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: How Psychologists Use Different Research in Experiments
Social Behavior
Why study social behavior? Since so many "common sense" explanations exist for so many human actions, people sometimes fail to see the value in scientifically studying such behaviors. However, it is important to remember that folk wisdom can often be surprisingly inaccurate and that the scientific explanations behind a behavior can be quite shocking. Stanley Milgram's infamous obedience experiments are examples of how the results of an experiment can defy conventional wisdom. 1
If you asked most people if they would obey an authority figure even if it meant going against their moral code or harming another individual, they would probably emphatically deny that they would ever do such a thing. Yet Milgram's results revealed that all participants hurt another person simply because they were told to do so by an authority figure, with 65% delivering the highest voltage possible. 2
It is important to utilize the scientific method to study psychological phenomena in an objective, empirical, and analytical way. By employing the scientific method, researchers can see cause-and-effect relationships and generalize the results of their experiments to larger populations. While common sense might tell us that opposites attract, that birds of a feather flock together, or that absence makes the heart grow fonder, psychologists can put such ideas to the test using various research methods to determine if there is any real truth to such folk wisdom. Descriptive Research
The goal of descriptive research is to portray what already exists in a group or population.