In the real socio – psychological research is necessary to distinguish between methods (research strategy) and methods (methods of empirical data latch). However, any methodological procedure – profile, test, sociometry – is always used in a certain "methodological way."
One of the problems of scientific research is the nature and extent of the empirical data. Data in social psychology can be data on the behavior of individuals in public groups, or information about any characteristics of the consciousness of these individuals, or psychological characteristics of the group.
Another problem of scientific research as applied to social psychology is that the hypothesis here is a theoretical form of knowledge, and it creates a number of additional test challenges. Combining the features of the natural (experimental) and the humanities, social psychology can not fully ensure that the requirements of neo – verification of any scientific hypothesis only in comparison with the data of sensory experience. In social psychology there are subject areas where it is necessary to introduce other scientific criteria. In this regard, in recent years a growing interest in qualitative research methods, widely used in the humanities, in particular sociology. Another problem in the socio–psychological research for the quality of empirical information. We can only say, the necessary quality of the data achieved compliance with the principles of representativeness and reliability of sampling instruments used.
A special place among the problems of building a full – fledged social – psychological knowledge takes the ratio of fundamental and applied research. They differ by the criterion of communication objectives of the study with the immediate practical needs. If the fundamental socio – psychological research is focused on finding the general laws of social development of the studied object, the application – the application of methods in order to practice that is already open in fundamental research.
The main purpose of application of social – psychological research is to solve specific practical problems on the basis of the implementation of its results into the real social process.
9.1 The criteria of objectivity in psychological research
The problem of objectivity of psychological data has a different sound in the literature. In many respects objective criteria mirror those that were not formulated specifically for the psychological area of expertise. The problem of the reproducibility of the data, i.e., the possibility of repeated studies to yield the same phenomena and laws. Reproducibility is considered so as the possibility of comparing the experimental data obtained for different test or different populations.
It may also be about the data reproducibility in relation to the individual experience or subjective reality one and the same person. There are data security, they are uniquely related to the demonstration of certain laws (for example, the illusion of apparent motion) or expressed only a few changes in the latched indicators, but these shifts always have the same orientation.
For example, in the social and educational psychology discusses such regularity as better alignment of subjective evaluations of teachers, when the subject of evaluation are the property of pupils, and the worst, when teachers evaluate their peers. In one example, the demonstration features correlative studies will be discussed and set other addiction – improving forecasting in evaluating the properties of the high school teachers both by teachers and students.
For similar cases, it is important to build the study indicate that psychological pattern is revealed when comparing the series of selected indicators, i.e. depending on the nature are probabilistic, ie, statistically evaluated.
In the context of the statistical estimation of the reliability of the results of the empirical concept of reliability of the data entered. Reliable data are considered, that during the second receipt for the same procedural conditions give insignificant deviations from the initial values. In this case, not only the reliability associated with the stability of various effects, as well as their requirement of probability estimates based on statistical decision. The unreliability of psychological research data may be due to a variety of reasons: fluctuations themselves measured variables, measurement error, the effect of adverse factors ensuring unsystematic shifts in the latched indicators, etc.
The problem of data reproducibility related and the problem of intersubjectivity, i.e. the possibility of being obtained by different researchers. The fact that subjective reality may not be available for another person's eyes, does not mean the rejection of the criterion of the requirements of inter–subjective nature of knowledge. In psychology, teaching tools to varying degrees dependent on the interpretation of the data researcher subjective experience of another person – a test.
One of the classifications proposed in the textbook "Methodology and methods in psychology" is, in particular, the division of the whole arsenal of methods of psychological techniques to achieve, methods of judgment and interpretation techniques. The latter includes all those cases techniques, when the production of various test ideas undergoes subsequent qualitative analysis psychologist, whereby obtained data, belonging to a class of interpretations (example – projective techniques). If the methodology advances and propositions allow us to speak about intersubjectivity produced with their help data as they are reproducible by other researchers like without interfering with their quality, the techniques for interpreting this condition is impossible. Their use is to be expected disagreement of experts on the analysis of individual cases due to the unreliability of the data and the different schemes qualitative interpretation of the data. A typical example of interpretation called projective techniques techniques for psychologists who disagree on the analysis of individual indicators can be of fundamental importance, if the experts' opinions are mediated by different theoretical approaches to the interpretation of the subjects of stories.
Note that the reliability of the data is a condition assessment of the validity of the study, or, literally, its "usefulness". Thus, the unreliability of the data is determined by the instability of most psychological reality (an example can serve the effects of fatigue or learning), mediating their subjective world of another person (if it is about the elements of direct observation), the unreliability of the methodical measurement procedure or the presence of effects that can not be subjected to experimental control. It is assumed that the culture method of constructing the study and use of psychological techniques including solution of all the problems that are associated with the thoroughness of data collection, reducing the possibility of distortion during fixation or interpretation, subject to possible confusion with other processes (except under study).
To the thoroughness of the data collection requirements do not completely overlap with the concept of reproducibility. Installed in the psychology of dependence does not always repeatable or reproducible. Thus, it is possible to create conditions for a creative solution to the problem, but can not guarantee this creative solution, because it is associated with the activity of the test and the effect is often unpredictable for himself.
The occurrence of panic in a case of observation makes similar effect in another case. Management discussion can lead to the desired effect (for example, a shift in personal preferences), and can not lead. The uniqueness of the psychological phenomena often associated it with their noncontrol any control procedures (by the researcher), which does not mean, however, impossible to study them within the framework of various research methods.
9.2 Methods of socio – psychological research by B. Ananiev
In its classification of B. Ananiev considered psychology methods correlated with the stages of research, therefore it considers the classification of these stages. According to psychologist B. Ananiev in various stages of research uses different groups of methods.
All the methods he divided into:
1. The Management Group, which includes comparative, longitudinal and integrated methods.
Longitudinal method involves repeated examination of one and the same people over a long enough period of time, measured sometimes decades.
Complex method includes these two methods simultaneously.
2. The empirical method of obtaining the data:
2.1. Monitoring and self–observation.
2.2. Experimental methods:
2.3. Psychodiagnostic methods:
2.4. Methods of process analysis and product performance. This method involves praxiometrical methods (cyclography, professiography, assessment products and work performed).
2.5. The simulation method.
2.6. Biographical method. The choice of a particular empirical method depends on whether the organizational method selected by the researcher.
3. Methods and techniques of empirical data:
4. Interpretative methods that explain the results obtained in this case from the point of view of the source of hypotheses and assumptions that served as the basis for the study. This method is different variants of the genetic and structural methods.
Classification of B. Ananiev, especially considering the entire process of organizing and conducting psychological research – from the formulation of the problem to its solution. At each stage of this process is carried out classification methods appropriate to this stage.
Control questions