Exam questions about research methods are very common Discuss one or more research methods used to investigate the relationship between the brain and behaviour. Evaluate one or more research methods used to study the interaction between technologies and cognitive processes. Contrast two research methods used to investigate cultural origins of behaviour and cognition. To what extent can any one research … Read More
Experimental methods explained
True experiment, field experiment, quasi-experiment or natural experiment? The answer is often a wild look in the eyes and a shrug of the shoulders. It is not always easy to be certain! See below for an explanation of the differences. All sources used are referenced at the bottom of the page, and linked study summaries are, of course, from Psychology … Read More
We’re all just animals, aren’t we?
The question of when to use non-human animal studies as evidence for human behaviour is a tricky one. Because it remains unethical to lesion the brain of a live human to look for a correlation between brain damage and behaviour (at the moment!), animal studies are used in large numbers at the biological approach. However, many people are becoming more … Read More
Research from Psychology Sorted: Social Identity Theory
How we develop our social identity is still a hot topic today, and for those of you studying the effect of technologies, especially social media, on social identity, there is a developing literature on the subject. But we should start with the classic minimal groups paradigm from Tajfel (1971), found in our new book Psychology Sorted, as it is still so … Read More
Emic and Etic Explained
Are you confused by the terms ’emic’ and ‘etic’ when applied to research methods? It is hardly surprising, for a quick Google of these terms will produce diverse definitions, applied to both language and culture. Once you get further into reading about how culture influences behaviour you will find that some writers even use them as nouns (’emics’ and ‘etics’) … Read More