Janie H. Wilson - Research Methods and Statistics: An Integrated Approach

To my daughter. Dedicated teacher, gifted therapist, and cherished friend.

Janie

To my mother, for all of her support while writing this book and over the years.

Shauna

An Integrated Approach

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Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Wilson, Janie H., author. | Joye, Shauna W., author.

Title: Research methods and statistics : an integrated approach / Janie H. Wilson, Georgia Southern University, Shauna W.Joye, Georgia Southern University.

Description: 1 Edition. | Thousand Oaks : SAGE Publications, 2017.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016022276 | ISBN 978-1-4833-9214-1 (pbk.)

Subjects: LCSH: PsychologyResearchMethodology. | Psychometrics.

Classification: LCC BF76.5 .W557 2016 | DDC 150.72/1dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016022276

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

What do you want to know? In psychology, we enjoy the freedom of asking research questions and finding answers. We even share our results at conferences, in journals, and with the general public. After all, ultimately we want to give psychology away to the world.

But first...

You must learn how to ask questions and find answers, always in a highly ethical way. Research questions and answers require a marriage between methods and statistics. You cannot design a study and hope for a flash of insight on analysis later. In this textbook, we show you how to choose an appropriate statistic while constructing a method. Preparing for analysis before data collection offers you peace of mind that the data will be able to address your research question.

Throughout the text, we focus on methods and statistics that students generally encounter. As an undergraduate student, you should learn several common designs used to address research questions, and you should know a few key statistics. offers an advanced design learned by undergraduate students in upper-level courses, in an honors program, or attending certain schools. Your instructor will teach the designs and analyses typical of the class, department, or school. Refer to this text for designs and analyses of interest in your current class(es) and in your future training as a researcher.

You may have already learned that the American Psychological Association (APA) governs the research process as well as the way psychologists write papers. Because APA guidelines and writing style form the foundation of our research, this text covers APA style in detail. When it comes to writing in APA style, we relied on the most recent version of the APA manual (6th ed., 2010) while we wrote the chapters.

In addition to weaving APA style throughout the text, we have included in a wealth of information on writing in APA style, including an example paper, common mistakes, and helpful pointers.

Beginning in , you will also notice a guide for this book. Tal appears in each chapter and will offer valuable information. Our goal for the tone of the book is friendly, engaging, and accessible. We hope Tal will help us share information with you in a fun way.

Read, think, study, and create. Allow yourself to enjoy asking a research question and finding the answer. By the end of your undergraduate career, you should feel competent as an emerging researcher. The science of psychology needs your help to discover truths about behavior. We hope you accept the challenge.