Experiments are the main method used by psychologists to determine behaviour. The first psychological laboratory was set up by Wilhelm Wundt, often described as the "father of psychology", in Leipzig, Germany in 1879, less than 150 years ago. With an experiment the psychologist will usually have some hypothesis, which he or she is aiming to verify or disprove. Experiments use variables, which are manipulated to discover ‘cause and effect’. These variables consist of independent variables (conditions that can be changed to cause an effect), dependent variables (these change and are measured depending on the independent variable), and control variables (these are constant and therefore cannot effect the outcome). If the experiment shows a major change, then it can be concluded that it was dependant on the difference in the independent variable.
Advantages of the experiment method include the fact that the experiments, variables and conditions can be replicated. This means that more information can be obtained to prove or disprove the hypothesis posed by the psychologist. Further benefits of experiments are control and accuracy. This enables the experiments to be repeated by other researchers to verify and update the information. Another advantage is causation; this is being able to identify specific causes for specific events. However this can also be seen as a disadvantage as human behaviour is rarely dependant on a single cause. Another disadvantage is the specific control of experiments. This can lead to inaccurate or unnatural data, or production of artificial conditions, rather than naturalistic ones, which then leads to artificial behaviour. This is probably the biggest disadvantage to experimentation as often the subject can act in a way he or she believes is expected rather than how he or she would act naturally. Dobson et al identify this as the expectancy effect, leading to unnatural behaviour and distorted results.
Another method psychologists use to determine human behaviour is through naturalistic observation, which is the watching, and recording of the behavioural patterns of humans in their natural habitat or environment. However it must be said that observation does not explain behaviour but give a good description of it. Naturalist observation is the least formal. This means that the subject/s are not required to participate in any form of experiments, tests or interviews. They are to act naturally and nothing is expected on their part. Observation is hardly constrained. The subject/s stay in their natural environment and there are no variables to change or keep the same like in experiments. Carlson and Buskit (p.23) claim natural observation “provide foundations of the biological and social sciences”.
The advantages of natural observation include the fact that the subjects are in their natural environment. They are not under pressure to act in a way they feel is expected from the researcher. Therefore the information collected is not in any way biased by environmental differences. Another advantage is that their observer does not interrupt the subjects, and there are no variables to change or keep the same.
However, a major disadvantages is the fact that the researcher may be subdued by the subject/s and may not record the information as accurately as under controlled circumstances. Also the researcher cannot plan to investigate a certain aspect of behaviour as there is no way to make anything occur as there are no variables and the researcher must stay uninvolved, therefore the data collected may be of no relevance to the hypothesis or ideas of the psychologist.
When an observation is made that one behaviour patterns accompanies another a correlation is formed between the two patterns. Correlations reveal how closely two things vary and how well one behaviour predicts the other. Correlation can either be positive or negative. A positive correlation means that the two behavioural patterns increase together or decreases together and negative correlation suggests that as one pattern increases the other decreases.
An advantage of correlation studies is that psychologists can discover how one variable affects another. By doing so they can predict human behaviour by looking at one variable and then predicting at how another variable will change as a result of the first variable. Another advantage is that psychologists can determine how one type of behaviour affects another.
However the disadvantage may be that there is no certainty that a relationship between two variables exists, as it may just be present within the group subjects observed. However, the main disadvantage is that correlation studies give no explanation to why correlation occurs. It is up to the psychologist to determine this. The theory they come up with may not apply to us as a whole but just to the subject they studied.
In psychological terms observation requires the collecting of data in a methodical and recordable manner. There are many ways in which the psychologist may observe his or her subjects. He or she may participate with the subject/s and as a result possibly reach a deeper understanding of their behaviour. However, the disadvantage of this approach is that the psychologist may become too involved and unable to make recordings in an objective manner
Case studies focus on a single case, although this may involve just one subject, or a whole social group for example. They are the oldest of research methods and have a long history in predicting or explaining human behaviour. There are many forms of data collection for case studies including interviews, journals, discussions and so on. Interviews are useful for example if the psychologist wants to investigate the subject's perception of what is happening. This is important, as the subject's understanding may influence their approach.
The main advantage of case studies is that they enable psychologists to investigate in more detail than other methods and if they had many subjects. The information gained form case studies can then be applied to all humans in explaining their behaviour. Case studies provide a lot of detailed information, which is another advantage.
However the main disadvantage is that the number of subjects used is usually limited and therefore the information gained is small and may not apply to the rest of the population. Also again the researcher may influence the findings with his/her own view in the recording of information. Although this may be done subconsciously it still is a disadvantage of case studies. Banyard and Hayes identify that the relationship between researcher and subject, and the structured of the interviews affects the information gained.
Questionnaires and surveys usually take the form of being short and are usually administered to a large number of people. However, it is considered that information gathered by this method is limited.
The advantage of using surveys is that they can be a quick way of collecting lots of information. They are also cheap to administer. Therefore the findings are not limited to a particular group of people or concentrated like case studies.
However the disadvantage is that they are not very detailed. Therefore the information they provide is often lacking. The way the questions are worded may also influence the answer, as understanding may be lost or wrongly interpreted. Surveys also leave no explanation for the findings. They report of a percentage level and are not as clear-cut as other forms of research. The group targeted may not be a representative of the population and again the information can be limited.
In conclusion there are five main methods that psychologists use to investigate human behaviour. These being; case studies, surveys, experiments, natural observation, and correlational studies. However the main method is experiments. Cognitive psychologists do not use natural observation, case studies, interviews, questionnaires and surveys extensively anymore. The findings of these techniques however can be used to support the finding from laboratory experiments. Cognitive psychologists use these techniques because they give a good picture of the interactive relationship between humans and their environment. Also such methods may be used before an experiment is decided upon, and then the data or information collected from such research can be put to the test in an experiment. In the 20th and 21st century new methods are being developed to help explain human behaviour such as computer simulation (where computers are programmed to mimic human activity) or artificial intelligence.
So consequently the methodology used by psychologists is changing, however the older research methods still have their advantages and disadvantages, just like the new more frequently common ones.
REFERENCES:
Rita Atkinson, Richard Atkinson, Edward Smith, Daryl Bem & Susan
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P.Banyard & N.Hayes (1994) Psychology, Nelson Thornes.
Keith S. Dobson (2001) Handbook of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies,
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Neil R. Carlson & William Buskist (1997) Psychology: The Science of Behavior,
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Michael W. Eysenck & Mark T. Keane (2000) Cognitive Psychology: A Student’s
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