PSYC 2001 Lecture 13: Descriptive Research - Oct 15, 2015
20 Oct 2015
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Last lecture, referred to a continuum of validity that all research techniques can be sorted into. In following lectures, keep in mind connection b/w each research method & that classification technique. Experimental: highest degree of control, confounds limited, meaningful conclusions can be drawn. Quasi-experimental: moderate control over variables, confounds present, can cautious interpret results. Non-experimental: no control, many potential confounds, difficult to generalize results. Descriptive research, surveys & case studies typically considered non-experimental designs. Only seeks to describe characteristics & behaviour of a given sample population or individual. Unlike experimental & quasi-experimental research, descriptive studies don"t necessarily test hypotheses. Types of descriptive studies: archival, observational, survey research, case studies. In archival research, researchers analyze data pulled from existing records (shaughnessy, Census data: court records, personal letters. Newspaper reports: magazine articles, government documents. In combo w/ other methods, archival research can be used to test hypotheses w/ emphasis on external validity.
