Preface
The research methods course is among the most frequently required in the psychology major—and with good reason. Consider that a cross-cultural psychologist and a cognitive neuroscientist meeting at a professional conference might know next to nothing about the phenomena and theories that are important in each other’s work. Yet they would certainly both know about the difference between an experiment and a correlational study, the function of independent and dependent variables, the importance of reliability and validity in psychological measurement, and the need for replication in psychological research. In other words, psychologists’ research methods are at the very core of their discipline.
At the same time, most students majoring in psychology do not go on to graduate school. And among those who do, only a fraction become cross-cultural psychologists, cognitive neuroscientists, or researchers of any sort. The rest pursue careers in clinical practice, social services, and a wide variety of fields that may be completely unrelated to psychology. For these students, the study of research methods is important primarily because it prepares them to be effective consumers of psychological research and because it promotes critical thinking skills and attitudes that are applicable in many areas of life.
My goal, then, was to write a book that would present the methodological concepts and skills that are widely shared by researchers across the field of psychology and to do so in a way that would also be accessible to a wide variety of students. Among the features I tried to incorporate to help achieve this goal are the following.
Straightforward Writing—I have kept the writing simple and clear, avoiding idiosyncratic terminology and concepts that rarely come up in practice.
Limited References—Instead of including several hundred references (which would be typical), I have limited the references to methodological classics and to sources that serve as specific examples.
Minimal Digressions—I have tried to minimize technical and philosophical digressions to avoid distracting students from the main points.
Diverse Examples—I have used a variety of examples from across the entire range of psychology—including plenty of examples from clinical and counseling psychology, which tend to be underrepresented in research methods textbooks.
Traditional Structure—By and large I have maintained the overall structure of the typical introductory research methods textbook, which should make it relatively easy for experienced instructors to use.
This book evolved from a series of handouts that I wrote for my own students because I was frustrated by the cost of existing textbooks. This is why I am especially excited to be publishing with FlatWorld. I hope you find that Research Methods: Core Concepts and Skills for Psychology serves your own purposes, and I look forward to hearing about your experiences with it.
—Paul C. Price
What's New in Version 3.0
Based on positive feedback from users of previous versions, I have retained the style, structure, and nearly all the content of the original. Among the most important changes are the following:
New subsection on “Improving Scientific Research in Psychology,” including a new video link on open science and a new call-out box on the topic (Chapter 1, Section 2 “Scientific Research in Psychology”)
Links to new TedTalk video illustrates one of 50 great myths in psychology and new video on confirmation bias (Chapter 1, Section 3 “Science and Common Sense”)
Expanded list of empirically supported treatments (Chapter 1, Section 4 “Science and Clinical Practice”)
New Chapter 2 opening story on trigger warnings (Chapter 2 “Research Basics”)
Added discussion of error bars (Chapter 2, Section 1 “Basic Concepts”)
Link to new video “Correlation Does not Imply Causation” (Chapter 2, Section 1 “Basic Concepts”)
Link to new video acknowledging and apologizing for Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment– “They Were Betrayed” (Chapter 3, Section 1 “Moral Foundations of Ethical Research”)
Link to new video on Nuremberg doctors trial (Chapter 3, Section 2 “From Moral Principles to Ethics Codes”)
Updated discussion of informed consent forms (Chapter 3, Section 2 “From Moral Principles to Ethics Codes”)
Revised discussion of replication including the associated key term (Chapter 4, Section 1 “Phenomena and Theories”)
Updated coverage of Piaget, including a new video link (Chapter 4, Section 2 “The Variety of Theories in Psychology”)
Revised coverage of “The Big Five,” including a new video link (Chapter 5, Section 1 “Understanding Psychological Measurement”)
Link to new video showing aggressive behavior in Bandura’s famous study (Chapter 5, Section 1 “Understanding Psychological Measurement”)
New comparative psychology example, “What Is an Experiment?” (Chapter 6, Section 1 “Experiment Basics”)
Updated discussion of “External Validity” (Chapter 6, Section 1 “Experiment Basics”)
More recent example of a field experiment (Chapter 6, Section 1 “Experiment Basics”)
Link to new video of the Muller-Lyer illusion (Chapter 6, Section 1 “Experiment Basics”)
