| The Initial Agony | | | | wrong to borrow such a research design, but you will |
| The clock ticks away and still you haven't thought | | | | usually be expected to modify it in some way - |
| up a design or even a topic for your coursework - a | | | | indeed, if you are following these steps then of |
| psychological investigation on an issue of your choice. | | | | course you will. Previous studies may have used an |
| Many students come to me in the agony of not | | | | experimental method, a correlational study, a survey, |
| knowing what to study for their investigation with its | | | | a case study, or a naturalistic observation. This is the |
| impending deadline. Some say things like, "Well, I | | | | junction at which you need to marry the research |
| want to do something on eyewitness testimony but | | | | question with a particular methodology. Some of |
| I don't know exactly what." On further questioning it | | | | these may not appeal to you or may even be out of |
| appears not that they haven't spent hours thinking | | | | bounds. If you simply CANNOT or don't want to use |
| about it, but rather they haven't spent time asking | | | | the most obviously appropriate research method |
| themselves the right sort of questions. So, if you are | | | | then you need to return to step 1 and try again. |
| in this position, listed below are a number of steps | | | | Otherwise if you feel comfortable with the method |
| that will turn your agony into ecstacy (well maybe | | | | then continue to the next step. |
| not ecstacy but certainly a sense of achievment). | | | | Step 7: The Participants and their Task |
| Step 1: An Everyday Observation | | | | Having identified the method you need to think |
| The first step (which seems the easiest) is to make | | | | about who the participants should be. The easiest |
| an observation of someone else's behaviour (or your | | | | route is to choose fellow students as they can be |
| own) in a situation that holds some fascination or | | | | readily recruited. However, these may not be the |
| interest for you. This can be anything from the | | | | most appropriate. If you need a specific population |
| behaviour of your cat, to the behaviour of your | | | | (e.g., the elderly or children) you must think about |
| boyfriend, to the accuracy of your own ability to | | | | how you are going to obtain volunteers. The two |
| remember something. Although, I said this seems to | | | | problems here are (1) it isn't always easy to find such |
| be the easiest step, it is not so easy to find an | | | | volunteers (2) there may be ethical reasons why it is |
| observation or issue that can be readily studied. How | | | | best not to use the population (especially children as |
| do you know if your idea can be studied easily? The | | | | you will need ethical approval for your study from |
| answer is to test it against the next few steps. If it | | | | the school, the parents, and the kids themselves). If |
| fails to satisfy one step then return to step 1 and try | | | | only one type of group of participants are |
| again. You'll soon be able to identify an idea worth | | | | appropriate and you can't or dare not attempt to |
| pursuing. | | | | obtasin them then go back to step 1. If you can then |
| Step 2: Read an Article on the Issue | | | | you should think about the task that you will set |
| Having identified an issue or a behavioural | | | | them. If this is an experiment then it should be |
| observation, the next step is to read up about it. | | | | desinged to test the hypothesis - and this should be |
| Ideally, you should read a journal article - you can find | | | | derived directly from your research question. You can |
| many of these on the web and also in Ezine articles. | | | | borrow a design from another study but you must |
| Just type in your key terms in a search engine and | | | | modify it in some way so as to be original. If you are |
| look for any research that has been done that is | | | | asking a new question about a particular explanation |
| related to your issue or observation. Note that you | | | | then it follows that your desing will also be original. |
| should read research articles and not Joe Blogs's | | | | Step 8: Evaluate Your Design |
| home page. As intelligent as he may be, his ramblings | | | | Having thought about your design, take a break and |
| won't impress your examiner or marker; however, a | | | | come back to it later. Then read through your outline |
| published article by a reputable academic psychologist | | | | and ask yourself whether the design would answer |
| will, even if he is dumber than Joe Blogs (so a rule of | | | | the research question you thought up in step 5. |
| thumb is to try to access genuine sites, such as a | | | | "Possibly" or "maybe" are not good enough. Your |
| university's website or a publisher's online database of | | | | design should put a theory to a stringent test, it |
| articles). | | | | should take no prisoners! So at this stage you may |
| Step 3: Identify the Explanation | | | | need to revise your design a little so that it could in |
| In reading the article what you are looking for is an | | | | principle directly answer your research question. |
| explanation for the behaviour you are thinking about | | | | |
| as a result of step 1. The explanation will be a theory | | | | Step 9: Your Analysis |
| of the hows and the whys of the behaviour (that is, | | | | Before you finally reach that moment of ecstacy, |
| what causes it). | | | | remember that you may have to collect and analsye |
| Step 4: Read About the Problems with the | | | | data. You must think about how to analsyse the data |
| Explanation | | | | so that it reveals whether the hypothesis will be |
| You may ask yourself why you are looking for an | | | | accepted or rejected. In other words, you should |
| explanation for the behaviour you are thinking about. | | | | always think about how you are going to analyse the |
| After all, isn't your study suppoosed to do that and if | | | | data before you start testing or interviewing |
| there is an explanation then why go on? Here's the | | | | participants. It is a common mistake for a student to |
| rub: There is no explanation in psychology that is (a) | | | | have a wheelbarrow full of data and no clear idea |
| a perfect account of the thing it's trying to explain, | | | | what to do with it. This is a nightmare situation |
| and (b) universally accepted. It follows that | | | | because you may discover that you have been |
| explanations are themselves the targets of further | | | | asking the wrong questions or giving the wrong task |
| study. It is true that theories provoke more research | | | | to your participants. If you can't see how you could |
| than the initial observations they attempt to explain | | | | possibly analyse the data from the design you have |
| (well, at least in psychology it is so). So, try to read | | | | created then rethink your design until you can. For |
| about the problems with the theory or you could | | | | example, if you thought about using a t-test then |
| even find its problems yourself if you think carefully | | | | you should gather data appropriate for this test, no |
| about it. | | | | more, no less. |
| Step 5: Does One Explanation Appeal to you More | | | | |
| than Another? Your Research Question | | | | Step 10: You May Begin |
| Remember that in step 1 you thought of an issue | | | | When you reach step 10 (without having returned |
| that aroused your curiosity. Now ask yourself | | | | to step 1 too many times, I hope) you can begin |
| whether one or any of the explanations you have | | | | refining the design (e.g., prepearing the materials) and |
| read satisfies you. Where are the gaps? What is | | | | then start to test you participants. If you have |
| there that makes you feel uncomfortable about | | | | followed the advice here then you are in a much |
| accepting it? Are there any assumptions in the | | | | better position to get the grade you really deserve |
| explanation that you don't agree with? Decide to | | | | than if you began your investigation without giving it |
| address one of these questions. This will be your | | | | much thought. Good luck!Prof. Eamon Fulcher is |
| research question. | | | | currently a visiting professor at the University of |
| | | | Murcia, Spain. An experienced university lecturer, |
| Step 6: Read About the Research Design and | | | | e-learning consultant, and researcher, he has written |
| Choose Yours | | | | several texts for psychology students, including 'A |
| In reading around the issue, you should by now have | | | | Guide to Coursework in Psychology'. You can visit his |
| an idea how it is studied. Usually the method of | | | | website at for some great online resources for |
| investigation is one that has been used many times, | | | | learning psychology or if you just want to ask him a |
| although with a slight variation each time. It is NOT | | | | question. |