Introducing Psychological Research

Book excerpt: Crucially, the foundations of good psychology, in both practice and knowledge, are the ability to understand and carry out effective methods in psychological research. Subsequently, this title aims to introduce students to a thorough history of the key psychological studies across the sub-disciplines of social, developmental, cognitive and biological psychology as well as neuroscience. Research case-studies are described and critiqued encouraging students to critically think about the wider implications of how research is conducted and the subsequent findings that they produce. The pivotal case studies covered have been specifically chosen to illustrate how psychological methods in research have evolved over the history of the discipline and to showcase as broad an overview as possible of the various ways in which research may be conducted; including controlled experiments, in-depth interviewing and literature searches. The book is essential for undergraduate students looking for a comprehensive and clearly written guide to both the classic and contemporary studies that have informed the research methods in the discipline of psychology today. This book has been written to provide clear and well-explained summaries that encourage critical reflection and discussion of the material learnt, making this an apt introduction for students wishing to learn about the valid methods of carrying out empirical research.