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Research, Statistics, and Psychology
Kathy A. Abeyatunge
University of Phoenix

Research, Statistics, and Psychology

The field of psychology is described as the study of mental processes and behaviors using methods of scientific research. In their attempt to substantiate or invalidate their hypotheses psychologists employ the uses of two significant tools, research and statistics. Research helps us delve through the complex nature of the human psyche; permitting us to categorizing symptoms of psychological disorders and providing us with an understanding of ourselves and how we relate to the world. Statistics is the mathematical product of research findings. It is the recorded data that aids in the identification of truth. This paper will look into the role research and statistics have on the field of psychology, as well as define the scientific method and provide a comparative analysis of primary and secondary data. Research in the scientific sense is not akin to the everyday search for knowledge that human beings conduct through personal observation. Instead scientific research relies on logical methodology. “The scientific approach is characterized by four ideals: curiosity, skepticism, objectivity, and critical thinking.” These ideals are the basic structure referred to as the scientific method and in application they consist of a series of steps to ensure accurate results. Step 1) Observation. This is simply interest shown in answering a question about an observable object or action. For instance, observing plant growth as it pertains to sunlight. The researcher may wonder why tulips planted on the same day in different areas with differing degrees of light bloom several weeks apart. This query initiates Step 2) the Hypothesis. The hypothesis is a best guess statement. It is the initial perception that is formulated by the scope of knowledge

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