Another disadvantage is that when the tests are done on humans, their brains are already damaged. That means that the researchers won’t be able to damage one particular part of the brain.
Sometimes, this method is criticized for not looking at natural behaviour of people. Some psychologists even suggest that this method doesn’t explain much at all, and there probably are other factors involved.
Non-Invasive Method
There are two main different ways of non-invasive methods; EEG and Brain Scanning. These methods don’t involve any entering of the brain, but rather scanning it. EEG, or Electroencephalogram, is used to measure the electrical impulse traveling to and from the brain. Brain scanning can be done in three ways. One is the CAT scan, which involves an X-ray which revolves around the head. This is usually used to detect any faults in the brain. PET scan is used as well for this purpose. PET involves a radioactive substance being taken in by your body and a scan measuring the radiation. MRI scan is used as well, for similar purposes. This one involves magnetic fields being measured. All these scans use the aid of computers to plot the images.
Evaluation
Advantages: The scans are usually very accurate, and show lots of different details. The scans are also useful when the person is in a state of emergency, as they produce the images almost immediately. Also, the results are usually replicable, which makes it hard to depict.
Disadvantages: The biggest problem with these scanners is that they are too expensive currently. The scanners are usually used for people who need help, more than research purposes because of this.
Research Method #2: Genetic Influences on individual differences
This method can also be divided into two smaller sections, but they are both based around the study of twins.
Correlational techniques and twin studies
Correlational technique is the observation of how different variables have affects on people. For twin studies, they normally compare how the twins react to different variables. This study is used to discover the genetic influence on intelligence and mental disorder.
Evaluation
Advantages: These techniques are useful to see the differences between two people with the same genetic make up, but different diseases, etc. We can also see the affects of environment on two identical twins, and see if that affects personality and other such things.
Disadvantages: Many of the twin correlation studies have problems with design. Statistics is used to get results, which normally gives us a completely wrong idea about certain behaviors. Also, we have to think about the environment the people grew up in, not just their genes.
Cognitive Approach
Research Method #1: Case Studies
Case studies are the research done on a specific individual or a small group. They are usually strictly controlled, and usually set a founding ground for other researchers to look into depth.
Evaluation
Advantages: Because the experiments are usually done to a specific individual or a small group, and well controlled, they can produce valid results. They also generate lots of data, and a firm ground for other research projects. This in turn, helps us understand more about the human mind.
Disadvantages: However, there are a few problems with this method. The biggest problem is that one person or a small group is not enough to generalize the results to the whole population. One may come up with different theories from the results, but they will have to be tested in different ways.
Also, there may be a bit of unreliability as different situations and different researchers may affect the experiment. There may also be some subjectivity from the researcher.
Research Method #2: Experimentations
Basically put, this method is when people take an idea, test it, and see if their idea was right. The experiments vary vastly, and the subjects of the experiments vary too. The experimentations can be reproduced by anyone, as they are very structured and well controlled.
Evaluation
Advantages: Because these experiments and results can be reproduced by anyone, the results are reliable. The strict controls allow the psychologists to see what affects people in different ways. Also, animal testing allows the researcher to do certain tests on animals that maybe deemed as unethical to be done to people. These experiments told us a lot about people too, as we are animals biologically.
Disadvantages: However, some people view experiments on animals as unethical as experiments done on people. There are also lots of differences between us and animals, which disallows direct comparison. Also, although controlled may give us reliable results, it may not necessarily be accurate. They are usually things which people won’t do in real life, and thus, the experiments lack ecological validity.