Psychology is an official science, which means that it has all the tools, apparatus, mechanisms that are characteristic of any other discipline that studies a certain area and region of the world. Research methods used in psychology are aimed at obtaining objective databases for assessing the processes occurring in the human psyche. Based on the information obtained in this way, it is possible to consult the client, carry out a correction, plan which option of work in this case will be the most effective.
General information
Methods of research of human psychology are aimed at analyzing the processes occurring "inside". They are distinguished by a rather complex nature, which means that only a patient, attentive psychologist can achieve success in work. Manifestations of mental processes are quite different from case to case. Much depends on external circumstances, internal factors influencing the current situation. The task of the psychologistidentify them all, evaluate them, determine the degree of influence and what character it has.
Research methods in general psychology differ in the goals pursued, the tasks being solved, the objects being studied. They consider various situations that "frame" a particular case. The responsibility of the psychiatrist is to choose not only the correct and relevant method of study, but also a good way to fix the results of the study.
Where to start?
The simplest research method used in psychology is observation. Possible short-term monitoring of the situation. In this case, the received information is called a slice. If the time interval is quite long, such an observation is called longitudinal. In this case, studying the situation takes years.
Possible continuous or selective observation. In the second case, an individual or some quantitative parameters, indicators that describe its state, acts as an object. The psychologist responsible for the process may be one of the members of the research team. In this situation, one speaks of included observation.
Harder but more interesting
Educational psychology uses conversation as a research method. Let's apply this approach to other areas of psychological science. Good results can be achieved only when the specialist was able to create a trusting relationship with the patient, to establish an atmosphere in which all parties are interested in a constructive solution to the problem. Communicating with the clientthe doctor gets the opportunity to learn everything about his opinions, views, image and features of everyday life, activities. This method of scientific research in psychology requires asking questions, answering them and actively discussing the chosen topic. A constructive dialogue is required, in which both sides are active - both the psychologist and his client. One of the subtypes of the conversation is questioning, interviewing.
Considering the main methods of research in psychology, it is necessary to pay attention to the experiment as one of the basic approaches. The main task of such an interaction strategy is to formulate a certain fact and confirm its existence or refute it. One of the methods of setting up an experiment is to conduct it in natural relative to experimental conditions, that is, a person should not even guess what is the object of research. The alternative is the laboratory. In this case, the psychologist resorts to auxiliary methods, instructs the client, uses equipment, prepares a space in which it will be convenient to work. The client is aware of the purpose for which he is undergoing the experiment, but does not know about the final meaning of the event.
Q&A
The main methods of research in psychology include testing. The approach is used quite often and gives good results. Diagnosis is carried out using methods, tests, the main task of which is to determine personal indicators, properties. As part of such a study, it is possible to analyze the quality of the client’s memory and his volitional abilities, the development of the emotional sphere, attentiveness,the ability to think. The level of intelligence development is assessed.
This method of research in psychology requires a pre-formulated task. It is issued to the client for execution in accordance with the instructions received from the doctor. The task of the psychologist is to check the results, evaluate them and formulate adequate conclusions. The complexity of testing in psychology is in the selection of suitable tests. It is necessary to resort only to proven programs, the accuracy of which has been proven by prominent scientific experts. Most often, testing is resorted to when it is necessary to assess the development of intelligence and the degree of progress of aspects of the personality.
Simple and complex: there are different approaches
A well-established method of researching child psychology is to study the product of the patient's activity. It requires minimal time, and the correct analysis of the results allows you to obtain comprehensive information about the client's condition. More often, the approach is used in working with children, although there are no age restrictions - it can be resorted to when interacting with adult patients. The psychologist works with crafts, drawings, diaries, notebooks of the person under study. This allows you to assess the level of development, preferences, specific aspects of character and other features that are significant for the development of the course.
Somewhat more complex research method in psychology is modeling. The main idea is the reconstruction of behavioral patterns inherent in a particular person. Due to serious restrictions andthe complexity of its application, it is far from always possible to achieve accurate results.
