Methods of Psychology

The study of different methods is found to be very essential in the field of psychology. A chemist
preparing chemicals for a product would have to familiarize herself with the different tools in order to
perform the operation satisfactorily. This would imply the different instruments that she will be utilizing
to make the event successful. As a psychology practitioner, it is important that he or she is familiar with
the different methods of psychology so he would be effective in administering and interpret certain
human behavior.
1. Controlled Experiments psychology as a science is based on systematic gathering of facts
and data, and one way of gathering information is through experiments. An experimental
psychological research is usually conducted in a laboratory under condition that is controlled.
This method of psychology relies on the application of the scientific method to understand a
certain behavior or an observed phenomenon. These experiments utilize different instruments
of measurements, including response rates, time of reaction and various psychometric
measurements. Experiments are designed to test specific hypothesis or evaluate functional
relationships. They are important for psychological research because experiments allow
researchers to establish relationships between different aspects of behavior and the
environment. Experiment is one of the research methodologies in many areas of psychology.
2. Animal studies animal learning experiments are important in different aspects of
psychology. It may prove useful in investigating and accumulating proofs in the biological
basis of learning, memory, and behavior. In the 1890s, Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov
famously used animals, specifically dogs, to describe its behavior under classical
conditioning. The first and the original example of the famous classical conditioning study.
For ethical reasons, humans are not allowed to be experiments in many cases therefore non-
human primates, cats, dogs, rats and other rodents are often used in psychological
experiments. These controlled experiments would involve introduction of only one variable at
a time, which is why animals used for these experiments are placed in laboratory settings. In
contrast, human environments and genetic backgrounds vary widely, which makes it difficult
to control important variables for human subjects.
3. Qualitative and descriptive research in the study of Jane Goodall, about the role of
chimpanzees social and family life, psychologist conduct similar observational studies in
humans social, professional, and family lives. Sometimes, the participants are aware that
they are being observed and other times, the participants do not know that they are being
observed. Researchers try to describe the behavior manifested and change of quality to
certain behavior. Ethical guidelines need to be taken into consideration when covert
observation is being carried out.
4. Survey questionnaires the method is commonly used in applied setting, such as clinical
assessment and personal assessment. Commonly, practitioners utilize the traditional paper-
and-pencil survey. But since technology has already found its way with psychology, online
surveys are now used for measuring attitudes and traits, high- tech gadgets are also used in
monitoring changes in mood, or checking the validity of experimental manipulations.
Nowadays, surveys are also conducted over the phone or through electronic mail or e-mail.
Increasingly, web-based surveys are being used in research.
5. Longitudinal studies- a longitudinal study is research method which observes a particular
population over certain period of time. This method has the advantage of seeing how a
condition can affect individuals over long time scales. However, such studies can suffer from
attrition due to drop-out or death of subjects from the process. In addition, since individual
differences between members of the group are not controlled, it may be difficult to draw
conclusions about the populations. Longitudinal study is a developmental research strategy
that involves testing an age group repeatedly over many years. Longitudinal studies also
answer vital questions about how people develop. This developmental research follows
people over years and the outcome has been an incredible array of findings, especially
relating to psychological problems.
6. Neuropsychological methods neuropsychology and cognitive psychology to stimulate a
particular behavior using a computer. Cognitive neuropsychology and cognitive
neuropsychiatry study neurological or mental impairment in an attempt to infer theories of
normal mind and brain function. This typically involves looking for differences in patterns of
remaining ability known as functional disassociations which can give clues as to whether
abilities are comprised of smaller functions, or are controlled by a single mechanism. In
addition, experimental techniques are often used, which also apply to studying the
neuropsychology of healthy individuals. These include behavioral experiments, brain-
scanning or functional neuroimaging- used to examine the activity of the brain during task
performance, and techniques such as trans cranial magnetic stimulations, which can safely
alter the function of small brain areas to investigate their importance in mental operations.
7. Computational modeling- computational modeling is often used in mathematical
psychology to stimulate a particular behavior using a computer.