Research Methods: A Tool for Life will bring research to life for readers. Firmly based in the scientific method, the book explains how the result of psychological research makes a difference for people every day. This book explains how to conduct meaningful research using a wide array of methodologies and to assess ideas critically. Readers will also appreciate the social and cultural factors that influence how they carry out research and how they interpret it. Readers will explore contemporary research, the latest developments in research strategies and data analysis, and a discussion of issues important to psychologists. The book is written in a clear and engaging style that illuminates difficult concepts. Each chapter also presents controversies that illustrate the methods of that chapter. The goal is to ensure the development of research skills and understanding for all readers.

Table of Contents:
CHAPTER 1:  PSYCHOLOGY, SCIENCE, AND LIFE   CHAPTER OVERVIEW, CONCEPT MAP, KEY TERMS   WHY ARE RESEARCH METHODS IMPORTANT TOOLS FOR LIFE? Creating Knowledge   WHY WE DO RESEARCH Description Explanation Prediction Control   WHAT CONSTITUTES SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE Science Is Objective Science Is Data Driven Science Is Replicable And Verifiable Science Is Public   THE INTERACTION OF SCIENCE AND CULTURE The Government’s Role In Science Cultural Values And Science   CONTROVERSY: SHOULD WOMEN SERVE AS JURORS?   SCIENTIFIC LITERACY Science And Pseudoscience Junk Science   CONTROVERSY: WHY DO MEN RAPE?   CHAPTER SUMMARY CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS ANSWERS TO CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS   CHAPTER 2:  Ethics in Research: Following the Golden Rule   CHAPTER OVERVIEW, CONCEPT MAP, KEY TERMS   UNETHICAL RESEARCH PRACTICES—PAST AND PRESENT Ethical Problems In The Early Years Of The Twentieth Century Ethical Questions In Corporate Research   ETHICAL GUIDELINES CREATED BY THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION Aspirational Goals And Enforceable Rules Ethical Standards As They Affect You   LEGAL REQUIREMENTS AND ETHICS IN RESEARCH Institutional Review Boards   THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL CONTEXT IN DECIDING ON ETHICS IN RESEARCH Stanley Milgram’s Research Project On Obedience The Ethical Issues Criticisms Of Milgram’s Research Milgram’s Defense Of His Research The Social Context   CONTROVERSY ON DECEPTION   WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IF YOUR RESEARCH INVOLVES DECEPTION Some Research Requires Deception The Effects Of Debriefing On Research   ETHICAL ISSUES IN SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES Ethics And Internet Research Ethics And Survey Research Ethics And Research With Animals   CHAPTER SUMMARY CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS ANSWERS TO CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS   CHAPTER 3:  PLANNING RESEARCH: GENERATING A QUESTION   CHAPTER OVERVIEW, CONCEPT MAP, KEY TERMS   HOW DO RESEARCH IDEAS DEVELOP? Informal And Formal Sources Of Ideas The Effect Of Theory   HOW CAN YOU DEVELOP RESEARCH IDEAS? Generating Research Hypotheses   THE VIRTUAL LABORATORY: RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET Internet Research Respondent Motivation Advantages To Web-Based Research Potential Problems With Web-Based Research The Future Of The Internet In Psychology   CHECKING ON RESEARCH: THE ROLE OF REPLICATION Don’t Reinvent The Wheel: Reviewing The Literature What Is A Literature Review?   CONTROVERSY ON MUSIC–DOES MUSIC MAKE YOU SMARTER?   