The Facts on File Guide to Research by 
Research Methods in Clinical Psychology by 
Approaches to Research
Archival research relies on looking at past records or data sets to look for interesting patterns or relationships.
Longitudinal research is a research design in which data-gathering is administered repeatedly over an extended period of time.
In cross-sectional research, a researcher compares multiple segments of the population at the same time.
Methods of Research in Psychology
Psychologist engage in research, practice and teaching of behavior.
The Psychologist can use pure or applied research.
1. Psychologist begin by formulating a research Question. Psychologists generate research questions from many sources, including theory, careful observation, previous experience, and commonly held beliefs.
2. Framing the research question in the form of a hypothesis.
3. Gathering evidence to test the hypothesis. The investigator develops a research design or strategy for gathering evidence to provide a scientific test of the hypothesis. The type of research method used depends on the nature of the problem.
4. Drawing conclusions about the hypothesis. Investigators draw conclusions about their hypotheses based on the evidence their research has produced. To test their hypotheses, they turn to statistics, the branch of mathematics involving methods of tabulating and analyzing numerical data. During the process they will observe and then draw a conclusion from the results.
If the research does not bear out the hypothesis then they must reexamine and form a new hypothesis
Psychologists use a variety of research methods to learn about behavior and mental processes, including case study, survey, naturalistic observation, correlational, and experimental methods.
Case Studies: a carefully drawn biography that may be obtained through interviews, questionnaires, and psychological test
Surveys: a method of scientific investigation in which a large sample of people answer questions about their attitudes or behavior
Naturalistic Observation: a scientific method in which organisms are observed in their natural environments
Correlation Method: a mathematical method of determining weather one variable increases or decreases as another variable increases or decreases
Correlation Coefficient: a number between + 1.00 and - 1.00 that expresses the strength and direction of relationship between two variables
Experiment: a scientific method that seeks to confirm cause-and-effect relationships by introducing independent variables and observing their effects on dependent variables
Independent Variable: a condition in a scientific study that is manipulated so that its effect may be observed
Dependent Variable: a measure of an assumed effect of independent variable
Experimental groups: in experiments , groups whose members obtain the treatment
Control Groups: in experiments, groups whose members do not obtain the treatment, while other conditions are held constant
Placebo: a bogus treatment that has the appearance of being genuine
Blind: in experimental terminology, unaware of whether or not one has received a treatment
Double-blind study: a study in which neither the subject nor the observers know who received the treatment
Ethics is the branch of philosophy that is concerned with morality—what it means to behave morally and how people can achieve that goal. It can also refer to a set of principles and practices that provide moral guidance in a particular field.
In all institutional settings, ethics review committees help researchers consider the potential harm of their methods and review proposed studies according to ethical guidelines.
Informed Consent: a participant's agreement to participate in research after receiving information about the purposes of the study and the nature of the treatments.
Debrief: to explain the purposes and methods of a completed procedure to a participant
According to APA Guidelines, Animals in research experiments may be harmed only when there is no alternative and when researchers believe that the benefits of the research justify the harm.
Critical thinking: a way of evaluating the claims and comments of other people that involves skepticism and examination of evidence