Contents

CHAPTER 1: Introduction 19• A multimethod approach, one that searches for answers using variousresearch methodologies and measures, is psychology’s best hope forunderstanding behavior and the mind.As you begin learning about how researchers in psychology gather evidence,we will pass along advice from several expert researchers about one of the mostfundamental aspects of research—getting started. We will organize this sectionaround three questions that researchers ask themselves as they begin a researchproject:—What should I study?—How do I develop a hypothesis to test in my research?—Is my research question a good one?There are many decisions that must be made before beginning to do researchin psychology. The first one, of course, is what topic to study. Many studentsapproach the field of psychology with interests in psychopathology and issuesassociated with mental health. Others are intrigued with the puzzles surroundinghuman cognition, such as memory, problem solving, and decision making.Still others are interested in problems of developmental and social psychology.Psychology provides a smorgasbord of research possibilities to explore,as is illustrated by the literally hundreds of scientific journals that publish theresults of psychological research. You can quickly find information about themany research areas within psychology by reviewing the contents of a standardintroductory psychology textbook. More specific information can be found,of course, in the many classes offered by the psychology department of yourcollege or university, such as abnormal psychology, cognitive psychology, andsocial psychology.It’s not just students who are concerned about research questions in psychology.In July 2009, an entire issue of the journal Perspectives in PsychologicalScience was devoted to discussions of research questions and directions for thefuture of psychology (Diener, 2009). Top researchers from various areas withinpsychology identified important questions in their fields—for example, questionsaddressing mind-brain connections, evolutionary psychology, and evenhuman-android interactions. When searching for a research question, readingthese articles may be a good place to start!Students often develop their initial research topics through interactions withtheir psychology instructors. Many professors conduct research and are eagerto involve students on research teams. You may only need to ask. Psychologydepartments also offer many other resources to help students develop researchideas. One opportunity is in the form of “colloquia” (singular: colloquium). Acolloquium is a formal research presentation in which researchers, sometimesfrom other universities, present their theories and research findings to facultyand students in the department. Watch for announcements of upcomingcolloquia in your psychology department.No matter how or where you begin to develop a topic, an important initial stepwhen getting started is to explore the published literature of psychological research.There are several reasons why you must search the psychology literature