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  3. Handbook of Research Methods in Social and Personality Psychology
  • Cited by 74
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Online publication date:
June 2014
Print publication year:
2014
Online ISBN:
9780511996481
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511996481
Subjects:
Social Psychology, Psychology Research Methods and Statistics, Psychology
Collection:
Cambridge Handbooks of Psychology
Information

Book description

This indispensable sourcebook covers conceptual and practical issues in research design in the field of social and personality psychology. Key experts address specific methods and areas of research, contributing to a comprehensive overview of contemporary practice. This updated and expanded second edition offers current commentary on social and personality psychology, reflecting the rapid development of this dynamic area of research over the past decade. With the help of this up-to-date text, both seasoned and beginning social psychologists will be able to explore the various tools and methods available to them in their research as they craft experiments and imagine new methodological possibilities.

Reviews

‘This is by far the most comprehensive and cutting-edge collection of research methods in social and personality psychology. The first edition was an invaluable part of my graduate research methods course and this new edition looks even better.'

Stephen J. Read - University of Southern California

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Contents

Page 2 of 2

Contents
  • Chapter twenty-one - Multilevel and Longitudinal Modeling
    pp 571-588
  • View abstract

    Summary

    This chapter reviews high points of survey methodology literature. It outlines more specifically why survey research may be valuable to social psychologists. The chapter explains the utility of various study designs. It also reviews several standard designs, including cross-sectional, repeated cross-sectional, panel and mixed designs, and discusses when each is appropriate for social psychological investigation. It describes the basics of survey sampling and questionnaire design. The chapter also explains a number of sampling methods and discusses their strengths and weaknesses. It further describes the optimal procedures for data collection. The survey research process culminates in the field period, during which the data are collected, and the careful execution of this final step is critical to success. The chapter provides considerations relevant to data collection mode (face-to-face, telephone, and self-administered) and interviewer selection, training, and supervision.
  • Chapter twenty-two - The Design and Analysis of Data from Dyads and Groups
    pp 589-607
  • View abstract

    Summary

    This chapter explores the promise and pitfalls of using the Internet as a tool to collect data, with a focus on practical and conceptual concerns relevant to social-personality psychologists. It discusses some of the benefits and challenges of collecting data over the Internet, and focuses primarily on using the Internet to recruit participants and collect data. The chapter reviews a practical guidance for implementing online studies. It provides detailed examples of how common study designs within social-personality psychology can be successfully implemented via the Internet. Using an experimental design in an Internet-based study requires translating the random assignment process and the experimental manipulation(s) to a Web-based format. The chapter highlights a few unique options and challenges of Internet-based study design. It also discusses a few but unique ethical concerns which the Internet data collection presents before ending with a discussion on the future opportunities for Internet use in research.
  • Chapter twenty-four - Missing Data Analysis
    pp 627-652
  • View abstract

    Summary

    This chapter focuses on what has become known as the psychometric or nonrepresentational approach to measurement. It considers the issues traditionally discussed under the heading of reliability, and reviews several still persistent definitions or types of reliability coefficients. The chapter discusses the problems and misuses of coefficient alpha, the most commonly used psychometric index in social-personality psychology. It suggests the generalizability theory as a broader and more heuristic perspective. The chapter examines issues related to construct validation. It also considers the construct validation as the crucial issue in psychological measurement and includes a broad range of validity evidence, focusing on convergent and discriminant aspects. The chapter describes model testing in construct validation and scale construction. It also focuses on the measurement models in structural equation modeling. The chapter reviews three classical strategies (external criterion, rational-intuitive, and internal-factor analytic) and also suggests an integrated model adopting the construct-oriented approach.
  • Chapter twenty-five - Mediation and Moderation
    pp 653-676
  • View abstract

    Summary

    This chapter reviews the statistical methods used to explore causal (directional) and noncausal research questions. Researchers have often regarded some statistical procedures as experimental and other statistical procedures as nonexperimental (e.g., correlation, structural equation modeling). The chapter discusses practical issues that influence the implementation of the analysis and design features of the study relevant to that statistical procedure. The most widely used noncausal analysis in social-personality psychology is exploratory factor analysis (EFA). There are two major issues that should be taken into account when designing studies to be analyzed using EFA: selection of measured variables and selection of sample. The chapter overviews the major types of causal hypotheses. It explains the conditions necessary for establishing causal relations and comments on study design features and statistical procedures that assist in establishing these conditions. The chapter also reviews the statistical procedures used to test different types of causal hypotheses.
  • Chapter twenty-six - Meta-Analysis of Research in Social and Personality Psychology
    pp 677-710
  • View abstract

    Summary

    This chapter introduces the use of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and item response theory (IRT) modeling, particularly as each is used to evaluate measurement invariance of assessment devices. It covers CFA, which is a special case of the common factor model. The chapter discusses basic ideas with regard to model specification and evaluation. It explains how measurement invariance is pursued in CFA models. The chapter also discusses the parallel issues with regard to IRT models, including both basic forms of IRT model and the study of measurement invariance within such models. It provides illustrations of analyses with empirical data to demonstrate how to fit such models and evaluate results. While good introductory presentations are available for both CFA and IRT, the authors look forward to the increased use of the two techniques for investigating measurement invariance and improving the nature of measurements used in psychological sciences.

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