Part 2: Research Methods (continued)

Types of Research

Whether one utilizes self-report or observational methods for their data collection, both can be utilized in research designs. But before we get into research designs, let's first provide an overview of the different broad types of research. Basic research is knowledge for the sake of knowledge. A person has a question about something and finds out the “why” behind it. Your most typical example of this is an academic researcher such as most of the social psychologists at research universities. They are interested in the abstract ideas and theories, not necessarily the applications of those ideas. This isn't to say that their findings have no applied value, but this isn't the purpose behind the research. Applied research, on the other hand, has an explicit focus on solving practical problems in the world, sometimes without any theoretical basis. This type of research is often done in government, private corporations, small businesses and anywhere else the scientific method can be used to enhance decision making. For instance, an applied researcher in a big business might collect information about employee behaviors to improve the effectiveness of a training program. Both rely on empirical data, but the use of that data is very different. Basic researchers publish their results in academic journals and books for use by other researchers and their general interest on the topic, while applied researchers may or may not publish their work and instead focus on the results’ use to solve problems. The dichotomy between the two types is a bit forced though. In reality the two often go hand in hand or complement one another. For instance, applied researchers may look at the basic research to gain a full grasp of the reason behind behavior before trying to implement a solution in their situation. Or the opposite may happen; a basic researcher may see a practical problem as an interesting topic and start a lab study based on that problem. Or (and this is very often the case in applied social psychology) a basic and applied researcher will team up to get the best of both worlds.

Practically speaking, both basic and applied research take many forms and we will review some of the major types here briefly as you most likely have gone over these in your introduction to social psychology course or another course. The major types include; quantitative (most typically represented by self-reports and observational methods such as experiments) and qualitative (most typically represented by open-ended interviews and clinical case studies). Quantitative methods include collecting empirical data that typically comes in the form of objective data. That is, data that is not open to much interpretation; in other words, the numbers speak for themselves. Qualitative research methods on the other hand are not necessarily numbers based and tend to be more subjective or open to interpretation but often provide very detailed information about a topic. Quantitative methods are favored by researchers who want to know overall trends and gain the best explanation for all situations (i.e. the explanation is generalizable). Qualitative methods are favored by researchers looking for a solution to an individual’s problem or are looking to explain a very unique situation. In general, quantitative methods are preferable to applied social psychologists as they are looking to explain human behavior in group situations and are looking for an explanation that will carry over for all people. Qualitative methods tend to be favored by clinicians or counselors as they aid in helping that research solve an individual client’s issues.