Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology [electronic resource] / Hugh Coolican.

Machine generated contents note: pt. 1 Research methods and ethics -- 1. Psychology, science and research -- Why psychology and science? -- Science -- not a subject but a way of thinking -- So what is this scientific method then? Asking why? Generating theories for laws -- The hypothetico-deductive method -- testing scientific theories -- How psychologists actually do scientific research -- What are the main features of a psychological investigation? Qualitative data and qualitative approaches -- 2. Measuring people -- variables, samples and the qualitative critique -- Variables -- Psychological constructs -- Operational definitions of psychological constructs -- Reliability and validity -- Samples -- Probability- and non-probability-based sampling methods -- Sample size -- Introducing the quantitative/qualitative debate -- Relative values of quantitative and qualitative studies -- 3. Experiments and experimental designs in psychology. Contents note continued: The role of experiments in gathering evidence -- demonstrating cause and effect -- Alternative explanations -- IVs, DVs and features of the true experiment -- Simple experimental designs -- Participant variables and non-equivalent groups -- Repeated measures design, Matched-pairs design -- Single participant and small n design -- 4. Validity in psychological research -- The interpretation of causes in experiments -- Sources of variance in the experiment -- Validity in experiments and other research designs -- Types of validity (Statistical conclusion validity, Internal validity, Construct validity) -- Tackling confounds in psychological research -- Expectancy -- External validity -- Meta-analysis -- 5. Quasi-experiments and non-experiments -- The field and the laboratory -- True experiments and field experiments -- The quasi-experiment -- Non-experimental research. Contents note continued: Control and validity in the laboratory and in the field (advantages and disadvantages of the laboratory) -- Studies in the field -- 6. Observational methods -- watching and being with people -- Observation in general -- Observation as a technique or as an overall design -- Structured observation -- Controlled observation -- Naturalistic observation -- Qualitative non-participant observation -- Role-play and simulation -- The diary method -- Participant observation -- Case studies -- Indirect observation -- 7. Interview methods -- asking people direct questions -- Self-report methods -- Structured interviews -- Effects of interpersonal variables in interviews -- Types of interview -- Semi-structured or open interviewing -- gathering qualitative data -- Recording the interview -- Surveys -- 8. Psychological tests and measurement scales -- Measurement vs. information gathering -- scales, tests, inventories and questionnaires -- Open and closed questions. Contents note continued: Attitude scales -- Central issues in the use of psychological scales -- Scale items -- what to avoid in statement construction -- Projective tests -- Intelligence and personality tests -- Reliability, validity and standardisation -- 9.Comparison studies -- cross-sectional, longitudinal and cross-cultural studies -- What are comparison studies? Cross-sectional studies -- Longitudinal studies -- Evaluation of longitudinal and cross-sectional studies -- Cross-cultural studies -- Ethnocentrism -- The emic-etic distinction -- 10. Qualitative approaches in psychology -- Psychology and the positivist paradigm -- The problem with quantification in psychological research -- Qualitative data gathering -- Types of qualitative method -- Thematic analysis -- Grounded theory -- Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, Discourse analysis -- Action research -- Participative and collaborative research -- Memories as narratives -- Reflexivity. Contents note continued: Contemporary qualitative methods -- 11. Ethical issues in psychological research -- Publication and access to data -- The conduct of research with human participants -- Deception -- Debriefing -- Stress and discomfort -- Right to withdraw -- Investigator power -- Involuntary participation -- Intervention -- Research with animals -- case for and against -- Conclusions -- pt. 2 Analysing data and writing reports -- 12. Analysing qualitative data -- Quantitative analysis of qualitative data -- content analysis -- Qualitative analysis of qualitative data -- Doing qualitative research -- Considerations for a qualitative project -- The data-gathering process -- Data analysis -- Procedures in major approaches -- Quality in qualitative research -- what of reliability and validity? The emergence of guidelines -- Useful websites -- 13. Statistics -- organising the data -- Measuring things -- Different levels of measurement -- Summarising data. Contents note continued: Measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode) -- Measures of dispersion (range, interquartile and semiinterquartile range, mean deviation, standard deviation and variance) -- Population parameters, sample statistics and sampling error -- Using SPSS to calculate statistics -- Appendix -- statistical notation and symbols -- 14. Graphical representation of data -- Graphs in general -- The bar chart -- Line charts -- The histogram -- Exploratory data analysis -- Stem and leaf display -- Box-plots -- Using SPSS to produce your charts -- 15. Frequencies and distributions -- Dealing with larger data sets -- Percentiles, deciles and quartiles -- The normal distribution -- z scores/Standard scores -- Standardisation of psychological measurements -- Sampling distributions -- Confidence intervals -- Skewed distributions -- Kurtosis in distributions -- 16. Significance testing -- was it a real effect? -- Significance decisions. Contents note continued: The null and alternative hypotheses -- Probability -- Rejecting the null hypothesis -- The standard level of significance -- 5% significance level -- Critical values -- Significance testing -- the basic model -- Rejection regions -- Frequency distributions and probability distributions -- Type I errors -- Type II errors -- The question of power and effect size -- Significance `levels' -- Directional and non-directional hypotheses -- one- and two-tailed tests -- Conducting a significance test -- 17. Testing for differences between two samples -- Tests of difference between two conditions or groups (Parametric tests) -- Data assumptions for parametric tests -- Non-parametric tests of difference -- Wilcoxon's T -- Mann-Whitney U -- The binomial sign test -- SPSS procedures for two condition difference tests -- Effect size and power -- 18. Tests for categorical variables and frequency tables -- Tests on two-way frequency tables. Contents note continued: Unrelated data -- the chi-square test of association -- The 2 x 2 chi-square -- More complex chi-square data (r x c designs) -- The `goodness of fit' test for a single variable -- SPSS procedure for conducting an r x c chi-square test -- Multi-way frequency tables and log-linear analysis -- Conducting a three-way frequency analysis in SPSS -- 19. Correlation and regression -- Simple correlation -- Measurement of correlation -- Correlation coefficients -- Pearson's product-moment, Spearman's rho -- Significance and correlation coefficients -- SPSS procedures for correlation -- What you can't assume with a correlation -- Categorical variables -- Common uses of correlation in psychology -- Regression and multiple regression -- Multiple predictions -- Partial and semi-partial correlation -- Regression coefficients -- Effect size and power -- Conducting a regression analysis in SPSS. Contents note continued: 20. Multi-level analysis -- differences between more than two conditions (ANOVA) -- More complex tests -- One-way ANOVA -- unrelated designs -- The F ratio statistic -- A priori and post hoc comparisons -- Estimating power in one-way ANOVA -- Non-parametric ANOVA equivalent -- Kruskal-Wallis -- Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA): ANCOVA -- Analysis of Co-variance -- SPSS procedures for one-way ANOVA -- 21.

