The Research Experience

Dr. Devlin is a published author with more than three decades of academic and research experience. During her more than 35 years as a faculty member at Connecticut College, she has taught courses in research methods, environmental psychology, cognitive psychology, industrial and organizational psychology, and a host of related seminars. She also established and frequently serves as chair or member of the Connecticut College Human Subjects Institutional Review Board (IRB). In those roles, she has reviewed more than 800 student research proposals as well as those of faculty and staff. With this experience, she is familiar with a wide range of research topics and research designs.Dr. Devlin has published four books, the most recent of which is Transforming the Doctor’s Office: Principles from Evidence-based Design (2015). Her third book, What Americans Build and Why: Psychological Perspectives (2010) focused on five facility types: residential, educational, medical, retail, and office. In addition, she has published numerous research articles in such journals as Environment and Behavior (SAGE), Journal of Environmental Psychology, Journal of Applied Social Psychology, Professional Psychology: Research & Practice, and Journal of Counseling Psychology.

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorIntroductionChapter 1 Research, Biases in Thinking, and the Role of TheoriesWhy Research MattersThe Research Process: Humans Make PredictionsHeuristics and the Work of Kahneman and TverskyOther Problems in ThinkingDoing Science as Tradition and InnovationResearch and the Value of Common SenseFlexibility in ThinkingTheories: What They Are and Why They MatterWays in Which Theories May Differ: Scope and ParsimonyMaking a Connection Between a Theory and a Good Research QuestionSummaryPractice QuizBuild Your SkillsChapter 2 Generating and Shaping Ideas: Tradition and InnovationOverviewIdeas: Information Services, aka The LibraryIdeas: Searching Effectively in the LibraryElectronic Resources and KeywordsKeywords: The “Key” to SuccessPsycINFOOther Databases and Indexes in the Social SciencesThe Web and Peer ReviewParticular Kinds of ArticlesHow Journals Differ: Issues Related to QualityOpen Access and Predatory PublishersPublication Practices of JournalsJournal Articles Versus Book ChaptersPhysically Obtaining an Article: A Closer Look at DatabasesSummary of the Article Locator Search ProcessInterlibrary Loan (ILL) Systems and World Catalog (WorldCat)What to Do With Your Articles (Read More Than the Abstract!)The IntroductionThe Method SectionThe Results SectionThe Discussion Section: Conflicts and GapsKeeping Track: ILL, Mendeley, and RefWorksConfounding or Third Variables: Refining the Research Question and Closing the Research GapTime Pressure and TimelinesAcademic Fraud and Steps Toward TransparencySummaryPractice QuizBuild Your SkillsChapter 3 Research Design Approaches and Issues: An OverviewOverviewResearch Quality Affects Research AnswersWhat Research Can Tell You: The Continuum of CertaintyCorrelation Versus CausationWhy Conduct Correlational Research?The Language of Correlation and CausationCorrelational Research Approaches: Correlational and Quasi-ExperimentalHallmarks of True Experimental ApproachesDifferentiation of Independent and Dependent VariablesReframing a Research IdeaType I Versus Type II ErrorType II Errors: Sample Size, Power, and Effect SizeInternal ValidityBehavior of the Experimenter and Demand CharacteristicsBehavior of the Participant: Role AttitudeSingle- and Double-Blind Approaches to ResearchCover StoriesPilot Tests and Manipulation ChecksSummary of Additional Threats to Internal ValidityExternal Validity and Ecological ValidityWhere Research Takes PlaceWhere Qualitative Research Takes PlaceSummaryPractice QuizBuild Your SkillsChapter 4 Ethics and the Institutional Review Board (IRB) ProcessOverviewWhat Is the IRB, and Why Does It Exist?History of Ethical OversightThe APA Code of EthicsWhat Is Research? What Are Human Subjects?What Kinds of Projects Do Not Require IRB Review?IRB Duties, Membership, and Levels of IRB