Psychology is an extremely wide field made up of a variety of areas. It is therefore unsurprising that psychology research is conducted in a number of ways. This article will briefly outline some of the basic types of methods used in psychology research of all types, and also present some examples of these methods.
Case studies
Case studies, which we wrote about recently, are the first type of research method we will describe here. A case study involves examining one person’s specific situation, either with or without any intervention from the researcher(s). For example, a case study might investigate one person with a rare disease and their reaction to an experimental treatment. Case studies can also examine multiple people, though typically not enough for any effect to be demonstrated.
Bloch-Elkouby et al. (2019) is a recent example of a case study in psychology.
Correlational studies
Correlational studies examine the relationships among different variables between different groups without any sort of experimental intervention. For example, a correlational study might investigate differences between people who grew up watching TV a lot and people who grew up without watching TV a lot. In such a case, the researchers would not have intervened in any way, but simply surveyed people who had different prior experiences. Correlational studies are good for certain situations (as one example, you would not want to experimentally impose an abusive childhood on a participant), though it is harder to ascribe any results to the difference being examined, since no controlled experiment was conducted.
Matthews et al. (2018) is a recent example of a correlational study in psychology.
Experimental studies
Experimental studies are the ones that are most likely to come to mind when one thinks of a “psychology study”. An experimental study examines the relationships among different variables between different groups with some experimental intervention. For example, an experimental study might assign participants into two groups (let us say, with one group drinking tea and one group drinking coffee), and examine the differences between these two groups. Generally, in experimental studies, the researchers will attempt to ensure that the participants in the two groups are similar, so that any results can be ascribed to the experimental intervention.
Lee et al. (2019) is a recent example of an experimental study in psychology.
Meta-analyses/reviews
Finally, meta-analyses/reviews generally do not involve original research, as they instead survey a large number of prior studies. For example, a review might examine 50 different studies that have previously examined the effects of playing video games in an attempt to synthesize all of the different results that have been obtained. Meta-analyses/reviews are excellent ways to overview a topic, but it is always a good idea to look at the original studies being discussed to verify that the results are being described accurately.
Kozhuharova et al. (2019) is an example of a meta-analysis/review.
Wrapping up
These four basic types of research methods are all useful in different situations, and they are all crucial aspects of psychology research. However, some of these methods are more appropriate for certain research questions than others. When designing a study, it is important to consider the nature of the question of interest to select the best option with which to investigate that question.
References
Bloch-Elkouby, S., Eubanks, C.F., Knopf, L., Gorman, B.S., Muran, J.C. (2019). The Difficult Task of Assessing and Interpreting Treatment Deterioration: An Evidence-Based Case Study. Frontiers in Psychology, 10(1), 1180. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01180.
Kozhuharova, P., Dickson, H., Tully, J., Blackwood, N. (2019). Impaired processing of threat in psychopathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis of factorial data in male offender populations. PLoS One, 14(10), e0224455. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224455.
Lee, D.J., Jung, H., Loui, P. (2019). Attention Modulates Electrophysical Responses to Simultaneous Music and Language Syntax Processing. Brain Sciences, 9(11), E305. doi: 10.3390/brainsci9110305.
Matthews, E.B., Stanhope, V., Choy-Brown, M., Doherty, M. (2018). Do Providers Know What They Do Not Know? A Correlational Study of Knowledge Acquisition and Person-Centered Care. Community Mental Health Journal, 54(5), 514-520. doi: 10.1007/s10597-017-0216-6.
