Back To Basics: Psychology and Research
Psychology: psy·chol·o·gy
The scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context. - Oxford English Dictionary
Pretty boring to start with a definition, I know, but just think about the variety of things that definition can encompass:
Why did I fail my math test even though I studied?
Why does it bother me when my friends do something and I'm not invited?
Why do I get so consumed with how others perceive me?
Why do people ignore fire alarms?
How do people choose their friends or partners?
You can use psychology and psychological research to attempt to answer these questions and more. There may already be a fair amount of research dedicated specifically to some of these questions, in which case we can review the existing research to see if it's satisfactory, or we can use that research as a basis of conducting our own. This process we can get into in further detail as we progress. But it is important to note that the best place to start is ALWAYS by seeing what's already out there. A great resource for this, particularly for students, is JSTOR, an online catalog of journal articles and publications. Students can usually access all of the articles for free through their educational institution, but if you aren't affiliated with a school you can still sign up for free and get partial access or pay for a more advanced access. Alternatively your library will likely provide you access to a similar online catalog.
This Thursday we'll be discussing a classic psychological experiment, and a part of that discussion will be the research design and process, so stay tuned!
- Carly
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