Intro to Psych

• Goals of Psychology

  1. Describe
  2. Understand
  3. Predict
  4. Control
• Field Methods

  • are methods used by field investigators from the social and behavioral sciences in the collection, management, analysis and presentation of data about human thought and/or human behavior in the natural world.
• Field Methods

  • The data can be qualitative or quantitative, as can the methods for analysis and presentation.
• Why Research?

  1. To learn something and increase our understanding.
  2. To gather evidence, information and knowledge needed for problem solving and making decisions.
  3. To challenge the existing knowledge.
• What is Research?


  The systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.
• Research is finding out what you don't already know. No one knows everything, but everybody knows something.
• Check current theories and existing knowledge. Research Challenges the status quo.
• Research corrects our misconceptions and refute things we dearly hold as truth
• Qualitative Research

  • descriptive statements
  • text-based
  • Stat analysis is harder
  • Interviews, written documents, observations
• Quantitative Research

  • can be measured and expressed numerically
  • number-based
  • stat analysis is easier
  • surveys, observations, experiments, and interviews
• Characteristics of Qualitative Research

  1. Human understanding and interpretation
  2. Active, powerful, and forceful