Introduction to research methods and statistics in psychology PDF
Preview Introduction to research methods and statistics in psychology
0131249401_COVER 14/9/05 9:56 PM Page 1 Introduction to Research Methods Introduction to and Statistics in Psychology Ronald A. McQueen and Christina Knusen Research Introduction to Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology is a new type of textbook. It is almost entirely student-centred, eminently practical and brings together a wealth of Methods experience in the teaching of undergraduate research. This book is not just a guide to the conduct of psychological research, it is also an effective suport system for the particular problems, concerns and fears encountered by most students and Statistics at some point in their research lives. In structure, the book is divided into a number of well-defined parts, each dealing with a major element of the research proces and combining to produce a step-by-step guide for the student in Psychology embarking on a major piece of undergraduate research. The main topics covered are: ■ Beginning a research project: literature reviews and research questions. ■ Designing a study: choosing between quantitative and qualitative, experimental and correlational methods. ■ Carrying out a study: procedural issues, methods, ethics, questionnaires and standardised tests. ■ Descriptive statistics: coding, screening data, graphs and tables, and an introduction to SPSS for Windows. ■ Qualitative research methods: types of data, qualitative analyses. ■ Inferential statistics: chi-square, t-tests, one and two-way ANOVA, repeated measures tests, correlation and simple regression, partial correlation and multiple regression, non-parametric tests and a complete SPSS guide to statistical analysis. ■ Writing up research: reporting findings, structuring a research report, writing up qualitative research, and giving presentations. The book, alongside its website, provides a complete introduction to research methods and statistics, taking the student well beyond entry level, with a treatment of statistical analysis to satisfy the needs of even final year students. Ronald A.McQueen Ronald A. McQueen and Christina Knussen teach in the Department of Psychology, Glasgow Christina Knussen Caledonian University. Additional student support at Additional student support at www.pearsoned.co.uk/mcqueen www.pearsoned.co.uk/mcqueen www.pearson-books.com McQueen Introduction to Knussen Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology Cover image © Getty Images IRMS_A01.QXD 9/23/05 2:47 PM Page i Introduction to Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology Visit the Introduction to Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology Companion Website at www.pearsoned.co.uk/ mcqueen to find valuable student learning material including: ■ Multiple choice questions to help test your learning ■ Links to relevant sites on the web ■ Data Sets for all examples used in the book ■ Quick Guides to give students a succinct procedural summary on one page ■ Crosswords to help with familiarisation of key terms and to encour- age independent thinking ■ Flashcards to test your understanding of key terms ■ Beginner’s Toolkit that outlines crucial points for the nervous beginner IRMS_A01.QXD 9/23/05 2:47 PM Page ii We work with leading authors to develop the strongest educational materials in psychology, bringing cutting- edge thinking and best learning practice to a global market. Under a range of well-known imprints, including Prentice Hall, we craft high quality print and electronic publications which help readers to understand and apply their content, whether studying or at work. To find out more about the complete range of our publishing, please visit us on the World Wide Web at: www.pearsoned.co.uk IRMS_A01.QXD 9/23/05 2:47 PM Page iii Introduction to Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology Ronald A. McQueen Christina Knussen IRMS_A01.QXD 9/23/05 2:47 PM Page iv Pearson Education Limited Edinburgh Gate Harlow Essex CM20 2JE England and Associated Companies throughout the world Visit us on the World Wide Web at: www.pearsoned.co.uk First published 2006 © Pearson Education Limited 2006 The rights of Ronald A. McQueen