Salkind s Purposes of Research 8 28 2012 Introduction to Research o Research A process leading to the discovery of new knowledge o Explore Simply watching and experiencing a situation in order to understand it better A baseline o Describe o Explain o Evaluate Why something happens or how something happens See if current programs are successful to see if we can improve them PAPA Model Guthrie s Model o Pure Scientific outcomes Expand knowledge Develop theory No action Driven by curiosity o Applied o Policy o Action them Topics with potential practical application Researcher is not intending any practical application Based on practical issues and those who make decisions about Intention behind the research is to change a policy Trying to get results Particular activities to make direct improvements Intentionally doing research to make improvements o Increased emphasis on practical action as you move from P A P A Who does family research o Government o Universities Second largest Largest group that funds and does family research o Public and Private Companies Factors of Quality Research o How do you know if research is quality If other experts in that field approve of it If it replicates findings that another study also found o Evidence based It is based on existing research o Replicable Would you be able to go and re create the study Reliability o Generalizable to other settings Using diversity and being able to apply it to an entire population not just the sample o Rooted in theory It should be based on existing theory which is based on existing literature o Feasible It s practical Has to be specific and narrow o Generates new questions o Incremental have many contributors It builds on itself A lot of researchers o Free of politics If people give money to facilitate the research then there might be bias to please that particular person 9 4 2012 The Process of Research o Identify research area design study Carry out research Analyze Publish results o It is a cycle Stages of Research o Guthrie Problem Data Collection Data Analysis Action o Salkind Identify important factors Ask the question Formulate hypothesis Collect information Test hypothesis Work with hypothesis Reconsider theory Ask new questions Selecting a Research Topic o What areas of your life can you draw from o What do you think we need to know about the world to make it better for everyone Research Problem o Topic a general area of study o Problem definition narrow the topic down Hypothesis o An educated guess about the answers to your research questions o An if then statement o Based on theory o Should guide the methods and data collection o Need to break down questions into variables we can measure Testing the Hypothesis Variables o Dependent The outcomes o Independent o Control Variables Research Accuracy Trade Offs o Relevance Factors hypothesized to influence the outcome Factors that might influence the outcome but that you want to control to see the real contribution of the independent variable Factors not included in your study that could impact your o Extraneous Variables outcome unpredictably o Moderators Related to BOTH independent and dependent variables impacts relationship between them Usefulness of research to consumer of research Depends on who the consumer is and what they need If it builds on past research o Validity Correctness of data collected Are we measuring what we think we are measuring Issues when questions are not worded right participants are not able to be honest researchers bias data etc o Reliability techniques o Generalizability The ability to replicate the same results using the same Other researchers would come to the same conclusions Ability to predict accurately from a sample to the whole population from which it is drawn Usually requires random sampling a large sample size diverse participants 9 11 2012 Ethics IRB Definition o The rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group culture etc medical ethics Christian ethics o Come from the APA the National Council on Family Relations and the US Department of Health and Human Services HHS History and Issues in Ethical Research o Tuskegee Syphilis Study 1932 1972 o US Government Research on effects of radiation on human beings 1944 1980 o Milgram s Obedience to Authority Study 1960 s o 1966 Henry Beech article on 22 unethical studies published in New England Journal of Medicine o 1974 Congress passed the national research act authorizing federal agencies to develop human research regulations o Ongoing initiatives through professional organizations universities and federal government to promote ethical conduct in research Research Ethics o Guide our actions toward participants o Generally a set of principles with associated professional standards o Respect for people s rights dignity and diversity PRINCIPLE No discrimination exploitation or harassment Protection of confidentiality Seeking informed consent STANDARDS Basic Principles from Belmont Report o Beneficence o Justice We need to do more benefit to participants than harm Balancing the benefits and burdens of research fairly across Recognizing the personal dignity and autonomy of individuals the population o Respect for Persons Basic Principles from Salkind o Protect from harm o Maintain privacy Privacy anonymous Confidentiality anything learned about a person o Avoid coercion o Provide for informed consent o Maintain confidentiality o Debrief if you have used deception o Share benefits Ensure High Ethical Standards o If the treatment might be harmful try to find a population that has already been naturally treated o Always secure informed consent o If possible report summary data rather than individual results o If the treatment might have adverse side effects begin with a small sample Responsibilities o Ask your colleagues to review your proposal o Researcher has responsibility to uphold ethical standards o And these responsibilities include everyone working on your project Proper training of skills and ethics Active supervisor Permission to Research o Approval from your institution and authorities o Informed consent from participants Approval from IRB and Others o Review your project proposal o Generally a slow process o Often involves revisions o Need approval to begin any part of data collection IRB Research o Aim protect the safety rights and welfare of research subjects o Ensure that research with humans is conducted