HOW TO CONDUCT A LITERATURE REVIEW Electronic Databases Starting Your Search   HOW TO READ A JOURNAL ARTICLE Understanding The Format Of A Research Paper Abstract Introduction Methods Results Discussion References   CHAPTER SUMMARY CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS ANSWERS TO CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS   CHAPTER 4:  PRACTICAL ISSUES IN PLANNING YOUR RESEARCH   CHAPTER OVERVIEW, CONCEPT MAP, KEY TERMS   PRACTICAL QUESTIONS IN PLANNING RESEARCH   UNDERSTANDING YOUR RESEARCH Carrying Out A Literature Search Defining Your Concepts And Variables The Importance Of Culture And Context In Defining Variables The Diversity Of Possible Operational Definitions   CONDUCTING YOUR STUDY Determining The Research Setting Choosing Your Methodology Approaches To Psychological Research Selecting Research Materials And Procedures Why Methodology Is Important   CHOOSING THE YOUR PARTICIPANTS OR SUBJECTS The Nature Of Your Participants Deciding How Many Participants To Include   DIFFERING APPROACHES IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF PSYCHOLOGY Different Approaches In Different Journals Different Types Of Participants In Different Journals Making Choices In Your Research Design   CHAPTER SUMMARY CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS ANSWERS TO CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS   CHAPTER 5:  MEASUREMENT AND SAMPLING   CHAPTER OVERVIEW, CONCEPT MAP, KEY TERMS   PSYCHOLOGICAL CONCEPTS Measuring Complex Concepts Operational Definitions   DEFINING AND MEASURING VARIABLES The Importance Of Culture And Context In Defining Variables Multiple Possible Operational Definitions   PROBABILITY SAMPLING Simple Random Sampling Systematic Sampling Stratified Random Sampling Cluster Sampling   NONPROBABILITY SAMPLING Convenience Sampling Quota Sampling Purposive (Judgmental) Sampling Chain-Referral Sampling   MAKING USEFUL MEASUREMENTS Reliability Validity   CONSIDERING VALIDITY IN RESEARCH Construct Validity Internal And External Validity Statistical Conclusion Validity Convergent And Divergent Validity The SAT: Questions Of Reliability And Validity   CONTROVERSY ON INTELLIGENCE   SCALES OF MEASUREMENT   CHAPTER SUMMARY CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS ANSWERS TO CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS   CHAPTER 6:  CONDUCTING AN EXPERIMENT: GENERAL PRINCIPLES   CHAPTER OVERVIEW, CONCEPT MAP, KEY TERMS   CHOOSING A METHODOLOGY: THE PRACTICALITIES OF RESEARCH   DETERMINING THE CAUSES OF BEHAVIOR Trying To Determine Causation In Research Requirements For Cause–Effect Relationships   THE LOGIC OF EXPERIMENTAL MANIPULATION   ETHICS IN EXPERIMENTAL, CLINICAL RESEARCH   CONTROVERSY: Withholding Treatment In Medical Research   EXPERIMENTAL CONTROL Lack Of Control In Experimental Research: Extraneous Variables And Confounds   CONTROVERSY: Do Women Fear Success?   EXPERIMENTER EFFECTS   PARTICIPANT EFFECTS The Hawthorne Effect   INTERACTION EFFECTS BETWEEN EXPERIMENTERS AND PARTICIPANTS   CHAPTER SUMMARY CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS ANSWERS TO CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS   CHAPTER 7: EXPERIMENTS WITH ONE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE   CHAPTER OVERVIEW, CONCEPT MAP, KEY TERMS   PSYCHOLOGICAL CONCEPTS Measuring Complex Concepts Operational Definitions   INDEPENDENT AND DEPENDENT VARIABLES   TYPES OF INDEPENDENT AND DEPENDENT VARIABLES Qualitative And Quantitative Independent Variables Independent Variables Created By Different Types Of Manipulations Types Of Dependent Variables   CONTROVERSY ON STUDYING RACE   USING EXPERIMENTS TO DETERMINE CAUSATION   CONTROVERSY ON STUDYING DEPRESSION EXPERIMENTALLY   COMPARING TWO GROUPS Generalizing Research Results   COMPARING MULTIPLE GROUPS   DATA ANALYSIS Experiments With Two Groups Experiments With Multiple Groups   CHAPTER SUMMARY CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS ANSWERS TO CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS   CHAPTER 8:  EXPERIMENTS WITH MULTIPLE INDEPENDENT VARIABLES   CHAPTER OVERVIEW, CONCEPT MAP, KEY TERMS   