and Christina Knussen to be identified as authors of this work have been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying in the United Kingdom issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP. All trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. The use of any trademark in this text does not vest in the author or publisher any trademark own- ership rights in such trademarks, nor does the use of such trademarks imply any affiliation with or endorsement of this book by such owners. ISBN-13: 978–0–13–124940–0 ISBN-10: 0–13–124940–1 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data McQueen, R. A. Introduction to research methods and statistics in psychology / Ronald A. McQueen, Christina Knussen. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0–13–124940–1 1. Psychology—Research—Methodology—Textbooks. 2. Psychometrics—Textbooks. I. Knussen, Christina. II. Title. BF76.5. M385 2006 150⬘.72—dc22 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 20050552349 10 09 08 07 06 Typeset in 10/12 pt Times by 72 by GGS Book Services, Atlantic Highlands Printed and bound by Ashford Colour Press, Gosport, Hants. The publisher’s policy is to use paper manufactured from sustainable forests. IRMS_A01.QXD 9/23/05 2:47 PM Page v Contents Preface xi Guided tour xiv Authors’Acknowledgements xvi Publisher’s Acknowledgements xvii Part 1 Introduction 1 Chapter 1 Introducing research 3 1.1 Psychology, a definition 3 1.2 Psychology, its aims 3 1.3 Psychology, its scope 4 1.4 Research and scientific method 4 1.5 Beginning a research project 18 1.6 Reviewing the literature 21 1.7 Evaluating research 25 1.8 Structuring a research project 27 Review 27 Suggested further reading 27 Part 2 Planning a research project – the design 29 Chapter 2 The nature of research design 31 2.1 The purpose of a design 31 2.2 Problems with designs 32 2.3 The principles and language of design 33 2.4 The world of variables 34 2.5 Dependent variables (DVs) 34 2.6 Independent variables (IVs) 35 2.7 Extraneous variables 39 2.8 Controls 41 2.9 A medical model – the randomised controlled design 42 2.10 The double-blind control 42 2.11 Variables and levels of measurement 44 2.12 Levels of measurement 44 2.13 Nominal (category) scales 46 2.14 Ordinal scales 48 2.15 Ratio and interval scales 50 2.16 Changing the level of measurement 52 Review 54 Suggested further reading 54 v IRMS_A01.QXD 9/23/05 2:47 PM Page vi vi Contents Chapter 3 Experimental research designs 55 3.1 Introduction to experimental research 55 3.2 Experimental design 56 3.3 Between-groups designs (independent groups designs) 57 3.4 Within-subjects designs (repeated measures designs) 60 3.5 Non-equivalent group (quasi-experimental) designs 65 3.6 Factorial designs 66 3.7 Randomised controlled designs revisited 68 3.8 Mixed designs 68 3.9 Some reservations on factorial designs 70 Review 71 Suggested further reading 71 Chapter 4 Correlational and regression designs 72 4.1 Correlational designs 72 4.2 The nature of correlation 73 4.3 The correlation coefficient 77 4.4 Coefficient of determination 77 4.5 Assumption of linearity 77 4.6 Misleading correlations 79 4.7 Partial correlation 81 4.8 Multiple correlation and regression 83 Review 85 Suggested further reading 85 Part 3 Carrying out research – methods and procedures 87 Chapter 5 The essentials of carrying out research – the participants 89 5.1 The role of procedure 89 5.2 The stuff of research – whom will you use? 90 5.3 Samples and populations 91 5.4 Sampling techniques 92 5.5 Non-probability sampling 94 5.6 Ensuring co-operation 100 5.7 Number of participants 101 5.8 Secondary research 113 5.9 Advantages of secondary research 113 5.10 Disadvantages of secondary research 114 Review 116 Suggested further reading 116 Chapter 6 Collecting data 117 6.1 Carrying out ethical research 117 6.2 Using questionnaires in research 124 6.3 Special techniques for information gathering 132 6.4 What you need to know about psychological tests 136 Review 149 Suggested further reading 149 IRMS_A01.QXD 9/23/05 2:47 PM Page vii Contents vii Part 4 Tables, figures and descriptive statistics 151 Chapter 7 Describing data – tables, graphs and descriptive statistics 153 7.1 Using numbers to represent the psychological world 153 