Purpose of Psychological Research

Psychological researchers want to learn and understand human behavior. It can

be about how people think, how they feel, how they behave, or some combination
of these issues. Research, and the understanding that follows, trickles down
from the scientists and alters society. There is constant and competing research.
For example, about what is the best way to punish and rehabilitate criminals
(such as Zimbardo's prison experiment), the best and worst ways to raise
children (Bowlby and attachment, Spock and children), and how to treat the
mentally ill (with too many to count).

More specifically, psychological research is used to measure, describe, and

categorize human behavior. This can result in understanding what might be
called normal behavior. More interesting and more often researched are the
abnormal behaviors, those that eventually become categorized and labeled with
a diagnosis. A diagnosis is a constellation of common behaviors, thoughts, and
feelings that occur together.

For example, many people suffer from depression, and research has found that
exercise, psychotropic medication, and therapy have reduced and sometimes
eliminated the feelings of sadness, guilt, and worthlessness that come from
depression.

Example of Research and the Scientific

Method
Research begins with an issue that comes from an observation. Let's say I am
walking down the street and I see two pigeons sitting at two different windows.
I'm weird, so I'll call the first pigeon Stu and the second pigeon Bill. When I walk
past Stu the pigeon, I see him pecking at the glass.

When I walk past Bill the pigeon, I see him just sitting there, chilling like pigeons
do. So, I formulate a question: 'Why is Stu the pigeon pecking at the glass, while
Bill the pigeon does not?' Next, I should do a little research into pigeons and why
they might peck at things. This is background research to help me understand
what I am looking for or at.

Next, I have to figure out how to answer my question. There are many ways a
question can be answered; most psychological studies use laboratory
experiments or naturalistic studies, which will be explored in more in depth in
another lesson.

I plan on observing Stu and Bill every day I walk past them to answer my
question. It isn't the most elegant or accurate study, but it should give me an
answer. I create a hypothesis, which is like creating a prediction of what I think
is happening: that Stu is being fed while Bill is not.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Create your account