A Guide to 10 Research Methods in Psychology (With Tips)

Psychology is the study of human behavior and mental processes. It's a social science that examines people's thoughts, feelings and behaviors using various approaches to evaluation. Experimental and clinical psychologists use various research methods in psychology to develop therapy treatment plans, set outcome goals and apply behavioral strategies.

In this article, we explore who uses research in psychology and 10 research methods in psychology you can use to better evaluate your mental health patients.

Key takeaways:

Research methods in psychology are strategies, processes or techniques psychologists use to collect data or evidence in order to investigate research questions.

Research methods are generally divided into two categories: quantitative or qualitative. Quantitative research focuses on using numbers and statistics to answer questions about what is happening in a group and to what degree, and qualitative methods aim to describe events while digging deeper into the reasons behind why something is happening.

Common research methods in psychology include surveys, case studies, experimental studies, content analysis, meta-analysis, correlational research, quasi-experiments, naturalistic observation, structured observation and neuroimaging.

10 research methods in psychology

Research methods in psychology can have a quantitative or qualitative context, and they can focus on how people perceive the world, process information, make decisions and react to stimuli. Quantitative research methods use numbers and statistical techniques to make conclusions about a population. Qualitative-based research

methods in psychology use nonstatistical techniques to learn about the experiences of the individuals and communities they study.

If your profession focuses on psychological treatment and therapy, consider the following research methods to develop treatment plans more effectively:

1. Surveys

Psychologists often use surveys to study the prevalence and causes of mental health disorders. Survey research can be quantitative or qualitative, and researchers often use random selection techniques when choosing and surveying sample groups of patients.

Random selection helps you select a sample that's representative of the population and can produce more reliable results for analysis. Survey data can also help you understand human behavior, which can help you implement treatment strategies.

2. Case study

Case studies are in-depth investigations of a single person, group, event or community. Case study research methodology is a kind of qualitative method. Psychologists can conduct case study research on patients to better understand their behavior and mental health. Having a detailed understanding of a patient's mental illness can help you treat the patient more effectively, and case study research allows psychologists to interview patients and observe their behavior extensively over a specific period.

Professionals in other industries like finance, sales and advertising may also use case studies to better understand consumers' investing and purchasing behavior to identify the financial services or advertising techniques to apply to engage potential customers.

Related: Stratified Random Sampling: Definition, Method and Example

3. Experimental study

Experimental studies can help psychologists determine whether a causal relationship exists between two variables, such as a patient's behavior and mental health. Experimental research

is a kind of quantitative method.

Psychologists may use experimental studies to test whether a change in one independent variable affects a dependent variable. This can allow the psychologist to measure how altering one condition affects human behavior or performance.

For instance, psychologists may perform experimental studies to determine the external causes of a community's patterns of behavior. These studies can also be useful in other applications, such as sales psychology, in order to better understand collective human behavior as it applies to various causes and effects.

Tip: A causal relationship between variables is when one variable causes a change in another variable. This is also referred to as cause and effect. For example, smoking causes an increased risk of developing lung cancer.

4. Content analysis

Content analysis involves analyzing text-based data to identify patterns, meanings and themes within a patients' written communication

styles. Content analysis research can be quantitative or qualitative. Clinical psychologists can conduct a content analysis on any form of text, including:

Full transcripts of patient interviews or monologues

Business emails

Hand-written letters

This research method can help you develop optimal psychological treatments by closely analyzing the patient's word usage and speech patterns. Additionally, content analysis is an effective tool for many forensic psychologists

working to solve behavioral problems, criminal cases and severe mental health issues.

Related: Document Analysis Guide: Definition and How To Perform It

5. Meta-analysis

Meta-analysis is a quantitative research method that reviews the results from published studies on the same question and combines multiple research findings into an overall collection of data. Psychologists can conduct a meta-analysis by searching library databases for all published studies on a single topic and gathering the research into a collective summary.

By synthesizing multiple related inquiries into a single research document, psychologists can create an accessible resource that provides a collective analysis of past and current research. Therefore, meta-analysis can lead to recommendations for future research to help advance areas of psychology.

