Title: Social Psychology Research Methods
Headings: How Social Psychologists Conduct Their Research
How Social Psychologists Conduct Their Research
Social Behavior
Descriptive Research
Types of Descriptive Research
Surveys
The Observational Method
Case Studies
Correlational Research
Experimental Research
Why Social Research Methods Are Important

Content: Social Psychology Research Methods
Theories
Social Psychology
How Social Psychologists Conduct Their Research
By
Kendra Cherry
facebook
twitter
Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author, educational consultant, and speaker focused on helping students learn about psychology. Learn about our editorial process
Kendra Cherry
Fact checked by
Fact checked by Cara Lustik on March 21, 2021
linkedin
Cara Lustik is a fact checker and copywriter. Learn about our editorial process
Cara Lustik
on March 21, 2021
Trina Dalziel / Getty Images
Table of Contents
View All
Table of Contents
Social Behavior
Descriptive Research
Types of Descriptive Research
Correlational Research
Experimental Research
Social psychology research methods allow psychologists to get a better look at what causes people to engage in certain behaviors in social situations. In order to empirically study social behavior, psychologists rely on a number of different scientific methods to conduct research on social psychology topics. These methods allow researchers to test hypotheses and theories and look for relationships between different variables. Why do people do the things they do? And why do they sometimes behave differently in groups? These questions are of interest not only to social psychologists, but to teachers, public policy-makers, healthcare administrators, or anyone who has ever watched a news story about a world event and wondered, “Why do people act that way?” Which type of research is best? This depends largely on the subject the researcher is exploring, the resources available, and the theory or hypothesis being investigated.