Another curious research method in psychology is the biographical one. Its essence is in shaping the life path of a person who came to a session with a psychologist. The doctor's task is to identify those turning points that influenced the personality, as well as the experienced crises and changes. The doctor must understand how the client's behavior changed in different periods, eras of life. Based on the information received, a graph is formed that reflects everything lived. It is used to predict the future. From the graph, you can understand in what periods of life the "I" of a person was formed, which were associated with the influence of destructive factors.
Some Features
Observation as a method of research in psychology is perhaps the most famous. This is one of the oldest methods - only self-observation can be compared with it in terms of duration of application. Research is conducted without experimentation, conducted to achieve a predetermined goal, and the psychologist is responsible for recording how the subject behaves.
As part of the observations, specialists collect the most voluminous databases about the client. This is an empirical research method in psychology that allows you to control the physiology, behavioral reactions of the client. It is believed that observation provides the best results when they are just starting to work on a problem, identifying holistic, qualitative indicators of the processes to be analyzed. Observation acts as the main research method if, in the course ofcontrol over the state of an object, one can not only describe what is happening externally, but also explain the nature of the processes, observed events.
Sometimes observation is used as an independent research method in psychology, but more often it is used as an element of an integrated approach. Observation becomes one of the stages of the experiment. The task of the psychologist is to monitor the response of the subject to the task or its result. In the course of such observation, the specialist receives quite important information about the state of the person.
Key features of surveillance
This method of psychological research in psychology has several distinctive features that make it possible to distinguish between the study of an object and a person's simple perception of what is happening around him. The first and most important aspect is the purposefulness of monitoring the situation. The attention of the researcher is fixed to the selected objects, and the description of the observed occurs with the involvement of psychological concepts, theories of pedagogy. The specialist resorts to the terminology, concepts of these sciences, deciphering the observed phenomena and actions.
If you look at the classification of research methods in psychology, you will notice that observation is classified as an analytical approach. The task of the researcher is to analyze the picture as a whole, to determine its inherent connections and features. It is they who will need to be evaluated and studied, to find an explanation for them, necessary for further elaboration of the course of interaction with the object.
For the observation result to be applicableFor further work, it is necessary to carry out the event in a comprehensive manner. The process of observation belongs to mixed, has the features of both social and pedagogical, which means that the task of the researcher is to track all the important features, sides.
Finally, this method of psychological research in psychology obliges to carry out the work systematically. It is unlikely that there will be much benefit from a one-time control over the state of an object. The best option is prolonged work to determine significant statistical phenomena, relationships. The researcher reveals how the indicators of the object of observation change, how the client develops.
Observation: How does it work?
In practice, this method of developmental research in psychology involves a consistent choice of the object that the specialist will observe. Perhaps it will be a group of people or some situation, the progress of which needs to be monitored. Further, tasks and goals are formulated, based on which, you can choose the optimal method of observation, recording information. The task of the specialist conducting the study is to understand how the processing of the results will be as accurate as possible with a minimum of effort expended.
Having decided on all the starting positions, you can begin to form a plan. To do this, all connections and sequences that reflect the object, its behavior in situations, and the development of the process in a time perspective are recorded. Then the researcher prepares equipment, documentation to accompany the process, collects data and proceeds to their analysis. The results of the work must be drawn up, made fromtheir conclusions: practical, theoretical.
Observation is a method of studying development in psychology, which allows choosing not only a certain person, but certain aspects of his behavior (non-verbal, verbal) as an object of observation. You can analyze, for example, how a person speaks: how consistent words are, phrases are long, expressive, intense. The psychologist analyzes the content of what was said. Also, the objects of observation can be:
- expression of eyes, faces;
- body postures;
- movements to express emotional status;
- movement in general;
- physical contacts.
