Research Methods in Psychology
Psychologists use several approaches to gather information about human behavior. Naturalistic observation involves watching people in their everyday environments to capture authentic behaviors. While this provides real-world data, it's often time-consuming and may suffer from observer bias when researchers misinterpret what they see.
Case studies provide deep analysis of a single individual, often used in counseling settings. Researchers interview people who know the subject to build a comprehensive picture. Though detailed, case studies are expensive, time-intensive, and their findings can't be generalized to others.
Surveys offer an efficient way to collect data from many participants quickly and affordably. However, poorly designed questions can render the data useless, and participants might not always answer truthfully.
Quick Tip: When reading about psychological studies, always consider what research method was used and how that might affect the reliability of the findings!
In correlational research, psychologists examine relationships between variables as they naturally occur. A correlation coefficient rangingfrom−1to+1 measures how closely two variables relate. Remember that correlation doesn't equal causation – just because two things happen together doesn't mean one causes the other.