The Process of Research and Statistical Analysis in Psychology

Dawn M. McBride is professor of psychology at Illinois State University, where she has taught research methods since 1998. Her research interests include automatic forms of memory, false memory, prospective memory, task order choices, and forgetting. In addition to research methods, she teaches courses in introductory psychology, cognition and learning, and human memory; she also teaches a graduate course in experimental design. She is a recipient of the Illinois State University Teaching Initiative Award and the Illinois State University SPA/Psi Chi Jim Johnson Award for commitment to undergraduate mentorship, involvement, and achievement. Her nonacademic interests include spending time with her family, traveling, watching Philadelphia sports teams (it was a good year for Philly sports this year!), and reading British murder mysteries. She earned her PhD in cognitive psychology from the University of California, Irvine, and her BA from the University of California, Los Angeles.

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorChapter 1 • Psychological Research: The Whys and Hows of the Scientific Method and DataWhy Should I Care About Research If I Don’t Want to Do Research in My Career?Why Psychologists Conduct ResearchPopulations and SamplesTypes of DataFrequency DistributionsSummary of Frequency DistributionsChapter SummaryApplying Your KnowledgeTest YourselfChapter 2 • Developing a Research Question and Understanding Research Reports: Where Research Questions Come FromDeveloping a Research QuestionHow to Conduct a Literature ReviewWhat You Find in a Literature ReviewUsing the Literature Review to Make HypothesesAPA-Style Article WritingOral PresentationsPoster PresentationsChapter SummaryApplying Your KnowledgeTest YourselfChapter 3 • Ethical Guidelines for Psychological ResearchHistorical Context for Ethical GuidelinesCurrent Ethical Guidelines for Human Participants ResearchInstitutional Review BoardsEthics in Reporting ResearchChapter SummaryApplying Your KnowledgeTest YourselfChapter 4 • Probability and SamplingProbability ConceptsSampling TechniquesDistribution of Sample Means IntroductionRecruiting ParticipantsUsing the Internet to SampleChapter SummaryApplying Your KnowledgeTest YourselfChapter 5 • How Psychologists Use the Scientific Method: Data Collection Techniques and Research DesignsData Collection TechniquesTypes of Research DesignsChapter SummaryApplying Your KnowledgeTest YourselfChapter 6 • Descriptive StatisticsCentral Tendency in DistributionsMeanMedianModeWhich Measure of Central Tendency Should I Use?Variability in DistributionsStandard DeviationDescriptive Statistics in GraphsAPA Style for Graphs and TablesChapter SummaryTest YourselfChapter 7 • Independent Variables and Validity in ResearchIndependent VariablesValidity and Sources of BiasChapter SummaryApplying Your KnowledgeTest YourselfChapter 8 • One-Factor ExperimentsManipulation of Independent VariablesControl in Within-Subjects and Between-Subjects ExperimentsExperiment ExamplesChapter SummaryApplying Your KnowledgeTest YourselfChapter 9 • Hypothesis-Testing LogicThe z Score TransformationThe Normal DistributionUsing the Normal Distribution to Determine the Probability of a Sample MeanUsing the Normal Distribution to Test HypothesesLogic of Hypothesis TestingTypes of Hypothesis-Testing ErrorsStatistical SignificanceChapter SummaryTest YourselfChapter 10 • t TestsThe t DistributionOne-Sample t TestConducting a One-Sample t Test Using SPSSOne-Sample t Test AssumptionsSamples With Related or Paired DataCalculating a Related or Paired Samples t TestConducting a Related or Paired Samples t Test Using SPSSPaired Samples t Test AssumptionsIndependent SamplesCalculating the Independent Samples t TestConducting an Independent Samples t Test Using SPSSIndependent Samples t Test AssumptionsChapter SummaryTest YourselfChapter 11 • One-Way Analysis of VarianceMore Than Two Independent SamplesCalculating the F Score in an Analysis of VarianceConducting a One-Way Between-Subjects Analysis of Variance Using SPSSTest AssumptionsChapter SummaryTest YourselfChapter 12 • Correlation Tests and Simple Linear RegressionCorrelation Versus CausationHypothesis Testing With Pearson rConducting a Pearson r Test Using SPSSRegression AnalysesNonlinear RelationshipsChapter SummaryTest YourselfChapter 13 • Chi-Square TestsParametric Versus Nonparametric TestsObserved Versus Expected FrequenciesCalculating a Chi-Square by HandCalculating a Chi-Square Test Using SPSSChapter SummaryTest YourselfChapter 14 • Multifactor ExperimentsFactorial DesignsMore About InteractionsExperiment ExamplesChapter SummaryApplying Your KnowledgeTest YourselfChapter 15 • Two-Way Analysis of VarianceFactorial DesignsCalculating a Two-Way Analysis of VarianceCalculating Two-Way Between-Subjects Analysis of Variance Using SPSSTest AssumptionsChapter SummaryTest YourselfChapter 16 • One-Way Within-Subjects Analysis of VarianceWithin-Subjects DesignsCalculating a Within-Subjects Analysis of VarianceCalculating One-Way Within-Subjects Analysis of Variance Using SPSSTest AssumptionsMore Complex Within-Subjects DesignsChapter SummaryTest YourselfAppendix A: Sample APA-Style Research ReportAppendix B: Answers to Stop and Think QuestionsAppendix C: Unit Normal Table (z Table)Appendix D: t Distribution TableAppendix E: F Distribution TableAppendix F: Pearson r Critical Values TableAppendix G: Chi Square Critical Values TableGlossaryReferencesIndex

"This text provides an introduction to the entire research process from the development of the research question to the analysis of data. There is a stepwise, methodical approach to each aspect of research design and analysis, which undergraduate students are likely to find approachable."