Starting Out in Methods and Statistics for Psychology ― A Hands-on Guide to Doing Research

Starting Out in Methods and Statistics for Psychology: a Hands-on Guide to Doing Research takes first year psychology students through the entire process of doing research in psychology, from exploring designs and methods, to conducting step-by-step, by-hand data analysis, and writing up their findings, all in a friendly and accessible way.

The text begins by presenting a thorough overview of research, explaining its central role in psychology as a science and exploring how to read and present research findings before introducing students to both qualitative and quantitative approaches to research. The author then explores experimental and correlational designs in detail, introducing the general principles before addressing the logic of the specific data analyses used in these forms of design. Dedicated chapters show students how to calculate independent and repeated t tests, and independent measures ANOVA in the experimental design section, and correlation and regression analyses in the correlation section. After guiding students through these essentials, the author moves on to a detailed explanation of when to use non-parametric tests, and again takes students through these data analyses in a carefully-paced series of hand calculations. The text concludes with a clear guide to when to use which test, and takes a look forward to the sorts of statistical analyses students will encounter in both published research and the next phase of their studies.

Online Resource Centre

For students:

A diagnostic maths test to help students identify their strengths and weaknesses
Exemplar lab reports (good and bad)
Example ethics applications forms
Full answers to the in-text study questions
SPSS screencasts
Links to papers and websites

For lecturers:

Worksheets with additional datasets
Fully worked answers to worksheets
MCQs
Figures and tables from the book, ready to download
Animated solutions to the hand calculations

Victoria Bourne is Senior Lecturer (Teaching Focussed) at Royal Holloway, University of London. She has taught research methodology and statistical analysis at all levels from first year undergraduate students through to advanced postdoctoral researchers. At Royal Holloway she is the overall coordinator for research methods and statistical training throughout the undergraduate degree. Dr Bourne is the co-author, with Graham Hole, of Face Processing: Psychological, Neuropsychological, and Applied Perspectives, published by OUP in 2010.