RESEARCH WITH MULTIPLE INDEPENDENT VARIABLES   MAIN EFFECTS   INTERACTIONS BETWEEN VARIABLES What Do Interactions Mean? Examining Main Effects And Interactions Patterns Of Interactions   CONTROVERSY ON PREJUDICE   IDENTIFYING RESEARCH DESIGNS   DATA ANALYSIS Factorial Designs   CONTROVERSY ON CELL PHONES AND DRIVING  An Illustration Of A 2 X 3 Repeated Measures Design An Illustration Of A 2 X 2 Design With Repeated Measures On One Factor Illustration Of A 2 X 2 X 2 Design With Repeated Measures On All Factors Illustration Of A One Variable Design With Repeated Measures On All Factors Illustration Of A Multivariate ANOVA With Static Groups The Conclusion    CHAPTER SUMMARY CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS ANSWERS TO REVIEW QUESTIONS   CHAPTER 9:  EXPANDING ON EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS: REPEATED MEASURES AND QUASI-EXPERIMENTS   CHAPTER OVERVIEW, CONCEPT MAP, KEY TERMS   REPEATED MEASURES DESIGNS   ADVANTAGES OF REPEATED MEASURES DESIGNS Increasing Efficiency In Data Collection Increasing Validity Of Data Finding Enough Participants Reducing Error In Measurement   LIMITATIONS TO REPEATED MEASURES DESIGNS Possible, But Unlikely, Repeated Measures Designs Subject (Participant) Variables Sequence And Order Effects Overcoming Sequence And Order Effects   DATA ANALYSIS WITH REPEATED MEASURES DESIGNS   QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS Causation And Quasi-Experimental Designs Combining Experimental And Quasi-Experimental Designs Threats To Internal Validity   CONTROVERSY: Does Sex + Neuroticism = Death? Threats Associated With Participants Threats Associated With Measurement   TYPES OF QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS One-Group Pretest–Postest Designs Static-Group Comparison Designs Nonequivalent Control Group Designs Interrupted Time Series Designs Replicated Interrupted Time Series Designs   CONTROVERSY ON USING LAWS TO CHANGE BEHAVIOR   CHAPTER SUMMARY CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS ANSWERS TO CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS   CHAPTER 10:  PRINCIPLES OF SURVEY RESEARCH   CHAPTER OVERVIEW, CONCEPT MAP, KEY TERMS   SURVEYS: ANSWERING DIVERSE QUESTIONS Surveys Versus Junk Mail Census Versus Sample Accuracy Of Survey Results   CONTROVERSY ON THE U.S. CENSUS   SELECTING YOUR METHODOLOGY Question Types Question Content Memory Questions Attitude Questions   CONTROVERSY ON ADOLESCENT SMOKING   RESPONSE BIAS Studying Sensitive Issues Are Telephone Surveys Appropriate For Sensitive Issues? Social Desirability Acquiescence Satisficing Versus Optimizing Minimizing The Occurrence Of Satisficing   SAMPLING ISSUES Finding Hidden Populations   CHAPTER SUMMARY CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS ANSWERS TO CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS   CHAPTER 11:  CORRELATIONAL RESEARCH   CHAPTER OVERVIEW, CONCEPT MAP, KEY TERMS   CORRELATIONAL STUDIES Finding Relationships Making Predictions   USING THE CORRELATIONAL APPROACH Correlational Studies Correlational Analysis Positive And Negative Correlations Strength Of Association Factors Affecting The Size Of A Correlation Coefficient Nonlinearity Restrictions In Range Heterogeneous Subgroups   CONTROVERSY ON VIOLENCE AND THE MEDIA   TRADITIONAL CORRELATIONAL TESTS The Pearson Product–Moment Correlation Alternate Bivariate Correlations Linear Regression   CORRELATIONS WITH MULTIPLE VARIABLES Multiple Regression   CONTROVERSY ON THE MENTAL HEALTH OF COLLEGE STUDENTS   LIMITATIONS OF MULTIVARIATE CORRELATIONAL ANALYSIS Generalizability Confirmation Bias   CHAPTER SUMMARY CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS ANSWERS TO CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS   CHAPTER 12:  STUDYING PATTERNS IN THE NATURAL WORLD: OBSERVATIONAL APPROACHES   CHAPTER OVERVIEW, CONCEPT MAP, KEY