Psych 540: Fundamentals Of Research Methodology

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Fundamentals of Research Methodology PSYCH/540 July 29, 2013 Dr. Kimberly Wilkins Abstract The content of this paper will discuss a field of concepts pertaining to fundamental research in methodology, and provide a discussion in the important factors concerning the psychology of science research. The contents of this paper will contain an explanation and definition of scientific method along the method steps. A discussion in this paper will cover qualitative and quantitative data, and the testing, and construction of the scientific construct theory. Fundamentals of Research Methodology The science of behavior, and the mind is known as psychology and variables factors of the effects of behavior and mind from internal and external…show more content…
Which is essential to objective reporting takes place, and scientists need to use critical thinking skills and be skeptical when analyzing data. The scientific method is an involved method to ensure that research is ethically complete (Shaughnessy, Zechmeister, & Zechmeister, 2009). In research two types of data exist, quantitative data, and qualitative data. Quantitative data refers to data that involves numbers; behaviors or objects that can be counted, such as statistics, percentages, and formula-based analysis (Shaughnessy, Zechmeister, & Zechmeister, 2009). Qualitative data refers to data that consists of verbal summaries, observations, or analysis. For example, one out of four girls will be raped in their lifetime (National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 2009), this statement is based on quantitative data. After a woman is raped often intimate relationships are difficult and trusting others can be challenging (National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 2009), this statement is based on qualitative data. Both quantitative data and qualitative data are essential to research, and both types of data have equal importance (Shaughnessy, Zechmeister, & Zechmeister, 2009). Another important aspect of research is the process of scientific theory construction and testing. Scientific theory construction and testing is an intricate and important part of psychology research. The first step is to propose a theory, which is a set of interrelated ideas that explain a set of observations (Shaughnessy, Zechmeister, & Zechmeister,
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