Multi-factorial ANOVA designs -- Using two or more independent variables -- Central features of multi-factorial designs -- Effect sizes and power -- Three-way ANOVA calculation -- SPSS procedure for two-way between groups ANOVA -- 22. ANOVA for repeated measures designs -- Related designs -- Between subjects and between conditions variation -- Two-way (related) design -- ANOVA mixed design -- one repeated measure and one unrelated factor -- More complex ANOVA designs -- Effect size and power. Contents note continued: A non-parametric equivalent -- the Friedman test for correlated samples -- SPSS procedures for repeated measures ANOVA -- 23. Choosing a significance test for your data (and internet resources) -- Choosing an appropriate test -- Tests for two samples -- Tests for more than two samples -- To calculate or not to calculate? Internet resources -- 24. Planning your practical and writing up your report -- Planning your practical project -- overall aim, design, samples, materials, procedure, ethics -- Writing your practical report -- Sections of a standard report -- Quantitative and qualitative report features -- Comments on a student practical report -- A better version of the report -- pt. 3 Endmatter.

"Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology, sixth edition, provides comprehensive coverage of both quantitative and qualitative methods and statistics. The new edition has been updated to reflect recent software updates and advances in knowledge. This classic research methods text is an essential purchase for all psychology students studying at degree level and beyond".