Research Methods

Description

Researcher manipulates independent variable, under highly controlled conditions, to see if any change occurs in the dependent variable

Strengths

Detects cause-and-effect relationships

Limitations

Only used when manipulation of variables is practical and ethical

Controlled conditions are artificial and so may not reflect real conditions

Description

Non-experimental, descriptive method where variables are not directly manipulated

A mathematical statistical technique for summarizing data

Strengths

Can be used to determine the presence of a relationship between variables without direct manipulation

Used when it is impractical and unethical to manipulate variables

Used as a basis for prediction of a value of one variable by knowing the value of the other

Limitations

Often forgotten

It can not prove or disprove causation

Description

a type of field study

involves observing and recording some behavior or phenomena

Strengths

Observations occur in natural, not artificial, setting

Using nature to validate theories or laboratory findings

Limitations

not an explanatory method

time consuming

difficulty of observing behavior without disrupting it

difficulty of coding results appropriately for statistical analysis

Description

Descriptive, non-experimental study

Doesn't involve direct observation

Based on data collection

Interviews

Questionnaires

Strengths

Used when it's difficult to make direct observations

Example: Thoughts about suicide

Used extensively in social & natural sciences

Limitations

Data maybe misleading, due to

Intentional deception

Poor memory

Misunderstanding of questions

It's a descriptive, not an explanatory method

Doesn't reveal cause-effect relationships

Description

Descriptive, non-experimental

An in-depth description of an individual or few individuals

Strengths

Used by natural scientists to get detailed view of an individual's behaviour or a phenomenon

Understand social and familial factors

Could be leading to a deviant behaviour

Used for researches which can't be experimented for ethical or practical reasons

Limitations

Descriptive, doesn't provide explanation

No revelation of cause-effect relationships

Involve only a single or few individuals

Results are not representative

Most information collected is based on recollection of past events

Subject to memory deterioration