Research, Statistics, and Psychology

Running Head : Research , Statistics and Psychology

The Role of Research and Statistics in the Field of Psychology

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Abstract

Because psychology is the study of human mind and behavior , it is usually considered as a Social Science ' or a Soft Science However , research and statistics are two of psychology 's most important tools . They are important in the sense that they allow psychology to fully apply its ideas

The Role of Research and Statistics in the Field of Psychology

Unlike fields such

as biology , chemistry and physics , psychology is not an absolute science . Psychology is often categorized under the Social Sciences ' or Soft Sciences ' because it deals with unpredictable elements such as human thoughts , feelings and behavior . Nevertheless research and statistics are very crucial in psychology . These serve as the main tools in applying the concepts of psychology , as well as in gathering and interpreting related data

Psychological Research

Psychological research is the thorough study of a certain psychological phenomenon (AllPsych Online , 2004 . It uses the scientific method , a systematic process of investigating observations , solving problems and testing hypotheses (Beltz , Monroe Williford , n .d . Psychological research is commonly used for the following

Analysis of development and external factors and their effects on an individual 's mental health

Study of people with specific psychological diss , symptoms or characteristics

Development of tests to measure specific psychological actualities

Development of treatment approaches that will improve mental health (AllPsych Online , 2004

Conducting a Psychological Research

The first step in peforming a psychological research is to come up with a theory , or a general idea that explains the relationship between a given number of separate facts (AllPsych Online , 2004 . A theory can be derived from primary and or secondary data . Primary data refers to information that was collected through first-hand means , such as conducting interviews , answering questionnaires or taking readings from instruments (Tiscali .Reference , 2008 . Secondary data , meanwhile , is information that was gathered from other agents like books , news articles and government reports (Tiscali .Reference , 2008

Variables and Hypothesis

However , a theory must be more specific for it to be considered testable . Therefore , a researcher must identify the variables in his or her theory . Every experiment has two types of variables : the independent variable (IV ) and the dependent variable (DV . The independent variable is the input variable (AllPsych Online , 2004 , or the variable that is manipulated by the experimenter . The dependent variable is the outcome variable (AllPsych Online , 2004 , or the results of the experiment . The definition of variables in a particular experiment results in a testable form of a theory called a hypothesis (AllPsych Online , 2004

Biases

The researcher must then validate his or hypothesis by subjecting it to an experiment . But the accuracy of an experiment can be affected by factors known as biases . The forms of biases that usually occur in any experiment are detailed below

Selection Bias - Happens when there are already pre-existing differences between the subjects of an experiment

Placebo Effect - The performance of an...