. Example: divorce OR breakup includes both terms. Strategy 4: Use NOT to exclude search terms. Example: shyness NOT therapy excludes shyness with therapy Strategy 5: Use the wildcard asterisk (*) Example: child* finds any word that begins with these letters

LIBRARY RESEARCH Other Electronic Search Resources FirstSearch Sociological Abstracts MEDLINE ERIC PsycARTICLES

LIBRARY RESEARCH Other Indexes Science Citation Index (SCI) Includes biology chemistry, biomedicine, and pharmacology Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) Includes behavioral and social science such as sociology and criminal justice

LIBRARY RESEARCH Internet Searches Scholar.google.com Professional meeting searches Evaluating web information Site sponsor Credentials of the webmaster Timelines Links (to reputable organizations)

ANATOMY OF A RESEARCH ARTICLE Abstract Introduction Method Results Discussion

ANATOMY OF A RESEARCH ARTICLE Abstract A summary of the research report 120 words or less Includes the hypothesis, procedure, and the broad pattern of results

ANATOMY OF A RESEARCH ARTICLE Introduction Outlines the problems investigated Past research and theories relevant to the problems described Formal hypotheses or specific expectations are introduced and connected to past research

ANATOMY OF A RESEARCH ARTICLE Method section Subsections depend of complexity of the design Overview of design Characteristics of participants Procedure Equipment or testing materials

ANATOMY OF A RESEARCH ARTICLE Results section Findings presented three ways: 1.Description in narrative form 2.Description in statistical language 3.Material in table or graphs

ANATOMY OF A RESEARCH ARTICLE Discussion section Review research from various perspectives Present methodological weaknesses and/or strengths Explain how the results compare with past results Include suggestions for practical applications Include suggestions for future research on the topic

How Do You Know If An Article Is “Peer-Reviewed?” The journal has “instructions to authors” about the submission guidelines and peer-review process. The article is written by the researchers that conducted the study. In addition to the title and author information, the article includes abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion and reference sections. Experts in the author’s field review the theoretical basis, methodology, statistical analyses and interpretation of findings. The editor and/or reviewers decide whether or not to accept the article for publication. The intended audience is scholars that have knowledge in or are interested in the field. The article is not written for profit.