1.3 How do we make sense of our behaviour?

Lesson Objectives:

* How do we make sense of our behaviour?
* What are the methods of research in developmental psychology?
* What are the methodological issues in conducting research?
* What are some of the ethical issues in conducting research?
* How do I conduct research using the scientific method?

How do we make sense of our behaviour?

Science is fundamentally a rational process. In its simplest form, the rational model consists of four steps: (1) formulating a theoretical problem, which is then translated into testable hypotheses; (2) selecting the appropriate research method, and designing and carrying out the study; (3) analyzing and interpreting the results; and (4) using the results to confirm, deny or modify the theory (Alcock, Carment and Sadava, 1998, p. 17).

What are the methods of research in developmental psychology?

Experimental methods came into being because of the need to draw causal inferences about how variables influence one another. Using the experimental method, the researcher deliberately assigns subjects randomly to two or more groups and applies an independent variable to one group and not the other. Then the researcher measures the effect of the treatment by comparing the two groups (Alcock et al., 1998, p. 23).

Interviews typically involve a face-to-face meeting in which a researcher (interviewer) asks an individual a series of questions. The interviewer usually tape records or writes down the participant’s responses (Lefton et al., 2000, p. 14).

Observation involves direct observation of the spontaneous behaviour of an individual, or group of people in a natural setting. The observer may remain aloof and simply observe or become a participant-observer (Baron et al., 1998, p. 20).

A case study is an intensive study of one individual. Typically, the case study is based on interviews with the subject regarding his or her background, present thinking or actions; it may also utilize interviews of others who know the individual. Additional case study material may be obtained through observation, experiments, and standardized tests, such as personality inventories and intelligence tests (Baron et al., 1998, p. 21).

A topical research study involves the acquisition, synthesis, organization and presentation of information. Typically, the topical research study will involve both paper-based as well as web-based resources. Additional information may be gained through the other research methods and strategies.

Survey research involves going out and asking, or sending out, questions about the phenomenon of interest. The survey method is especially useful for collecting data from a large number of people and is often the only way of obtaining data about thoughts, feelings, and private behaviour not open to direct observation (Alcock et al., 1999, p.21).

What are the methodological issues in research?

Reliability is the extent to which the research yields the same results each time they are applied to the same issue. For instance, if we were conducting an observational study of the play behaviours of children during recess, and our findings at the end of one study indicated that the boys were more aggressive than girls, but when we repeated our study at a different school and we found the opposite, that the girls were more aggressive than the boys, then we could not claim that our study was reliable (Baron et al., 1998, p. 459).

Validity is the extent to which a research methodology measures what it is supposed to measure. Continuing with our example of the play behaviours of young children, is the observational approach a valid means of studying the topic? Let’s say that we had chosen to do an interview, and we interviewed the children and asked them questions about what happened at recess time. Would this method be considered valid as a way to gain information from which we could draw a conclusion? Probably not, or not as valid as directly observing them (Baron et al., 1998, p. 459).

What are some of the ethical issues in research?

Confidentiality is the right of privacy for subjects concerning their participation in research. All steps must be taken to assure that subjects’ participation is confidential. If any possibility exists that someone other than the researcher may have access to the data, the subjects must be informed of this possibility before they provide their informed consent to participate (Buskist, Carlson, Enzle and Heth, 1997, p. 42).

Informed consent requires that potential subjects understand exactly what is expected of them during the course of the research and that the investigator protects participants from physical and psychological discomfort, harm, and danger (Buskist et al., 1997, p. 42).

Debriefing requires that research participants be given full information about all aspects of the study after they have participated in it, thus assuring that they leave with a full understanding of its purpose, and receive a full disclosure of the information gathered (Baron et al., 1998, p. 31).

Researchers must be careful to avoid subtle biases that influence results, such as gender (male or female), ethnicity (people’s common traits, background, and allegiances which are often cultural, religious, or language-based), and cultural (a person’s racial and ethnic background, religious and social values, artistic and musical tastes, and scholarly interests) bias (Lefton et al., 2000, p. 15).

How do I make research more valid and reliable?

Scientific investigation includes the possibility that researchers’ procedures and/or biases may compromise the validity of their findings. Researchers can, however, use a number of techniques to increase the validity of their research:

* Sample size: To make statements about people in general, scientists study groups of individuals chosen from populations. Each such group, called a sample, must be large enough to ensure that a few extreme cases within the sample do not distort the picture it gives of the population.


* Representative sample: Data collected from one group of individuals may not be valid for other people who are different in significant ways, such as in gender or ethnic background. Thus it is important that every sample be a representative sample, that is it consists of people who are typical of the general population the researchers wish to learn about.


* “Blind experimenters”: When experimenters have specific expectations about their research findings, those expectations can affect the research results. As much as possible, therefore, the people who actually gather the data should be “blind”, that is, unaware of the purpose of the research.


* Operational definitions: When planning a study, researchers must establish operational definitions of whatever phenomena they will be examining. That is, they must define each variable in terms of specific, observable behaviour that can be measured with precision.


* Experimental and control groups: To test a hypothesis accurately in an experiment, researchers must gather data on two samples that are similar in every important way except one. They must compare an experimental group which receives some special experimental treatment, and a control group, which does not receive the experimental treatment.


* Statistical significance: Whenever researchers find a difference between two groups, they have to consider the possibility that the differences occurred purely by chance. Determining the statistical significance is a mathematical measure of the likelihood that a particular research result occurred by chance (Berger, 2000, pp. 22-23).