7.2 Making sense of numbers 154 7.3 Tables and categorical variables 154 7.4 Figures and categorical variables 156 7.5 Tables and continuous variables 160 7.6 The stemplot 163 7.7 Figures and continuous variables 165 7.8 Continuous variables and the boxplot 167 7.9 Statistics 172 7.10 Dispersion 175 7.11 The normal distribution 178 7.12 Practical implications 182 7.13 The standard normal distribution 183 Review 189 Chapter 8 Descriptive analysis and SPSS 190 8.1 Computer analysis and SPSS 190 8.2 Creating files in SPSS 191 8.3 Setting up data in SPSS 203 8.4 SPSS and descriptive statistics 206 8.5 Graphs and crosstabulated data 221 8.6 Screening data 224 Review 227 Suggested further reading 227 Part 5 Drawing inferences and testing hypotheses 229 Chapter 9 Introducing inferential statistics and tests of differences 231 9.1 Inferential statistics 231 9.2 Tests of differences – between-groups comparisons, repeated measures and ANOVA 247 Review 287 Suggested further reading 287 Chapter 10 Tests of association 288 10.1 The chi-square (χ2) test of association 288 10.2 Corelation 295 10.3 Simple regression 299 10.4 The coefficient of determination 302 10.5 Correlation and simple regression in SPSS 303 Review 309 Suggested further reading 309 IRMS_A01.QXD 9/23/05 2:47 PM Page viii viii Contents Chapter 11 Advanced analysis: Two-way ANOVA, partial correlation and multiple regression 310 11.1 Two-way ANOVA 310 11.2 Locating an effect in ANOVA 313 11.3 Partial correlation 319 11.4 Multiple regression 324 Review 328 Suggested further reading 328 Part 6 Carrying out qualitative research 329 Chapter 12 Introducing qualitative research 331 12.1 The differences between qualitative and quantitative research 331 12.2 An example of a qualitative study 332 12.3 Qualitative or quantitative? 335 12.4 Representing the experiences of participants 335 12.5 Previous research 335 12.6 Availability of participants 336 12.7 Time factors 336 12.8 Your supervisor 337 12.9 Mixing methods 337 12.10 Some approaches to qualitative research 338 12.11 Qualitative approaches that involve the analysis of text 342 12.12 Planning a qualitative study 344 12.13 Other points to consider 349 12.14 Collecting data 352 12.15 Dealing with qualitative data 357 12.16 The quality of the research 360 12.17 Points to consider when writing up 361 Review 361 Suggested further reading 362 Part 7 Writing up research 363 Chapter 13 Writing up research 365 13.1 The purpose of a report 365 13.2 Writing guidelines 365 13.3 The structure of a psychology report 367 13.4 Tables and figures 383 13.5 Discussion 386 13.6 References 387 13.7 Appendices 390 13.8 Presentation and style 390 13.9 Writing up qualitative research 391 13.10 Guidelines on writing up qualitative research 391 13.11 Giving a presentation of your study 393 IRMS_A01.QXD 9/23/05 2:47 PM Page ix Contents ix 13.12 Practicalities: Giving a presentation 394 13.13 Assessment 397 Review 399 Suggested further reading 399 Appendix A Area under the normal curve 401 Appendix B Critical values of U and U⬘ for a one-tailed test at ␣ ⫽ 0.025 or a two-tailed test at ␣ ⫽ 0.05 404 Appendix C Critical values of t 405 Appendix D Critical values of T 406 Appendix E Table of 2 407 Glossary 409 References and reading list 421 Index 425 Supporting resources Visit www.pearsoned.co.uk/mcqueen to find valuable online resources Companion Website for students ■ Multiple choice questions to help test your learning ■ Links to relevant sites on the web ■ Data Sets for all examples used in the book ■ Quick Guides to give students a succinct procedural summary on one page ■ Crosswords to help with familiarisation of key terms and to encourage independent thinking ■ Flashcards to test your understanding of key terms ■ Beginner’s Toolkit that outlines crucial points for the nervous beginner Also: The Companion Website provides the following features: ■ Search tool to help locate specific items of content ■ E-mail results and profile tools to send results of quizzes to instructors ■ Online help and support to assist with website usage and troubleshooting For more information please contact your local Pearson Education sales representative or visit www.pearsoned.co.uk/mcqueen
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