Key Takeaways
- Psychology research methods are typically classified into three main types: experimental, descriptive, and correlational.
- Experimental research focuses on cause-and-effect, while descriptive research observes and describes, and correlational research examines relationships between variables.
Research methods in psychology use descriptive, correlational, and experimental approaches to study how people think, feel, and behave. These methods include experiments, surveys, observational research, and case studies, each designed to answer different types of questions about human behavior.
These approaches follow the scientific method, a systematic process that helps ensure results are reliable and objective. The process typically begins with observation, followed by forming a hypothesis, collecting and analyzing data, and drawing conclusions that are shared with other researchers.
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Key Psychology Research Methods
There are many ways to study the human mind and behavior, but psychological research is typically classified into three major types: experimental, descriptive, and correlational.
1. Causal or Experimental Research
When most people think of scientific experimentation, research on cause and effect is probably what immediately comes to mind.
Experiments on causal relationships investigate the effect of one or more variables on one or more outcome variables. This type of research also determines if one variable causes another variable to occur or change.
An example of this type of research in psychology would be to give a specific mental health treatment and measure its effects on study participants.
2. Descriptive Research
Descriptive research does exactly what the name implies—it describes. This type of research seeks to show what already exists in a group or population.
Three types of psychology research utilizing this method are:
- Case studies: An in-depth study of a single person or small group
- Naturalistic observation: Observing a subject in their natural environment
- Surveys and questionnaires: Self-report questions or interviews collected from a large group
- Archival research: Collecting data from historical records
An example of this psychological research method is a survey asking people to rate their stress levels over time.
Descriptive studies don’t try to measure the effect of a variable—they only try to describe it.
These types of studies are a type of qualitative research, which focuses on getting deep, rich, and descriptive data about behaviors and experiences. It often utilizes strategies like observations and interviews,
3. Relational or Correlational Research
Relational research, also known as correlational research, is a type of study that investigates the connection between two or more variables. These variables typically already exist in a population; researchers aim to determine their relationship and the strength of that relationship.
Consider a study examining the ratio of men and women selecting either classical or jazz music. Here, a correlational study examines the association between gender and musical preference.
Difference Between a Theory and a Hypothesis
Before a study begins, researchers need a clear idea of exactly what they are investigating. A theory can provide a foundation for their research, whereas a hypothesis represents their specific prediction about what might happen (or what will happen).
People often confuse the terms theory and hypothesis or are not quite sure of the distinctions between the two concepts.
- A theory is a well-established principle that has been developed to explain some aspects of the natural world. A theory arises from repeated observation and testing and incorporates facts, laws, predictions, and tested hypotheses that are widely accepted.
- A hypothesis is a specific, testable prediction about what you expect to happen in your study. For example, an experiment designed to examine the relationship between study habits and test anxiety might include the hypothesis: “We predict that students with better study habits will suffer less test anxiety.”
Unless your study is exploratory in nature, your hypothesis should always explain what you expect to happen during your experiment or research.
Some other important distinctions to note include:
- A theory predicts events in general terms, while a hypothesis makes a specific prediction about a specified set of circumstances.
- A theory has been extensively tested and is generally accepted, while a hypothesis is a speculative guess that has yet to be tested.
Time Dimensions in Psychology Research
Just as the type of research shapes how a study is carried out, time also plays a role in how data is collected and what it may mean. There are two types of time dimensions that can be used in designing a research study: cross-sectional and longitudinal.
- Cross-sectional research takes place at a single point in time. In this design, all tests, measures, or variables are administered to participants on one occasion. This type of research seeks to collect data on current conditions rather than examining the effects of a variable over time.
- Longitudinal research is a study that takes place over time, typically days, months, years, or even decades. Data are collected at the beginning of the study and may be collected repeatedly throughout the study.
The effects of aging are often investigated using longitudinal research.
Causation: When One Variable Causes Another
What do we mean when we talk about a “relationship” between variables? In psychological research, we’re referring to a connection between two or more factors that we can measure or systematically vary.
One of the most important distinctions to make when discussing the relationship between variables is the meaning of causation.
A causal relationship is when one variable causes a change in another variable. These types of relationships are investigated by experimental research to determine if changes in one variable actually result in changes in another variable.
Correlation: Relationships Between Variables
To understand relationships between variables, researchers often explore how changes in one lead are related to changes in another using a statistic called a correlation.
A correlation is the measurement of the relationship between two variables. These variables already occur in the group or population and are not controlled by the experimenter.
- A positive correlation is a direct relationship in which as the amount of one variable increases, the amount of the second variable also increases.
- In a negative correlation, as the level of one variable increases, the level of the other decreases.
In both types of correlation, there is no evidence or proof that changes in one variable cause changes in the other variable. A correlation simply indicates that there is a relationship between the two variables.
The most important concept is that correlation does not equal causation. Many popular media sources make the mistake of assuming that simply because two variables are related, a causal relationship exists.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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