Features and Features
For the considered method of research in psychology, the characteristic includes assignment to a certain type. To do this, it is necessary to identify the features characteristic of a particular case. So, based on temporal parameters, it is possible to divide all situations into discrete, continuous. This means that the observer tracks the object for some time at specified intervals, or works with it constantly.
Based on the volume of contact, observation can be divided into continuous and selective. In the first case, you need to pay attention to all behavioral aspects that can be monitored. Highly specialized - a format when a list of phenomena or aspects of a phenomenon that needs to be controlled is determined in advance. This allows you to evaluate the types of acts of behavior, the parameters of how the object behaves.
Watching howmethod of research in educational psychology, social involves obtaining information for analysis through direct observation or indirect. The first option assumes that the researcher himself sees the facts and registers them himself. The second way is to observe the result without being able to control the process.
Links and conditions
Being the main method of research in educational psychology, social, observation has become widespread, and therefore developed over the years. Over the years of his practice, two main approaches have been formed to describe the relationship between the object and the psychologist. Allocate: not included, included. In the first case, the researcher perceives the object by observing it from the side. It is necessary to decide in advance how much the objects will know about the study. Some may officially know that their behavior is under control, and reactions are fixed, others are not aware of this at all, and the researcher is carefully disguised. This path is associated with certain ethical complexities.
Observation as a method of research in social psychology, pedagogical involves work in natural conditions or laboratory, when the researcher has some equipment for this.
Based on the thoughtfulness of the plan, it is possible to single out free observations for which there are no restrictions in advance, procedures are not formed, and standardized. A program is preliminarily drawn up for them, and the task of the employee is to strictly follow it, not paying attention to what is happening in the process.
Based on frequencyorganization of observation of the object, we can talk about constant research, repeated work. Single or multiple studies are possible. It is customary to talk about direct and indirect methods of obtaining information. In the first case, the observation is carried out by the researcher, the second option involves the collection of data from persons who observed the object at different times.
Experiment
An equally important, applicable and popular method of studying social psychology, pedagogical - experiment. In such a program, the research subject and the psychologist work together. The responsibility for organizing the process rests with the researcher. The task of the experiment is to reveal the specific features of the object's psyche. This method is one of the main ones along with observation. The researcher, observing, only passively waits for the processes he needs to appear, and under the conditions of the experiment, he creates everything necessary to provoke the desired reaction. By shaping the situation, the experimenter can ensure the stability of the situation. By repeating the experience from time to time, using equal conditions for different objects, it is possible to identify specific individual characteristics inherent in the psyche of different people.
The experimenter has the ability to correct the environment, the situation in which the interaction with the object takes place. He can intervene in what is happening, manipulate factors and monitor how this affects the client. The task of the experiment is to determine how variables that do not depend on each otherand amenable to adjustment, change other variables that describe mental reactions.
Experiment is one of the qualitative research methods in psychology. The specialist conducting the work can form and change the conditions, and therefore, identify the qualitative component of the impact on mental reactions. At the same time, it is in the power of the professional conducting the experiment to keep something motionless, change something else, until the desired results are achieved. As part of the experiment, it is also possible to obtain quantitative data, the accumulation of which allows us to speak about the randomness of some behavioral responses, their typicality.
Pros and cons
Feature of the experiment, which allows us to talk about the greater accuracy and wide applicability of this approach, is the control of the situation. This is especially appreciated by specialists involved in educational work with students. As part of the experiment, the teacher, psychologist determines what conditions allow the student to understand, assimilate, and remember the material faster and more efficiently. If the experiment is carried out with the use of instruments, devices, it becomes possible to measure exactly how much time it takes for a mental process, which means to objectively reveal the reaction rate, the formation of skills.
They resort to experiment if the tasks facing the researcher are such that the conditions for the formation of the situation may not arise on their own, or the wait may stretch for an unpredictably long period.
Experiment is currently considered a research method, in which the situation is formed, andthe researcher gets leverage to correct it. Thus, it is possible to track pedagogical phenomena, processes occurring in the psyche of the experimental subject. Based on the results of the study, one can understand how the phenomenon under study appears, what affects it, how it functions.
