Five Research Methods (Alia Youssef)

Experimental Technique

Def.: examination in seeking facts or principles

E.g.: An investigator wants to evaluate whether a new technique to teach math to elementary school students is more effective than the standard teaching method.

Correlation

Def.: relationship between two variables

E.g.: There is a positive correlation between suicide and depression.

Naturalistic

Def.: observing subjects in their natural environment, no intervention.

E.g.: studying the differences in risk taking behavior between boys and girls by observing them in different settings.

Case Study

Def.: descriptive & in-depth study about a person, group or event.

E.g.: conducting a study to investigate the musical abilities of an individual with an exceptional ability to write songs.

Surveys

Def.: gathering information & data from individuals (inspecting)

E.g.: gathering people's opinions about "sushi"

Weakness: causation cannot be determined

Strength: generates qualitative & quantitative data for specific needs.

Strength: no manipulation

Weakness: results lack generalizability

Strength: demonstrate cause & effect

Weakness: possibility of research bias.

Strength: detailed allowing greater insight.

Weakness: costly & time consuming

Weakness: time consuming & difficult.

Strength: no manipulation due to ethical concerns.