Learning Outcomes
With the successful completion of the course, students will be familiar with the ethical principles that govern scientific research and they will have acquired scientific writing skills. In addition:
Students who completed the Quantitative Methods part...
1) they will be able to select the most appropriate method to test their research hypotheses
2) they will be able to deal with the shortcomings of correlational studies
3) they will be able to test and interpret mediation, moderation, and moderated mediation
4) the will be able to design and conduct a valid experimental or intervention study
5) they will know the basic principles of structual equation modeling and they applications for psychometric evaluation, path analysis, and growth models
6) they will be aware of the basic principles of multi-level modeling and their applications for the study of dyads and within-person variations.
Students who completed the Qualitative Methods part ...
1) will be familiar with the epistemological background of quality research methods
2) will be able to choose the appropriate qualitative method for answering their research questions
3) will be able to design and conduct a study that involves the production and the analysis of qualitative data
4) will be able to structure and write a detailed research report
Course Content (Syllabus)
This course concerns advanced research methods in psychology. All students follow courses on research ethics and academic writing . Next, students decide -on the basis of their research interests- whether they want to follow CYCLE A that concerns QUANTITATIVE METHODS, or CYCLE B that concerns QUALITATIVE METHODS.
In the quantitative methods part of the course students get acquainted with different advanced, quantitative methods. First, the limitations of correlational studies are evaluated, and alternative approaches that overcome some of these limitations are discussed. These include experimental studies, cross-lagged designs, growth models, multi-level methods and the study of dyads. Furthermore, the course covers the main principles of structural equation modeling for analyzing and evaluating psychometric data. Also, hypotheses of mediation, moderation and moderated-mediation are studied in depth.
In the qualitative methods part of the course, emphasis is placed both on specific methodologies, as well as, on the general philosophical principles that underlie the Qualitative Methods approach to the social world. Methods of collecting/generating data that are taught include observation, interviews and focus groups, collecting protocols and records. Methods of analysis include Thematic Analysis, Grounded Theory, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Narrative Analysis and Discourse Analytic Methods. Ethnographic approaches and Action Research Principles are also addressed. Finally, issues of "validity" and "reliability" from the point of view of qualitative research are discussed.
Both the Quantitative and Qualitative parts of the course include lectures on the fundamental principles of scientific writing. Also both combine lectures with seminars where students have the opportunity to practice certain methods of data collection and analysis.