Synopses & Reviews
Bestselling statistics author, Fredrick J. Gravetter, and co-author Lori-Ann B. Forzano have written a text for research methods that helps students see how interesting and exciting experimental and non-experimental research can be. Inviting and conversational, RESEARCH METHODS FOR THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES, Fourth Edition, leads students through the research process from start to finish. The text opens with tips and strategies for generating research ideas, moves to selecting measures and participants, and then offers an examination of research strategy and design. This step-by-step approach emphasizes the decisions researchers must make at each stage of the process. The authors avoid a "cookbook" approach to the facts by linking terminology with applied concepts; their "lecture in a book" style makes the text accessible to students by emphasizing discussion and explanation of topics. Each chapter ends with a set of student exercises and activities. Examples and content throughout the book reflect the most current APA guidelines.
About the Author
Frederick J Gravetter is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at The College at Brockport, State University of New York College. While teaching at Brockport, he specialized in statistics, research design, and cognitive psychology. Dr. Gravetter received his Bachelor's degree in mathematics from M.I.T. and his Ph.D. in psychology from Duke University. In addition to publishing several research articles, Dr. Gravetter is co-author of the best-selling STATISTICS FOR THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES, 9th Edition, ESSENTIALS OF STATISTICS FOR THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES, 8th Edition, and (with Lori-Ann B. Forzano) RESEARCH METHODS FOR THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES, 5th Edition. Lori-Ann B. Forzano is an Associate Professor of Psychology at The College at Brockport, State University of New York, where she regularly teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in research methods. She earned a Ph.D. in experimental psychology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where she also received her B.S. in psychology. Dr. Forzano's research interests are in the area of conditioning and learning. Specifically, she studies impulsivity in adults and children. Her research has been published in the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, Learning and Motivation, and The Psychological Record.
Table of Contents
PREFACE. AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES. 1. Introduction, Acquiring Knowledge, and the Scientific Method. 2. Research Ideas. 3. Defining and Measuring Variables. 4. Ethics in Research. 5. Selecting Research Participants. 6. Research Strategies and Validity. 7. The Experimental Research Strategy. 8.Experimental Designs: Between-Subjects Designs. 9. Experimental Designs: Within-Subjects Designs. 10. The Nonexperimental and Quasi-Experimental Strategies: Nonequivalent Group, Pre-Post, and Developmental Designs. 11. Factorial Designs. 12. The Correlational Research Strategy. 13.The Descriptive Research Strategy. 14. Single-Subject Research Designs. 15. Statistical Evaluation of Data. 16. Writing an APA-Style Research Report. APPENDICES. A. Random Number Table and Instruction. B. Statistics Demonstrations and Statistical Tables. C. Instructions for Using PASW STASTICS 17 from SPSS. D. Sample APA-Style Research Report Manuscript for Publication. GLOSSARY. REFERENCES. NAME INDEX. SUBJECT INDEX.