Research, Statistics, and Psychology

Throughout numerous discoveries in psychology, research has assisted in gathering information and this information is quite often in the form of statistics. In order to gather this information, the scientific method is frequently used in the field of psychology, as well as by those from other professions. The purpose of this paper is to discuss research and statistics, as well as their use in psychology.

Research and the Scientific Method

Research itself is defined as a “systematic study directed toward fuller knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable facts without specific applications towards processes or products in mind.” (NSF, 2014). Research, to simplify, is a study of materials and sources with the purpose of developing facts and determining new conclusions. However, psychological research involves research performed by psychologists to explore and analyze the experiences and behaviors of a group of people or an individual. There are three types of psychological research; casual, relational, and descriptive. Casual research is a basic cause and effect concept in which researchers inquire the effect of one variable on another, while relational research is a study that looks into the connections between two or more variable. However, descriptive research looks to find what already exists in a population or group.

When performing research, the most common technique used is the scientific method, in which there are five steps. The first step is to determine the problem in which to solve and the second step is to develop a hypothesis for this scientific problem. The third step is testing this hypothesis, while the forth step is to record observations. Furthermore, the last step of the ...

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...s that describe a certain set of information. Researchers are able to present data more precisely and clearly for other researchers to read and understand, which is another aspect that makes secondary data easier for others.

In conclusion, the roles of research and statistics in the field of psychology are more important than many would think. The vast amount of information collected during a research study can become very confusing, so organizing it can help others to interpret it just as good as the one who gathered it in the first place.

Works Cited

Aron, A., Aron, E.N., & Coups, E. (2009). Statistics for psychology (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

National Science Foundation. (2014). Definitions of Research and Development:

An Annotated Compilation of Official Sources. Retrieved from http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/randdef/fedgov.cfm