Psychology › Section B · Psychological research › Topic B.2
Approaches to research
A psychology question arrives, and the researcher must choose a vehicle: the case study that knows one person deeply, the survey that knows thousands shallowly, the observation that watches, the archive that never forgets, and the experiment that decides. Each has a trade-off - and matching method to question is the researcher's first skill.
In this topic
- A toolkit with trade-offs
- Case studies: depth without breadth
- Naturalistic observation
- Structured observation and observer bias
- Surveys: breadth without depth
- Archival research
- Longitudinal research
- Cross-sectional research
- Worked example: choosing the method
- Worked example: spotting the confounds
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
This topic is part of Wuanberri Pro. Checking your access…