Link to new video on placebo effects (Chapter 6, Section 2 “Experimental Design”)
New section on “Follow Open-Science Practices,” including a new video link on the topic (Chapter 6, Section 3 “Conducting Experiments”)
New call-out box on archival data (Chapter 7, Section 2 “Correlational Research”)
Replaced “The Case of Anna O” with “The Case of Little Albert,” including an associated video link (Chapter 10, Section 1 “Overview of Single-Subject Research”)
Link to new video on applied behavior analysis (Chapter 10, Section 1 “Overview of Single-Subject Research”)
Link to new video about APA-style citations (Chapter 11, Section 1 “American Psychological Association (APA) Style”)
Link to new video about the conference of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (Chapter 11, Section 3 “Other Presentation Formats”)
Link to new video about distribution shapes (Chapter 12, Section 1 “Describing Single Variables”)
Revised discussion of error bars (Chapter 12, Section 3 “Expressing Your Results”)
New call-out box on statistical software programs, including JASP output (Chapter 12, Section 4 “Conducting Your Analyses”)
Link to new video about sampling error (Chapter 13, Section 1 “Understanding Null Hypothesis Testing”)
Link to new video explaining Type I and Type II errors (Chapter 13, Section 3 “Additional Considerations”)
Revised discussion of how to compute power (Chapter 13, Section 3 “Additional Considerations”)
Link to new TedTalk video on narcissism (Chapter 14, Section 2 “Meta-Analysis”)
Revised discussion of meta-analysis (Chapter 14, Section 2 “Meta-Analysis”)
New key term “forest plot” with accompanying JASP-based figure and how to interpret it (Chapter 14, Section 2 “Meta-Analysis”)
New call-out box about “Meta-Analysis and the Brain” (Chapter 14, Section 2 “Meta-Analysis”)
Supplements
Research Methods: Core Concepts and Skills for Psychology is accompanied by a robust supplements program that augments and enriches both the teaching and student learning experiences. The author personally prepared all of the supplements to ensure accuracy and to ensure full alignment with the book’s narrative. Faculty should contact their FlatWorld sales representative or FlatWorld support at support@flatworld.com for more information or to obtain access to the supplements upon adoption.
Sample Syllabi
Sample syllabi based on either 15-week or 10-week terms provide useful templates that help new adopters transition from their current course textbook to Research Methods: Core Concepts and Skills for Psychology v3.0. Faculty can download the syllabi from the FlatWorld website or they can be obtained by contacting your local FlatWorld representative or FlatWorld support (support@flatworld.com).
Instructor’s Manual
The Instructor’s Manual (IM) includes Learning Objectives, an outline for each chapter, Key Takeaways, and key term definitions. The IM also features possible responses to Exercise questions which encourage students to more deeply engage with course material.
PowerPoint Slides
PowerPoint Slides organized by chapter include a concise and thorough outline, a list of Learning Objectives, key terms, figures and tables contained in the text. These slides work well for both face-to-face and online learning environments, enliven lectures, and stimulate class discussions. Adopters can use the slides as composed to support lectures or customize and build upon them to suit their particular teaching goals.
Test Item File
The Test Item File (TIF) includes more than fifty questions per chapter in multiple-choice, true false, short answer, and essay-question formats. All answers are provided, including possible responses to the essay questions. The items have been written specifically to reinforce the major topics covered in each chapter and to align with FlatWorld Homework and in-text quiz items. The Test Item File questions are also available in pre-formatted form for easy export into popular learning management systems such as Canvas or Blackboard.
Test Generator—Powered by Cognero
FlatWorld is pleased to provide a computer-generated test program powered by the leading assessment provider Cognero to assist instructors with selecting, randomizing, formatting, loading online, or printing exams. Please contact your local FlatWorld representative or FlatWorld support (support@flatworld.com) for more information or to request the program.
FlatWorld Homework
FlatWorld Homework is provided in an easy-to-use interface. Multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, matching, classification, order list, and other question types are available for use and are all auto-gradable. Students who utilize the homework questions should see their performance improve on examinations that are given using the Test Item File questions that accompany this book.
Online Quizzes and Flashcards
Autograded Quiz questions and Flashcards for student self-evaluation are organized by chapter and section and embedded in the online version of the book. Students can use the Quizzes and Flashcards to test their comprehension by section as they read and learn, once they have completed a chapter, or for test review.