Psychology: Books on Psychological Research Methods

Scientists planning experiments in medical and behavioral research will find this handbook and dictionary an invaluable desk reference tool. Also recommended as a textbook for students of Experimental Design or accompanying courses in Statistics.

The Handbook of Research Methods in Clinical Psychology presents a comprehensive and contemporary treatment of research methodologies used in clinical psychology. Topics discussed include experimental and quasi-experimental designs, statistical analysis, validity, ethics, cultural diversity, and the scientific process of publishing. Written by leading researchers, the chapters focus on specific applications of research into psychopathology, assessment and diagnosis, therapy, and interventions for both child and adult populations. Special attention is also given to research into professional issues, prevention, and promotion. Research vignettes describe exemplary projects illustrating the essential elements of the research topics. In addition, the editors outline a research agenda for clinical psychologists that demonstrates the exciting future for the field.

The Handbook of Research Methods in Experimental Psychology presents a comprehensive and contemporary treatment of research methodologies used in experimental psychology. The volume is divided into three sections: Part One places experimental psychology in historical context and provides insights into current activities and future trends, Part Two investigates the changing nature of research methodology, experimental design, and analytic procedures, and Part Three features research in selected content areas. The chapters, written by leading researchers in the field, discuss topics such as cross-cultural research, ethical issues, research with animals, comparative psychology, sensation and perception research methods, physiological psychology, and research methods in human memory, cognition, motivation, and psychophysics.

The Handbook of Research Methods in Industrial and Organizational Psychology is a comprehensive and contemporary treatment of research philosophies, approaches, tools, and techniques indigenous to industrial and organizational psychology. In this volume, leading methodological and measurement scholars discuss topics spanning the entire organizational research process. Topics include, but are not limited to, research ethics, reliability and validity, research design, qualitative research paradigms, power analysis, computational modeling, confirmatory factor analysis, internet data collection, longitudinal modeling, modeling complex data structures, multilevel research, cross-cultural organizational research, and modeling nonlinear relationships.

Bringing together leading investigators, this comprehensive handbook is a one-stop reference for anyone planning or conducting research on personality. It provides up-to-date analyses of the rich array of methodological tools available today, giving particular attention to real-world theoretical and logistical challenges and how to overcome them. In chapters filled with detailed, practical examples, readers are shown step by step how to formulate a suitable research design, select and use high-quality measures, and manage the complexities of data analysis and interpretation. Coverage ranges from classic methods like self-report inventories and observational procedures to such recent innovations as neuroimaging and genetic analyses.

This volume provides an overview of research methods in contemporary social psychology. Coverage includes conceptual issues in research design, methods of research, and statistical approaches. Because the range of research methods available for social psychology have expanded extensively in the past decade, both traditional and innovative methods are presented. The goal is to introduce new and established researchers alike to new methodological developments in the field.

RESEARCH METHODS IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY is a reader-friendly introduction to doing, and thinking about, research for clinical psychologists. This systematic guide takes students and practitioners through the basic steps of a research project, from start to finish. It is an invaluable tool for those who want to conduct their own research, or simply want a better understanding of published research.

Fully revised and updated, the second edition of this widely adopted text and professional reference reflects significant recent changes in the landscape of family therapy research. Leading contributors provide the current knowledge needed to design strong qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method studies; analyze the resulting data; and translate findings into improved practices and programs. Following a consistent format, user-friendly chapters thoroughly describe the various methodologies and illustrate their applications with helpful concrete examples. Among the ten entirely new chapters in the second edition is an invaluable research primer for beginning graduate students. Other new chapters cover action and participatory research methods, computer-aided qualitative data analysis, feminist autoethnography, performance methodology, task analysis, cutting-edge statistical models, and more.