ReviewDeceptionComponents of the IRB ProposalInformed ConsentReasonable Person StandardDebriefingChildren as a Vulnerable Population: Implications for ResearchEthics and Student Participation in Research: Alternatives to the Participant PoolOffering Incentives in Research: Are Incentives Coercive?The IRB Training ModulesSummaryPractice QuizBuild Your SkillsChapter 5 Measurement: Qualities of MeasuresOverviewThe Concept of Measurement: Ideal Versus RealThe Purpose of MeasuresMeasurement Scale TypesSensitivity of a Scale and Anchor ValuesThe Process of Identifying Measures: The LiteratureDatabases of Tests (PsycTESTS and HaPI)Books of MeasuresDepartment Resources and ProfessorsCatalogues of Measures and Fees ChargedQualities of Measures: Reliability and ValidityThe Importance of Computing Your Own Cronbach’s AlphaLength and Difficulty of MeasuresInstructions for ScoringNames of Measures and Social Desirability ConcernsQualifications for UseSummaryPractice QuizBuild Your SkillsChapter 6 Surveys: Developing Measures and ItemsOverviewDeveloping Your Own InstrumentScale Types and Flexibility in Answering Research QuestionsThe Order of Questions in a SurveyOnline Survey Software ToolsFeatures of Online Survey Software ProgramsProgram FeaturesGoogle Docs FormsDownloading Online Surveys Into SPSSSurvey AppearanceA Few Final Cautions (and Encouragements) About Online Survey SoftwareSummaryPractice QuizBuild Your SkillsChapter 7 Correlational Research and Specialized Nonexperimental DesignsOverviewCorrelational Research: General CharacteristicsWhat Correlational Data Can Tell UsConsiderations of Internal and External Validity in Correlational ResearchDrawbacks to Correlational ApproachesCorrelational Design: Quasi-Experimental Design (i.e., Questions About Groups)Statistics Used in Correlational DesignsFactor Analysis: Data Reduction for Correlations Among Multiple VariablesSpecialized Nonexperimental DesignsTime-Series and Interrupted Time-Series DesignsStrengths and Weaknesses of This ApproachWhen Is This Approach Used?Real-World Challenges: Postoccupancy Evaluation (POE)Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional DesignsAdvantages and Disadvantages of the Longitudinal ApproachAdvantages and Disadvantages of the Cross-Sectional ApproachCohort-Sequential DesignAdvantages of Using Multiple MethodsSummaryPractice QuizBuild Your SkillsChapter 8 Qualitative ResearchOverviewQualitative ResearchQualitative Research and the Concept of ReflexivityAcceptance of Qualitative Methodology in the Social and Behavioral SciencesQualitative Approaches to ResearchHow to Capture Behavior: Behavioral CategoriesHow Often and How Long to ObserveCalculation of Inter-rater Reliability (IRR)Acceptable Values for Inter-rater AgreementParticipant and Nonparticipant Observation and Overt/Covert ObservationEthnography: Extended ObservationIssues in Ethnography: Gaining AccessInitial Ethnographic ToursPreserving InformationGrounded TheoryPhenomenologyFocus GroupsInterviews: Degrees of StructureRecording or NotCase Studies and Case HistoriesWhere Qualitative Meets Quantitative: Content AnalysisSummary of Steps in a Content AnalysisComputer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS)Qualitative Research and the Emotional Self: A Final ConsiderationSummaryPractice QuizBuild Your SkillsChapter 9 Experimental Research: Between-Subjects Designs: Conceptual and Practical ConsiderationsOverviewBetween-Subjects Designs: What Are They?Characteristics of Between-Subjects Designs: Advantages and DisadvantagesNomenclature Surrounding IVsSensitivity of IVMore on Power, Sample Size, and Power CalculationsNumber of IVs and Interaction EffectsEvaluating an Interaction by HandCommon Types of Between-Subjects DesignMatched Group DesignMultiple ComparisonsHandling Error VarianceSummary of Between-Subjects Design ConsiderationsMultiple Dependent Variables (DVs) in a Research DesignPractical Considerations: Finding and Creating IVs (Scenarios, Visual Images, Movie Clips, Auditory Clips)Existing Literature: Method SectionVisual Images: Manipulating an ImageSummaryPractice QuizBuild Your SkillsProject Update FormChapter 10 