The role of and statistics in the field of psychology - Research Paper Example

The role of research and statistics in the field of psychology Definitions of research and scientific method: The concept of research has been defined differently by various authors and researchers, over the years. However one of the best definitions of research was the one put forward by Leedy (1997: 157) which states that "research is a process through which we attempt to achieve systematically and with the support of data the answer to a question, the resolution of a problem, or a greater understanding of a phenomenon.

" (cited in Ebersohn & Eloff, 2004: 355). The field of psychology assumed greater significance and came to be recognized as a science, post the use and application of scientific method within psychological studies. Research in the field of psychology entails a study of mental processes and behavior, which in turn can be observed through application of a scientific method. According to Nicholas (2009: 10) the term scientific method refers to "the principles that guide the researcher from developing research questions to collecting empirical evidence, to answering research questions".

Lundberg (1942) defines Scientific method as a method that "consists of systematic observation, classification and interpretation and data. The main difference between our day to day generalization and the conclusion usually recognized as scientific method lies in the degree of formality, rigorousness, verifiability and general validity of the latter".Comparison and contrast: Characteristics of Primary & Secondary dataPrimary data refers to data which is collected by the researcher by way of personal interviews, questionnaires and communicating personally with the respondent, while secondary data on the other hand, refers to data which already exists such as research reports, government reports, etc.

Some of the key sources of secondary data include government publications, foreign government publications, research journals, etc. Primary data is relatively more reliable as compared to secondary data since it is collected by the researcher him/herself through personal observations, while in case of secondary data the researcher mostly relies on the observations made by other researchers. With regard to cost, Primary sources of data collection are regarded to be relatively more expensive as compared to secondary data.

Furthermore collecting of information through primary sources requires more time, as compared to that of secondary data. The role of statistics in research:According to Healey (2011: 1) "Statistics are a set of mathematical techniques used by social scientists to organize and manipulate data for the purpose of answering questions and testing theories". The use of statistics in psychological research could prove be highly useful in case of interpreting data which is highly variable. Since the study of psychology involves studying of human behavior, the observations made tend to exhibit high degree of variability and fluctuations.

Measuring the same through statistical tests, provides the researcher with an opportunity to lend some stability to the data so collected, and derive meaningful conclusions from their study. Statistical tests entail calculations which help in estimating the extent of random variability in measuring a given situation. These estimates in turn can be used as a standard of comparison, whereby the behavior / result of experimental and control groups can be measured, compared and verified, on the basis of random variability (Levine & Parkinson, 1994).

References:Ebersohn, L., Eloff, I., (2004). Keys to educational pyschology. University of Cape Town Press.Healey, J. F., (2011). Statistics: A tool for social research. Cengage Learning PublicationLevine, G., Parkinson, S., (1994). Experimental methods in psychology. Routledge Publication pp. 90-91Lundberg, G. A., (1942). Social research: A study in methods of gathering data. Logmans, Green and Co., Publishers.Nicholas, L., (2009). Introduction to psychology. Juta Academic Press.