"Research Methods in Psychology" provides a comprehensive and readable introduction to methods for undergraduates. Employing a multi-method approach and exposing students to real examples of published research throughout the text, the authors provide students with the tools necessary to do good and ethical research in psychology and to understand the research they learn about in psychology courses and in the media. A wealth of pedagogical aids serve to break down the aversion and phobia that many students bring to a methods course. The 8th edition boasts a wealth of new examples with nearly 50 of the research examples from 2004-2007 and more than half of those from 2006 and 2007. So, as students read this methods text, they will also be learning about "cutting-edge" research in psychology.

This book provides a low level introduction to research methods and statistics for all students of psychology, and other related disciplines, who may be required to undertake practical investigative work into human behavior and experience. It provides a range of information to enable the reader to carry out satisfying investigations, but also to understand something of the theory involved in scientific research.

This book provides a concise source of information on effective and practical methods for constructing simulation exercises for the assessment of psychological characteristics relevant to effectiveness in work organizations. Simulation exercises present the examinee with descriptions of complex situations that stimulate aspects of real-world settings and problems. Examinees are required to demonstrate overt behavior in handling the problems presented. The process and/or products of this behavior are observed by trained assessors who observe behavior, classify behaviors into relevant dimensions, and evaluate effectiveness. Simulations can provide assessments of abilities, skills, and competencies not readily measured by other testing techniques.

Offering a concise, comprehensive guide to conducting research on the Internet, this book provides a detailed explanation of all the main areas of Internet research. It distinguishes between primary research (using the Internet to recruit participants, to administer the research process and to collect results) and secondary research (using the Internet to access available material online). The book is designed for social science researchers and presents a user-friendly, practical guide that will be invaluable to both students and researchers who wish to incorporate the Internet into their research practice.

Kuther (psychology, Western Connecticut State U.) opens with a handy guide to the different schools within psychology and the differences among its various practitioners, and follows with practical advice about deciding on a major, developing tools for academic success, writing a literature review, writing an empirical paper, finding a job with a bachelor's degree, doing the same with a graduate degree, and applying to graduate school. Many of her observations apply to other majors as well, but Kuther is careful to keep psychology majors on track in terms of self-assessment (she includes journal exercises) and such important matters as the proper style guide to use in psychology and evolving attitudes and responses to the discipline itself.

Despite the pressure to publish, few researchers know how to write up their work in order to maximize its potential for publication. This practical guide demystifies the journal publication process. Experienced researcher and author Dennis M McInerney shows how to plan for publication from the beginning of a research project, how to write publishable articles and how to approach journals. Examples are drawn from a variety of internationally renowned journals and psychology fields. It ought to become the reference point for beginning, as well as experienced researchers in psychology and neighbouring disciplines.

Built around a problem solving theme, this book extends the intermediate and advanced student's expertise to more challenging situations that involve applying statistical methods to real-world problems. Data relevant to these problems are collected and analyzed to provide useful answers. Concentrating largely on the established SPSS and the newer S-Plus statistical packages, the author provides a short, end-of-chapter section entitled Computer Hints that helps the student undertake the analyses reported in the chapter using these statistical packages.

We are faced with the usual hysteria surrounding the apparent decline of traditional subjects like maths and physics, and the concomitant rise of supposedly soft subjects such as psychology. But Heffernans guide effectively dispels this unflattering distinction; introducing the prospective psychology undergraduate to the multidimensionality and robust scientific credentials of the contemporary discipline. And for those navigating the ealry stages of their degree course, the book includes thorough and focused sections on empirical report writing, research methodology and examination preparation. Refreshingly, Heffernan emphasizes the importance of critical analysis and understanding - values that must be internalized by those who aspire to enter the applied fields that are cogently outlined in the final chapter.

Your Psychology Project: The Essential Guide for Success clearly maps out all the requirements of a project in psychology. Acting as a definitive survival manual it guides students through every aspect of a psychology project from conception of an idea, to writing up the final draft. It will help students think through the whole research process by bridging the relationship between the research question, the design, and the use of statistical and qualitative analyses. By using clear practical examples this book provides an invaluable insight into applying theory to practice and will equip students with the knowledge, skills and abilty to carry out and write up their thesis project.