ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the reader to research methods in psychology. Since psychology is ultimately about the scientific study of behaviour, it is necessary to consider what methodological tools are used in order to gain a fuller understanding of that behaviour. The idea is to gauge what effect the manipulation or treatment has had on the participants' psychological state or behaviour. Sampling refers to the selection of a group of participants from a wider population. Since no researcher is likely to have access to all the people in a given population, they must rely on a sample of participants from the wider population. Qualitative research is best suited for situations where the phenomenon under study does not lend itself easily to quantitative methodologies. On a Bachelor of Science (BSc) psychology degree course, research methods, and associated analysis, comprise a large component of the course, culminating, on most degree courses, in a large-scale, final-year research project.