TERMS   OBSERVATIONAL APPROACHES   SCIENTIFIC VERSUS CASUAL OBSERVATION   STUDYING NATURAL BEHAVIORS Studying Complex Human Behavior Ethology Describing The Behavior Of Nonhuman Animals   CONTROVERSY ON ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR OF CAPTIVE ANIMALS   CONTROVERSY ON RAPE IN ANIMALS   APPROACHES TO OBSERVATIONAL RESEARCH Five Practical Steps In Observational Research Structured And Unstructured Observations   SAMPLING ISSUES IN OBSERVATIONAL RESEARCH Number Of Sampling Blocks Methods Of Sampling Events During Observation Estimating The Frequency And Duration Of Behaviors   ETHOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS IN CLINICAL RESEARCH   THE HUMAN SIDE OF OBSERVATIONAL RESEARCH Ethics Participant–Observer Interactions Subject Reactivity Observer Effects   CONTROVERSY ON PUBLIC VERSUS PRIVATE SEX   DATA ANALYSIS IN OBSERVATIONAL RESEARCH   CHAPTER SUMMARY CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS ANSWERS TO CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS   CHAPTER 13:  RESEARCH IN DEPTH: LONGITUDINAL AND SINGLE-CASE STUDIES   CHAPTER OVERVIEW, CONCEPT MAP, KEY TERMS   LONGITUDINAL RESEARCH Common Themes In Longitudinal Research Cross-Sectional Versus Longitudinal Research   VARIETIES OF LONGITUDINAL RESEARCH Trend Studies Cohort Studies Cohort Sequential Studies Panel Studies   CONTROVERSY ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT   ISSUES IN LONGITUDINAL DESIGNS Retrospective And Prospective Studies Attrition   DATA ANALYSIS IN LONGITUDINAL RESEARCH   SINGLE-SUBJECT EXPERIMENTATION Experimental Analysis Of Behavior   METHODS OF SINGLE-CASE DESIGNS Withdrawal Designs ABAB Designs Multiple Baseline Designs Single-Subject Randomized Controlled Trials Strengths Of Single-Participant Designs Weaknesses Of Single-Participant Designs Misunderstandings About Single-Case Research   A CASE STUDY: TASTING POINTED CHICKENS AND SEEING COLORED NUMBERS   CHAPTER SUMMARY CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS ANSWERS TO CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS   CHAPTER 14:  PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENT: CONSIDERING CULTURAL AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN RESEARCH   CHAPTER OVERVIEW, CONCEPT MAP, KEY TERMS   DIFFERENT CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES What Is Culture? Culture Race And Ethnicity   DEFINING AN INDIVIDUAL’S CULTURE, ETHNICITY, AND RACE Criteria For Inclusion In A Group Social Issues And Cultural Research   CROSS-CULTURAL CONCEPTS IN PSYCHOLOGY Are Psychological Constructs Universal? Issues In Cross-Cultural Research   CONTROVERSY ON CULTURE AND NEUROLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS   IS THERE A BIOLOGICAL BASIS FOR RACE? The Criteria For Race Current Biological Insights Regarding Race Historical Error Current Controversies   CONTROVERSY ON DIFFERENT RACES   PRACTICAL ISSUES IN CULTURAL RESEARCH Lack Of Appropriate Training Among Researchers   WHY THE CONCEPTS OF CULTURE AND ETHNICITY ARE ESSENTIAL IN RESEARCH Differences Due To Language And Thought Processes Differences In Simple And Complex Behaviors Is Culture-Free Theory Really Free Of Culture? Similarities And Differences Within The Same Culture   CULTURAL FACTORS IN MENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH Content Validity Translation Problems Cross-Cultural Norms Cross-Cultural Diagnoses   SEX AND GENDER: DO MEN AND WOMEN COME FROM DIFFERENT CULTURES? Stereotypes And Gender-Related Performance   CONTROVERSY ON MEN, WOMEN, AND MATH   CHAPTER SUMMARY CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS ANSWERS TO CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS   APPENDIX A:  WRITING A RESEARCH REPORT APPENDIX B:  STATISTICS REVIEW APPENDIX C:  STATISTICAL TABLES APPENDIX D:  ARCHIVAL RESEARCH   REFERENCES AUTHOR INDEX SUBJECT INDEX