Experimental Research: Within-Subjects Mixed , and Pre–Post Designs: Conceptual and Practical ConsiderationsOverviewCharacteristics of Within-Subjects Design: Advantages and DisadvantagesTypes of Research Questions More Commonly Asked in Within-Subjects DesignsCounterbalancingABBA OrderBlock RandomizationSimple and Complex Within-Subjects DesignsAdding Complexity to Within-Subjects DesignsMixed DesignsPre–Post Designs: CharacteristicsTypes of Pre–Post DesignsSummaryPractice QuizBuild Your SkillsChapter 11 Recruiting ParticipantsOverviewWho Participates in Research: An OverviewThe Participant Pool: The Workhorse of Social Science ResearchThe Drawbacks to Participant Pools: Concerns About Internal ValidityLimits on the Number of Participants Available From Unpaid Participant PoolsKeeping Track of Participants: Online Participant Management SystemsPractical Issues in Communicating About RecruitingResearch on Sensitive Topics and the Role of the IRBRecruiting Off CampusUsing Your Personal ConnectionsUsing Your Institution’s ConnectionsBureaucracyVulnerable Populations in the CommunityPhysical Security Issues in Conducting Research Off CampusService Learning Courses and Recruiting Participants: Opportunities and ComplicationsConflicts of Interest and Multiple RelationshipsDustin’s Dozen: Tips for Collecting Data in the FieldIdentifying InformationOther Sources of Participants: The Online ApproachOnline Use of Adverts (Advertisements) Versus Snowball SamplesEthical Issues in Online Environments: The Facebook Emotional Contagion StudySamplingNonresponse Bias and Threats to Internal ValidityNonresponse and Nonresponse BiasResponse Rates and Reporting ThemIncentives: Practical IssuesAmazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk): The World AwaitsQuestions of Validity in Using Amazon MTurkGoogle Consumer SurveysOnline Paid PanelsSummaryPractice QuizBuild Your SkillsChapter 12 Organizing Data and Analyzing ResultsOverviewPaper and Online Surveys: An OverviewThe Importance of LabelingLabeling in a Data File and Deciding on a Coding SystemOther Labeling RecommendationsLabeling Issues in Online Survey SoftwareEntering Individual Items Versus Item TotalsBacking Up DataDealing With Missing Data: Differing Points of ViewReplacing Missing Data Through Single Value ImputationSome Recommendations for Missing DataIdentifying Missing DataHandling Out-of-Range ValuesHandling OutliersManipulation ChecksGoing Fishing and Other Data Dredging PracticesEthics, Cleaning Up, and Reporting Your Data: Final CommentsPreliminary AnalysesSignificance Levels and p Values: What Are They?Transforming and Selecting Data: Useful Commands in SPSSSummary of Data Organization StepsEvaluating Your Hypotheses: Where to BeginMaking Use of Free Response ItemsAdditional Aids: Online Calculators and Word CloudsOther Statistical SoftwareSummaryPractice QuizBuild Your SkillsChapter 13 Writing and Presenting Your ResearchOverviewWriting: One Section at a TimeWriting: Avoiding PlagiarismWriting: Bias-Free LanguageThe Writing Itself: Clear and SimpleThe “Shape” of Your PaperTitle Page, Authorship, and Author NoteThe Title of the Paper and Its ImportanceThe AbstractThe Introduction: ContentThe Method SectionWriting About ResultsDiscussionNonsignificant Results: What Can You Say?Statistical Versus Practical SignificanceGeneral Formatting Issues: Mastering APA StylePresenting Numbers: The Short StoryCommon Grammatical MistakesCreating Conference PresentationsSummaryPractice QuizBuild Your SkillsHighly Recommended PapersAppendicesGlossaryReferences

"The material reflects current thinking in the field…This textbook does a very thoughtful job of organizing [tables and figures]. [A majority of my students are visual learners]…having all of the tables and figures is greatly appreciated…The focus on presentations and presenting the research is very helpful.""[This] textbook is very copious and thoughtful, without being overwhelming or patronizing…this textbook has a really nice balance and is comfortable to read. Additionally, the figures/tables are very helpful and are great for all learners, especially visual learners."