Fundamentals of Research MethodologyEssay Preview: Fundamentals of Research MethodologyReport this essayFundamentals of Research MethodologyTheories in psychology begin with research. Psychologists start by developing a theory based on a question regarding either a mental or behavioral process. The answers to these questions affect society as well as individuals. To gain knowledge is referred to as the scientific method. The scientific method looks at the way a question is asked and the methods and logic used to find the answer to the question (Shaughnessy, Zechmeister, & Zechmeister, 2009). This paper will examine the fundamental concepts of research methodology as it pertains to psychology. It will also discuss the role science plays in psychology as well as give an explanation of the scientific method, distinguish between quantitative and qualitative data, and give a description of the process of the construction and testing of scientific theory (Class Syllabus Psych 540).
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Fundamental Concepts of Research MethodologyThree contexts exist in which science occurs are moral, social-cultural, and historical. While the idea of scientific method could quite possibly be conceptual, the application of psychological science is greatly a tangible human movement that influences people on numerous stages. These influences psychologists may have an effect on include an impact on an individual level, the family level, and a societal level. The study of psychology is a scientific look into behavior and the mind as well as how both external and internal factors affect the processes of behavior and the mind. Those who study psychology attempt to gain knowledge by offering a theory and performing research and help professionals and clinicians better serve people by sharing the knowledge of the way the brain functions. This knowledge provides interventions and the proper tools needed to gain this understanding (Shaughnessy et al., 2009).
Scientific MethodAs mentioned earlier, the scientific method is the approach used by researchers to gain knowledge. This approach is a methodical advance to research and entails a number of steps. The first step in the process of scientific method is to develop a research question. In order to find the right question, one must figure out what to study. Many topics can be found in scientific journals. Once the question has been determined, the researcher may then generate a hypothesis by means of process definition. Frequently a hypothesis is declared by a guess of a certain outcome as well as a reason for the forecast. Next a research design must be chosen. This includes deciding on the participants, whether to use observational, experimental, single-case, quasi-experimental or correlational designs (Shaughnessy et al., 2009).
The Scientific Method for Scientific Research (SSPR) is a project of the U.S. Institute of Medicine and the NIH. The current research program focuses on advancing the use of science in the therapeutic treatment of diseases in the general population. In order to achieve this, health care providers and policy makers must be trained in scientific methods. As a result, each health care provider must use techniques and processes derived from scientific methods.
The scientific method of research is used to study the effects of treatments (i) on humans (Triek et al., 2009), (ii) on other species (McCarthy et al., 2007), and (iii) on the environment (Gibson et al., 2006).
The science of science (SSR) consists of three areas: science of life by living: nature and science of medicine (Gibson et al., 2007), and the science of disease (Gibson et al., 2008).
The science of the human sciences involves the study of biological, environmental, and biological processes, which is often referred to by names of scientific methods like microbiology, embryology, microbiology, immunology, genetics, biology, or other related disciplines. These disciplines include: biology, chemistry, astrophysics, and archaeology (Harron and McCaffrey, 1990).
The scientific method involves the study of the evolutionary (Darwinian) mechanisms of life (Darwin and Darwin, 1969). In order to do research, one needs a method for understanding and evaluating hypotheses. Some of the methods used by scientists include (without limitation) evolution theory, genetics, and comparative biology. Additionally, some of the methods used in the natural sciences are used to understand and evaluate processes through which evolutionary processes occur. These include geology, geophysics and geophysics, geochronology, and geophysics of atmospheric and oceanic systems, including sedimentary lakes, marine life, and human activities (Gibson and McCaffrey, 1990). All of the methods used by scientists include statistical methods, statistical methods (Gibson et al., 2009), genetic methods, mathematical methods, and physical methods (Brennan et al., 2009; Haines et al., 2010).
A number of biological methods have been proposed because of their ability to elucidate social, cultural, and environmental processes through which those processes may have evolved (e.g., Lew and Davenport, 2009; Rabinowitz et al., 2002). The primary purpose of biological methodology is to study changes in organisms that have undergone or are likely to undergo changes in their physical or social environments. The science of the natural sciences utilizes both statistical and quantitative methods. Statistical methods allow scientists to make complex and statistically significant observations related to biological parameters, but they also allow researchers to make quantitative findings, especially ones which are not statistically significant, such as changes in environmental conditions which would not affect humans. It is often argued that the difference between a scientific method and that of other methods based on statistical methodologies is the difference between scientific method and that of biological method. In science, there is evidence for both (A) the correlation between a statistical method and the expected difference between two methods (A) and (B), and (C) it is sometimes suggested that the correlation is in
The next step is to evaluate the ethics of the research. This entails identifying any benefits and potential risks of the research being conducted and how the welfare of participants will be protected. Once these steps are completed, it is time to collect and analyze data and form conclusions. At this time the researcher must get to know the data and be able to summarize the information and confirm the information revealed by the data gathered. The last step in the scientific method is to report the results (Shaughnessy et al., 2009).
Instead of being an instinctive process, the scientific method takes an empirical approach. When using the steps in the scientific method, certain methods must be followed by researchers to make sure validity exists in the research. The hypothesis