lecture 4 from a college level research methods in psychology course taught in the spring 2012 semester by Brian J. Piper, Ph.D. (psy391@gmail.com) at Linfield College,

1. Research Methodology
(Developing Ideas)
Brian J. Piper, Ph.D.

2. Goals
• Types of Research
• Idea Generation
– Luck
– Theory
– Literature

3. Basic (Preclinical) Research
• Addresses fundamental questions
• Laboratory based (Simple, Controlled)
• Experimental Psychology Areas
– Cognitive Psychology
– Social Psychology
– Biopsychology

4. Applied (Clinical) Research
• Addresses “real world” questions
• Non-laboratory based (Complex, Non-
controlled)
• Example areas:
– Educational psychology
– Industrial-Organizational psychology
– Neuropsychology

5. Memory Island
Piper et al. (2010) Pharmacology, Biochemistry & Behavior, 98, 432-439.

6. Quantitative Research
• Involves numbers & statistics
• Majority of psychological research
• “Top-down”
• Example: polls

7. Qualitative Research
• Non-numerical, themes (but rigorous!)
• Minority of psychological research
• “bottom up”
• Example focus group

9. Operational Definitions
• Concept is defined based on the operation
used for measurement
• Height, weight, humor
• Intelligence exercise

10. Developing Research Ideas:
Serendipity
• Monoamine-Oxidase Inhibitor (iproniazid) a
treatment for tuberculosis and later depression
• Dose response effects of prenatal nicotine
Piper & Corbett (2011). Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

11. Developing Ideas: Theory
• Theory: a set of logically consistent
statements about phenomenon
• Micro-Theory: specific, e.g. monoamine &
depression
• Macro-Theory: Skinner, Piaget, Freud

12. Evaluating Theories
• Productive: does this generate research?
• Falsifiable: can the theory be disproved
• Parsimonious: contains minimum assumptions
– Lloyd Morgan’s Canon: in no case may we
interpret an action as the outcome of an exercise
of a higher faculty if there is a lower one
– Example: cat and faucet

13. Evaluating Theories
Evolution Psychoanaltysis Cognitive Behaviorism
(Darwin) (Freud) Development (Skinner)
(Piaget)
Productive
+++ + ++ +++
Falsifiable
+++ --- +++ +++
Parsimonious
+++ --- ++ +++

14. Strong Inference
• Programmatic Research:
– Study 1 (Outcome A) -> Study 2 (Outcome B)
– Used to exclude possibilities
Platt, J.R. (1964). Science, 146, 347-353.

15. Ideas: Literature Search
• Wikipedia (preliminary only, variable quality)
• Google (heavy on $)
• Pubmed (Backward Search)
• Psych Info (Backward Search)
• Specialized databases (Backward Search)
• Google Scholar (Forward Search)
• Direct contact

16. Pubmed
• Developed by National Library of Medicine (NIH)
• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed

17. Pubmed

19. Keywords are Important

20. Free is For Me!

21. Google Scholar

22. Specialized Databases
• Manage to bypass copyright law (how?)
• Example: Psychedelic Bibliography
• http://www.maps.org/sys/w3pb.pl?face=simple/

23. All Journals Aren’t Created Equal
Great! Not Great!
Psychological Science (5.1) Psychological Reports (0.3)
Science (30.1) Perceptual & Motor Skills (1.2 )
Nature (29.8) J of Applied Communication Res (0.7)
Psychological Bulletin (12.9) Legal & Criminological Psych (0.4)
J Personality Social Psych (5.2) Psychology & Psychotherapy (0.6)
J of Abnormal Psychology (4.5) American J of Psychology (0.3)
Annual Review of Psychology (22.8) Computers in Human Behavior (0.3)
J Amer Med Association (30.0) Journal of Applied Social Psychology (0.7)
Neuropsychopharmacology (6.7 ) International J of …. , SW Missouri Newsletter
Impact Factor: # citations per manuscript per year

24. Replication
• Repeating a study and getting similar outcomes
Study OR (95% CI)
Bloss 4.65 (1.56, 13.87)
Piper 0.70 (0.09, 5.72)
Gaynor 1.13 (0.51, 2.48)
Taylor 0.83 (0.62, 1.11)
Deary 1.13 (0.52, 2.43)
Kwon 0.95 (0.29, 3.12)
Nilsson 0.94 (0.60, 1.46)
UCDADC 0.37 (0.14, 1.03)
NACC African Americans 0.95 (0.42, 2.14)
NACC Caucasians 0.93 (0.72, 1.20)
Overall (I-squared = 28.6%, p = 0.181) 0.92 (0.79, 1.08)
.05 .1 1 10 20
Piper et al. (2012). Laterality.

25. Replication Example #2: Mozart Effect
• College students (N=36)
completed a spatial reasoning
task after listening to Mozart,
relaxation tape, or silence.
Rauscher et al. (1993). Nature, 365, 611.

26. Replication Example #2: Mozart Effect
• College students (N=36)
completed a spatial reasoning
task after listening to Mozart,
relaxation music, or silence.
• Governor Zell Miller (GA)
wanted to give all kids classic
CDs.
• Finding repeatedly not
replicated.
Rauscher et al. (1993). Nature, 365, 611.

27. Summary
• Types of Research
– Preclinical & Clinical
– Quantitative & Qualitative
• Idea Generation (luck, literature, theory)
• Replication