Experiments are divided into natural and laboratory. The second option allows you to more accurately measure the reaction and register the response of the subject. They resort to it if there is a need for accurate, reliable parameters that describe the situation. In particular, you can set up a laboratory experiment when you need to evaluate the work of the senses, thought processes, memory, human psychomotor skills.
Laboratory experiment: features
This method is most important if it is necessary to study the physiological behavioral mechanisms inherent in humans. A laboratory experiment is indispensable in the analysis of cognitive processes, the study of human activity in general. If you create suitable conditions for this, you can evaluate the components of the interaction between the object of study and technology. A characteristic feature of such an experiment is the conduct of research under special conditions, with the involvement of technology, in strict accordance with the developed instructions. Subject is aware of being a test subject.
You can repeat such an experiment as many times as needed to obtain reliable data, on the basis of which to identify patterns of interest to the researcher. In the course of work, it is necessary to comprehensivelyanalyze the activity of the human psyche. As scientists assure, many of the achievements of modern psychology have become possible only thanks to the experiment as the main method.
Besides the advantages, this approach has weaknesses. The artificiality inherent in the situation can provoke failures of natural reactions, which means that the information received will be distorted, and the conclusions wrong. To avoid such an outcome, it is important to conduct a study with a carefully designed trial. The experiment is combined with more natural research approaches to achieve minimal error.
Natural experiment
This kind of psychological experiment was first proposed by Lazursky as a research method for teachers. There is no need to change the environment for the work - it is enough to conduct research in the environment familiar to the object. Consequently, it is possible to avoid unnecessary tension, although the person knows that he is the object of the experiment. As part of the work, the natural content of human activity is preserved.
This approach was first used in 1910 as a way to study the personality of a schoolboy. As part of the experiment, the teacher examines the child's activities in order to determine which features of the psyche are most pronounced. Then work with him will be organized, taking into account the objectives of the event. During the study, the specialist receives a sufficient amount of knowledge to analyze the child's psyche.
This format of the experiment immediately became widespread, and it is used in our time. This is most relevant for teacherspsychologists dealing with problems of different ages. The natural experiment has become an important method for developing methodologies for teaching a particular subject. Resorting to the usual environmental conditions, the specialist initiates the necessary processes in the psyche and consciousness of the subject. The conditions can be lessons, games, thought out taking into account the goal facing the employee. You can set up experiments in special classes equipped for such a task. To get the maximum information for analysis, the lesson can be recorded on audio and video media. Cameras for recording must be taken inconspicuously so that students do not know that they are being filmed.
Helper methods
If the main approaches are observation, experiment, then other specific ones are considered auxiliary. Thanks to them, it is possible to concretize the provisions of the methodology, to implement research, following the tasks of science. One of the important auxiliary approaches is the analysis of specialized literature. It is relevant for the early stages of the study, it allows you to first get acquainted with the object to be worked with. To do this, the psychologist receives documentation related to the person, the results of his activity. Based on literary sources, it is possible to analyze how the problem developed, what is the state of affairs, the situation at the moment. You can identify different points of view, formulate a primary idea of the disturbing aspects of the situation, suggest what ways you can solve the problem.
Factual material on the case can be obtained by examining the documentation. There are different forms: text, video, audio. For educator research,psychologists working with schoolchildren, the main documentation is the official papers of the educational institution, works written by the objects of study, their compositions, drawings, crafts. It is necessary to analyze the minutes of the councils of teachers.
Documents can be studied in the traditional way or formalized. In the first case, the idea is the understanding of the document, the correspondence of semiotics and language. Formalized ones concentrate on content analysis. This is a method of obtaining objective information about a situation, an object through semantic units, forms of information. Within the framework of such a study, it is possible to analyze the quality of the learning process, its effectiveness, the state of education in general, as well as the mental characteristics of different students.
