Methods of Enquiry in Psychology

The five main goals of scientific enquiry are:

• Description: Accurately identifying and describing the behaviour or phenomenon (e.g., “Student A is scoring low marks”).
• Prediction: Forecasting when the behaviour will occur based on relationships with other variables (e.g., “Student A scores low when study time is reduced”).
• Explanation: Identifying the causes or determinants of the behaviour (e.g., “Lack of concentration causes low marks”).
• Control: Controlling the behaviour by making changes to the antecedents (e.g., “Improving concentration techniques”).
• Application: Using the knowledge to solve practical problems (e.g., “Counseling program”).

[Image of steps in scientific research] Scientific enquiry involves four systematic steps:

• Conceptualisation: Selecting a topic and formulating a testable Hypothesis (e.g., “Noise reduces memory”).
• Collecting Data: Designing a study (blueprint), selecting participants, and using tools (surveys, experiments) to gather information.
• Drawing Conclusions: Analysing data using statistics (mean, median) to verify if the hypothesis is supported.
• Revising Research Conclusions: Checking if the theory holds true. If not, the hypothesis is revised and tested again.

Psychological data differs from physical data (like weight or stone size):

• Subjective Interpretation: Data (e.g., a score of 80 on an IQ test) has no meaning alone; it needs context (norms) to be interpreted.
• Context Dependent: Behaviour data changes with the setting (e.g., a person behaves differently alone vs. in a group).
• Types of Data: It includes Demographic (age, gender), Physical (height), Physiological (heart rate), and Psychological (intelligence, personality) information.

In an experiment, we manipulate one variable to see its effect.

Difference:

• Experimental Group: The group that receives the manipulation or “treatment” (Independent Variable).
• Control Group: The group that is treated exactly the same but does not receive the manipulation. It serves as a baseline for comparison.

Example (Effect of Noise on Learning):

• Experimental Group: Studies in a noisy room.
• Control Group: Studies in a quiet room.

Hypothesis: “The presence of people (spectators) increases the speed of cycling.” (Based on Social Facilitation theory).

Variables:

• Independent Variable (Cause): Presence of people (Alone vs. With Audience).
• Dependent Variable (Effect): Speed of cycling.

Strengths:

• Causality: It is the only method that can establish a strict cause-and-effect relationship.
• Control: The researcher has high control over extraneous variables, minimizing error.

Weaknesses:

• Artificiality: Lab settings are highly controlled and may not reflect real-life behavior (Low Ecological Validity).
• Ethical Issues: Some experiments (e.g., inducing fear) cannot be performed on humans.

Method: Non-Participant Naturalistic Observation.
Process: The researcher observes behavior in a real-life setting (nursery) without manipulating any variables or interacting with the subjects.

Merits:

• Capture spontaneous, natural behavior.
• Useful for situations where experiments are impossible.

Demerits:

• Observer Bias: The researcher might interpret actions based on personal expectations.
• Time Consuming: Waiting for the behavior to occur naturally takes time.
• No Control: Cannot determine cause and effect.

Examples:

1. Election Polls: Predicting which party people will vote for.
2. Census: Gathering data on literacy, population, and income.

Limitations:

• Superficiality: Provides broad data but lacks depth.
• Response Bias: People may give socially desirable answers (lying to look good).
• Phrasing: The wording of questions can manipulate answers.

Interview	Questionnaire
Face-to-face (or phone) interaction.	Written set of questions (paper/digital).
Flexible; questions can be clarified.	Rigid; respondent interprets questions on their own.
Time-consuming and expensive.	Quick and economical for large samples.
Subjective analysis.	Easier statistical analysis.

A standardised test (e.g., IQ test) must have:

• Reliability: Consistency. It should give similar scores if taken multiple times by the same person.
• Validity: Accuracy. It should measure exactly what it claims to measure (e.g., a math test shouldn’t test reading speed).
• Norms: A baseline score derived from a large group (average performance) to compare individual scores against.

• Lack of True Zero Point: Unlike physics (0 cm length), psychology has no absolute zero (a person with 0 IQ doesn’t exist). Scores are relative, not absolute.
• Relative Nature of Tools: A test developed in the USA (culture-specific) may not be valid in rural India. Tools need adaptation.
• Subjective Interpretation: Qualitative data relies on the researcher’s interpretation, which can vary.

• Voluntary Participation: Participants must choose to join freely without coercion.
• Informed Consent: Participants must know what will happen in the study before agreeing.
• Debriefing: If deception was used, the truth must be explained after the study.
• Confidentiality: Personal data must remain private.
• Withdrawal: Participants can leave the study at any time.

(Guidance for Student Activity)
Procedure: Create a simple questionnaire asking hours spent on Study, Play, TV, Hobby.
Likely Outcome:

• Class V: More time on Play and TV.
• Class IX: Significantly more time on Study/Tuition due to academic pressure.

Conclusion: As academic pressure rises, leisure time shrinks. Suggestion: Class IX students need balanced schedules to prevent burnout.

(Guidance for Experiment)

• Method: Experimental Method.
• Hypothesis: “Loud recitation improves recall of poetry compared to silent reading.”
• Independent Variable: Mode of learning (Loud vs. Silent).
• Dependent Variable: Number of lines recalled correctly.
• Experimental Design: Between-Groups Design (Two separate groups).