Research Design - Formulating the Research Problem
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Transcript of Research Design - Formulating the Research Problem
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Formulating the research question 1
Research design formulating the researchproblem
Chapter 4 in Babbie & Mouton (2001)
How to pose proper scientific questions
The logic of the research process
The research process
O/head p. 98
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Formulating the research question 2
Research design and researchmethodology
Designa plan or structured framework of howyou intend to conduct the research
"A strategic framework for action that serves as
a bridge between research questions and theexecution or implementation of the research"
Methodologyrefers to the methods,techniques, and procedures that are employedin implementing your research plan (design)
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Formulating the research question 3
Purposes of research
Exploration
Description
Explanation
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Formulating the research question 4
Exploration
To develop an initial, rough understandingof a phenomenon
Methods:
literature reviews
Interviews
case studies
key informants
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Formulating the research question 5
Description
Precise measurement and reporting of thecharacteristics of the population orphenomenon
What is the case?
What is the nature of the relationship?
Methods: census, surveys, qualitativestudies NOTE: a sidestep to correlational studies
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Formulating the research question 6
Correlation
See Chapter 2 in Weiten, for a quick review
Correlation: the degree of relationshipbetween two variables, A and B
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Formulating the research question 7
Direction of correlation:
When A has a high value, B has a high value; when A has a lowvalue, B has a low value = a positive correlation.
E.g. the relationship between the amount smoked and theprobability of heart disease
When A has a high value, B has a low value; when A has a lowvalue, B has a high value = a negative correlation.
E.g.: Durkheim: the more socially integrated a society is, thelower the incidence of suicide in that society (p. 23 in Babbieand Mouton). Or: amount of daily exercise and probability of
heart disease. Also NO correlation = when two variables do not co-occur (see
causation). E.g. studying Psychology and the probability of heartdisease.
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Formulating the research question 8
Explanation
WhyIs x the case? or Is x therelationship?
Methods
experimental NOTE: a sidestep to causation
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Formulating the research question 9
Cause
Three requirements:
Cause precedes effect
A cause co-occurs with the effect
The third variable problem
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Formulating the research question 10
Cause and correlation
Cause precedes effect
p. 83, Babbie and Mouton, smoking marijuanaand academic performance
Co-occurrence
Correlational research only tells you two ifvariables happen together
A cause always co-occurs with an effect(Drinking a lot of alcohol) and (feeling light-headed and throwing up) co-occur becausedrinking alcohol causes drunkenness
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Formulating the research question 11
Cause and correlation
BUT: non-causally related events can also co-occur!
(The ANC wins the 2004 election) and (Dave obtainsdistinctions in his first semester courses in 2004)
ALSO: Very few perfect correlations in theprobabilistic world of social explanations Two non-causally related events/variables can co-
occur because they are both related to somethingelsethe third variable p. 83, Babbie and Mouton, smoking marijuana, academic
performance, and emotional problems Does watching a lot of violent programmes on TV, or playing
violent video games, cause children to behave moreaggressively in preschool?
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Formulating the research question 12
Causality:
AcausesB if and only if
A exists then B exists
A does not exist, then B does not exist
Correlational studies test only If A exists thenB exists
To test for causality, it is generally considered
that we need a different type of design: anexperimental design. To be discussed under
Types of design.
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Formulating the research question13
Some decisions about designs
The purpose of your study (exploration, description,explanation)
This will impact on your decision about the type ofdesign you will need
The unit of analysis
What are you talking about?
Individuals? Groups? Organizations? Social actions?
The time dimension Is the study longitudinal (follow people over a long
period of time) or cross-sectional (a snapshot intime)?
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Formulating the research question14
Some decisions about designs
Examples See Weiten p. 434, on the long-term stability of temperament
and personality: is a child's temperament at ten a predictor ofhis/her temperament at ten?
Those of you doing Developmental Psychology (PSY209F), lookat Chapter 1 in Sigelman & Rider
Also distinguish between trend, cohort and panel studies
Trend studies: changes in a population over time
Cohort studies: changes in relatively specific sub-populations(cohorts) as they change over time
Panel studies: examine the same set of people over time.
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Formulating the research question 15
Conclusion
These decisions affect the conclusions that can bedrawn. Hence careful consideration of them PRIORto the studys commencement.
We want our research to be VALID: truth, rationality,objectivity. A study has validity when it has thecapacity to study what it aims to study e.g. one thatclaims to study intelligence must have some measureof intelligence in it.
A study with poor validity is powerless.
Different types of research design have differentthreats to validity.