Related: 7 Critical Skills for a Career in Clinical Psychology

6. Correlational research

Correlational research is a nonexperimental research method that measures two variables and assesses the relationship (correlation) between them. This quantitative research method involves observing two variables that don't change and analyzing whether there is a correlation between the variables, such as scores on two different personality tests. In this case, the score on the first personality test may relate to the score on the second test, since both assessments evaluate personality type

While correlational research can help you identify relationships between two events, traits or behaviors, this method doesn't account for any causal relationships between the variables you study. Therefore, many researchers may also use causal research along with correlational studies to better form conclusions about their work.

Tip: Correlation measures the size and direction of a relationship between variables. Correlation does not equal causation. For example, smoking can be correlated with alcoholism, but it does not cause alcoholism.

Related: Correlation vs. Causation: Understanding the Difference

7. Quasi-experiment

A quasi-experiment is similar to a traditional experiment, however, the researchers do not randomly assign participants to experimental groups. This type of quantitative research method supports research where psychologists may be interested more in an independent variable that can't be random, such as an innate quality that participants have.

For example, you might use a quasi-experiment to study participants who have identifiable mental health traits, since these traits are not random and therefore cannot assign participants to study groups randomly.

8. Naturalistic observation

Naturalistic observation is a qualitative research method psychologists apply to study patients' behavior when patients are in their natural environments. Naturalistic observation is an effective method for studying how people interact and behave while they are in their habitual surroundings, such as shopping in a retail store, traveling on public transportation or taking care of errands for their households.

This research method is also useful for making conclusions about populations that can lead to future research to support innovation in psychology, healthcare and even in technology, sales and business.

Related: 7 Types of Observational Studies (With Examples)

9. Structured observation

Structured observation is a qualitative observational research method that evaluates human behavior in a more structured environment, such as observing people in a laboratory setting during voluntary psychological studies. Psychologists might observe participants in structured settings in order to better understand specific behaviors.

Many clinical and medical research studies use structured observation methods to better control variables in experiments and ensure higher accuracy when analyzing results. For instance, psychologists might use structured observation to understand how a new behavioral therapy or medication affects patients' behaviors and use the results to modify or improve treatment methods.

10. Neuroimaging

Neuroimaging is a technology that scans the human brain and can serve as a type of quantitative research method. Neuroimaging tools like computerized tomography (CT) scans or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can allow research psychologists to map the complex functions in the brain and characterize these functions according to specific neural processes, such as the process of tasting foods or feeling emotions.

Because of the ability to observe the activity of the brain, neuroimaging can help you better understand how this activity may affect thoughts, emotions and behavior.

Related: 7 Careers in Neuropsychology

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Tips for conducting effective research

When conducting psychological research, consider the following helpful tips:

Maintain research ethics: When performing research in psychology, it's important to ensure teams and participants in studies are knowledgeable of and understand procedures, policies and any confidentiality agreements regarding the research.

Apply the scientific method

: Following the scientific method each time you perform your research can help you better organize your data collection and analysis processes, which can ensure the accuracy of your results.

Report your findings: Sharing your research, theories and analysis results with the scientific community can encourage collaboration and networking and also help you establish a reputation and authority in your field.

Frequently asked questions

What are research methods in psychology?

Research methods in psychology are the strategies, techniques and processes that psychologists use to scientifically investigate research questions. Various research methods use different tools to collect data in order to uncover new information or test hypotheses.

What are the main categories of research methods in psychology?

The two main categories of research methods in psychology are quantitative and qualitative. Mixed methods research integrates both qualitative and quantitative research.

Quantitative research is a data collection method that uses numeric data to study social, psychological, political and economic issues. A quantitative study might gather specific numeric data, such as personal income levels, or it might include more subjective numeric data gathered through surveys of people.

Qualitative research gathers data about lived experiences, emotions or behaviors, and the meanings individuals attach to them. It assists in enabling researchers to gain a better understanding of complex concepts, social interactions or cultural phenomena. This type of research is useful in the exploration of how or why things have occurred, interpreting events and describing actions.

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