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This textbook provides a clear introduction to the principal research methods and statistical procedures that underpin psychological research. Doing Psychology builds a carefully integrated understanding of the research process from the ground up, and addresses the many challenges confronted by first-time students of psychology.
List of contents
Introduction
Research in Psychology
Objectives and Ideals
Research Methods
Experimental Design
Survey Design
Descriptive Statistics
Some Principles of Statistical Inference
Examining Differences between Means
The
t-test
Examining Relationships between Variables
Correlation
Research Ethics
Conclusion
Managing Uncertainty in Psychological Research
The chapters in detail
Chapter One: Introduction
`Why do I have to do this?¿; the structure of this book and an overview of the chapters; how to use this book
Chapter Two: Research in Psychology: Objectives and Ideals
What is psychological research and why do it?; how does psychological research progress?; principles of good research; some notes of caution
Chapter Three: Research Methods
Psychological measurement; the experimental method; the quasi-experimental method; the survey method; the case study method; overview
Chapter Four: Experimental Design
Choosing an independent variable; choosing a dependent variable; choosing an experimental sample; threats to internal validity; threats to external validity
Chapter Five: Survey Design
The differences between surveys and experiments; setting the question; finding a sample; types of survey; overview: designing a survey
Chapter Six: Descriptive Statistics
Different forms of research data; describing a typical score: measures of central tendency; the relationship between measures of central tendency and a response distribution; describing the spread of scores: measures of dispersion; observed distributions
Chapter Seven: Some Principles of Statistical Inference
Statistical inference; inferences about individual scores; inferences about means; overview
Chapter Eight: Examining Differences between Means: The t-test
Student¿s t-distribution; comparing the results for a single sample to a specific value; within-subjects
t-tests; between-subjects
t-tests; the controversy about what to do with
t-values; handling the results of
t-te
Chapter Nine: Examining Relationships between Variables: Correlation
Some basic principles of correlation; the measurement of correlation; interpreting and making inferences about correlations; some notes of caution; conclusion
Chapter Ten: Research Ethics
Science and society; participation in research; research with animals; final comment
Chapter Eleven: Conclusion: Managing Uncertainty in Psychological Research
`Where has all this got us?¿; managing uncertainty in psychological research; final comment
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About the author
S Alexander Haslam (Alex Haslam) is Professor of Psychology and Australian Laureate Fellow at the University of Queensland. Together with colleagues, he has written and edited 15 books and over 300 research articles and chapters. His most recent books are The New Psychology of Leadership: Identity, Influence and Power (with Steve Reicher and Michael Platow, 2nd ed. 2020) and Social Psychology: Revisiting the Classic Studies (edited with Joanne Smith, 2nd ed. 2017). He is former Chief Editor of the European Journal of Social Psychology and former President of the Psychology Section of the British Science Association. He is a recipient of the European Association of Social Psychology’s Kurt Lewin Medal for research excellence, and the International Society of Political Psychology’s Nevitt Sanford Award for contributions to political psychology. He has also received awards for distinguished contributions to psychological science from both the British Psychology Society and the Australian Psychology Society. In 2022 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia “for significant service to higher education, particularly psychology, through research and mentoring”.
Craig McGarty is Professor of Psychology at Western Sydney University. He received his undergraduate training in psychology at the University of Adelaide and his PhD from Macquarie University in 1991 (where he was a tutor from 1985 until 1989). He spent 1990 as a lecturer in social psychology/social interaction at the University of Western Sydney and moved in 1991 to the Australian National University as a research associate. He was Reader and Head of the School of Psychology before moving to Murdoch University in Western Australia as the Director of the Centre for Social and Community Research and then Director of the Social Research Institute. He has worked on a wide range of topics in experimental social psychology, and his current research includes a social audit of the aspirations and solutions of a remote Indigenous community and studies of the reconciliation process in post-genocide Rwanda. His books include Stereotypes as Explanations (with Vincent Yzerbyt and Russell Spears, 2002) and Categorization and Social Psychology (1999).
Summary
This textbook provides a clear introduction to the principal research methods and statistical procedures that underpin psychological research. Doing Psychology builds a carefully integrated understanding of the research process from the ground up, and addresses the many challenges confronted by first-time students of psychology.
