Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology

This book is a great companion for any psychology student; Clearly written, it offers extremely useful information for both qualitative and quantitative psychological research. I cannot think of a better go-to source before engaging in psychological research.

A much-needed fully comprehensive text that breaks down the stages undertaken when conducting research in psychology. The in-book text provides guidance covering the fundamentals of good research design situated within and aligned to the field of psychology. The expansive out-of-book online support materials make this a must-have textbook for psychology students doing researching. 

 

I think that the glossary is super helpful for clarifying certain words, and the exercises are a great way to actually help retain any knowledge learnt, the checklist is a bonus as well, just helps double checking that you know you’ve learnt what you need to. Also, the discussion and essay questions are a great way to practice for an exam on these subjects. Overall that whole part is really, really good, much better than just throwing the information at you and hoping that you remember it just from reading because no one I know learns by just reading. I will definitely get my library at the university to order in a few copies.

Overall, a very complete book for the undergraduate learner and one that will serve as a reference through to postgraduate studies and further pursuits in psychology and social science research. The retention of the previous structure that includes side activities such as goals, checklists, research bites, and exercises, etc is a very welcomed one. I'm glad to see the new edition include more recent and very relevant debates on research and statistics (e.g. big and open data, questionable research practice, default alpha levels, data saturation), especially on conversations to do with effect size (Chapter 6 and Chapter 10), as well as with the inclusion of the R software package in the statistical discussions. Makes me wanna be a student again!

This excellent research method book is a clear and easy to read, I was a fan of the previous edition and it looks like I will continue with this edition. This third version has updated research bites and exercises which I have found useful to direct students to do and have done myself.

There are many methods/statistics books on the market, yet Haslam and McGarty set themselves apart by immersing the reader within the practical and applied aspects of research. All too often students feel their methods classes are divorced from real-world research; the Research Bites used throughout the book situate learning within the wider context of psychological science.

This book is an essential resource for anyone interested in psychological research methods. The book is informative and detailed but also readable and easy to ...

S Alexander Haslam (Alex Haslam) is Professor of Psychology and Australian Laureate Fellow at the University of Queensland. Together with colleagues, he has written and edited 15 books and over 300 research articles and chapters. His most recent books are The New Psychology of Leadership: Identity, Influence and Power (with Steve Reicher and Michael Platow, 2nd ed. 2020) and Social Psychology: Revisiting the Classic Studies (edited with Joanne Smith, 2nd ed. 2017). He is former Chief Editor of the European Journal of Social Psychology and former President of the Psychology Section of the British Science Association. He is a recipient of the European Association of Social Psychologys Kurt Lewin Medal for research excellence, and the International Society of Political Psychologys Nevitt Sanford Award for contributions to political psychology. He has also received awards for distinguished contributions to psychological science from both the British Psychology Society and the Australian Psychology Society. In 2022 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to higher education, particularly psychology, through research and mentoring.
Craig McGarty is Professor of Psychology at Western Sydney University. He received his undergraduate training in psychology at the University of Adelaide and his PhD from Macquarie University in 1991 (where he was a tutor from 1985 until 1989). He spent 1990 as a lecturer in social psychology/social interaction at the University of Western Sydney and moved in 1991 to the Australian National University as a research associate. He was Reader and Head of the School of Psychology before moving to Murdoch University in Western Australia as the Director of the Centre for Social and Community Research and then Director of the Social Research Institute. He has worked on a wide range of topics in experimental social psychology, and his current research includes a social audit of the aspirations and solutions of a remote Indigenous community and studies of the reconciliation process in post-genocide Rwanda. His books include Stereotypes as Explanations (with Vincent Yzerbyt and Russell Spears, 2002) and Categorization and Social Psychology (1999).

Chapter 1: IntroductionChapter 2: Research in Psychology: Objectives and IdealsChapter 3: Research MethodsChapter 4: Experimental DesignChapter 5: Survey DesignChapter 6: Descriptive StatisticsChapter 7: Some Principles of Statistical InferenceChapter 8: Examining Differences between Means: The t-testChapter 9: Examining Relationships between Variables: CorrelationChapter 10: Comparing Two or More Means by Analysing Variances: ANOVAChapter 11: Analysing Other Forms of Data: Chi-square and Distribution-free TestsChapter 12: Classical Qualitative MethodsChapter 13: Contextual Qualitative MethodsChapter 14: Research EthicsChapter 15: Conclusion: Managing Uncertainty in Psychological Research