Planning and Conducting Research » Review and Practice - Planning Research

What you'll learn this session

Study time: 30 minutes

How to identify research questions and hypotheses
Different sampling methods and their strengths and weaknesses
How to design experiments, observations and questionnaires
Understanding variables and how to control them
Ethical considerations in psychological research
How to plan research that produces valid and reliable results

Planning Psychological Research

Planning research is a crucial first step in any psychological investigation. Good planning helps ensure your research is valid, reliable and ethical. This guide will walk you through the key elements of planning effective psychological research.

Key Definitions:

Research question: The specific question your research aims to answer.
Hypothesis: A testable prediction about the relationship between variables.
Variables: Factors that can be measured and may change during research.
Sample: The group of participants selected to take part in your research.

Starting Your Research

💡 Research Questions

A good research question should be:

Clear and specific
Focused on a relationship between variables
Answerable through research
Relevant to psychology

Example: "How does sleep duration affect memory recall in teenagers?"

🔍 Hypotheses

Your hypothesis should:

Be a clear, testable prediction
State the expected relationship between variables
Be based on existing research or theory

Example: "Teenagers who sleep for 8+ hours will recall more information than those who sleep for less than 6 hours."

Types of Hypotheses

There are two main types of hypotheses you need to understand:

📊 Directional Hypothesis

Predicts the specific direction of the relationship between variables.

Example: "Students who revise for 3 hours will perform better on a test than students who revise for 1 hour."

📈 Non-directional Hypothesis

Predicts a relationship between variables but doesn't specify the direction.

Example: "There will be a difference in test performance between students who revise for 3 hours and students who revise for 1 hour."

Sampling Methods

Choosing the right sampling method is essential for ensuring your research is representative and valid.

🎙 Random Sampling

Every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected.

Strengths: Reduces bias, representative

Weaknesses: Time-consuming, difficult to achieve

👥 Opportunity Sampling

Selecting participants who are easily available.

Strengths: Quick, convenient, inexpensive

Weaknesses: May not be representative, potential bias

📝 Stratified Sampling

Population divided into groups (strata), then random samples taken from each group.

Strengths: Ensures representation of key groups

Weaknesses: Requires knowledge of population characteristics

Understanding Variables

Variables are the factors you measure or manipulate in your research. Understanding different types of variables is crucial for designing effective studies.

🔬 Independent Variable (IV)

The variable that is manipulated by the researcher.

Example: In a study on the effect of background music on concentration, the IV would be the presence or absence of music.

📊 Dependent Variable (DV)

The variable that is measured to see if the IV had an effect.

Example: In the same study, the DV would be the concentration scores of participants.

⚠ Extraneous Variables

Unwanted variables that might affect your results.

Example: Noise level, room temperature, time of day.

These need to be controlled to ensure your results are valid.

🛡 Control Variables

Variables that are kept constant across all conditions.

Example: Using the same test for all participants, testing at the same time of day.

Research Designs

The design of your study determines how you'll structure your investigation.

👤 Independent Groups

Different participants in each condition.

Pros: No order effects

Cons: Participant variables may affect results

👥 Repeated Measures

Same participants in all conditions.

Pros: Controls participant variables

Cons: Order effects possible

👪 Matched Pairs

Participants matched on key characteristics.

Pros: Controls participant variables, no order effects

Cons: Difficult to match perfectly

Case Study Focus: Counterbalancing

When using a repeated measures design, researchers often use counterbalancing to control for order effects.

Example: In a study testing two memory techniques (A and B), half the participants would do technique A first, then B. The other half would do B first, then A.

This helps ensure that any differences in performance are due to the techniques themselves, not the order in which they were completed.

Ethical Considerations

All psychological research must follow ethical guidelines to protect participants.

✅ Key Ethical Principles

Informed consent: Participants must understand what the study involves before agreeing to take part.
Right to withdraw: Participants can leave the study at any time.
Confidentiality: Participant data must be kept private.
Protection from harm: Participants should not experience physical or psychological harm.
Deception: Should be avoided or minimised, with full debriefing afterwards.

Ensuring Quality Research

When planning your research, consider how to maximise:

💪 Validity

Does your study measure what it claims to measure?

Improve validity by:

Controlling extraneous variables
Using standardised procedures
Ensuring your measures actually test what you're investigating

🔁 Reliability

Would your study produce consistent results if repeated?

Improve reliability by:

Using standardised instructions
Ensuring consistent testing conditions
Using objective measurements where possible

Practical Planning Tips

📋 Creating a Research Plan

A good research plan should include:

Clear research question and hypothesis
Details of participants and sampling method
Research design and procedure
Materials needed
How variables will be measured
How data will be analysed
Ethical considerations

Top Tips for Planning Research

Always start with a clear, focused research question
Make sure your hypothesis is testable
Consider practical limitations (time, resources, access to participants)
Plan how to control extraneous variables
Think about potential ethical issues before you start
Pilot test your materials and procedure if possible
Consider how you'll analyse your data before collecting it

🧠 Test Your Knowledge!