Psychological research goals

There are four main goals/purposes of psychological research:

• Explore (exploratory) - scope out, get to know, and reveal more about a phenomenon (e.g., what do people think about happiness is?)
• Describe (descriptive) – describe behaviour, thoughts, emotions etc. (e.g., how happy are people?)
• Explain (explanatory) – identify causes of psychological experience (e.g., why are some people happier than others?)
• Predict (predictive) – identify factors that indicate when an event will occur (e.g., what social policy changes can improve happiness?)

Explore/Describe

• Use observational methods, surveys, case studies.
• Give a verbal or numerical picture.
• Describe average or typical features of a group
• Present basic background information or a context.
• Describe e.g., characteristics of a group e.g., in terms of age, IQ, personality etc.
• attitudes to environment – positive or negative – but no indication of why these attitudes exist.
• Basic background information or a context.
• Find information to stimulate new explanations. e.g., criteria for classifying mental disorders (e.g., DSM)

Explain

• Identify factors that indicate when an event will occur
• Most psychological research has explanation as its goal – how sure we can be about establishing cause & effect depends on the research design used
• Use correlational methods; correlation between two events or variables
• Do stressful life events lead to increased physical illness?
• Do stressful life events lead to increased physical illness?

Predict

• Use experimental method to test an explanation – usually based on theory
• e.g., Environmental behaviour is predicted by intentions, attitudes, norms and pbc
• Clear test of a hypothesis derived from theory
• Extend a theory or principle in to new areas of issues
• Provide evidence to support or refute an explanation or prediction

The research goal will influence the research method.