Evaluating Research

Francis C. Dane received a BS in psychology from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and a PhD in social psychology from the University of Kansas. His advisor was Larry Wrightsman, and he has certainly followed in Dr. Wrightsman’s footsteps in terms of staying active in publishing and doing research. He started as assistant professor of psychology at State University of New York in Oswego, New York, from 1979 to 1983. He moved to Clemson University in South Carolina from 1983 to 1988, where he was promoted to associate professor of psychology, and then moved to Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, where he was associate professor and department chair of psychology. He stayed at Mercer as the William Heard Kilpatrick professor of psychology in the college of liberal arts and as professor of internal medicine at Mercer University School of Medicine until 2002. He then became the inaugural James V. Finkbeiner endowed chair of ethics and public policy in the college of arts and behavioral sciences at Saginaw Valley State University in University Center, Michigan, until 2010, after which he accepted the position chair of arts and sciences at Jefferson College of Health Sciences in Roanoke, Virginia. When Jefferson College became part of Radford University in 2019 he became Professor of Psychology at Radford. He can be reached via e-mail at fcdane@jchs.edu and followed on Twitter as @FrankDaneDoc.  

Preface
Acknowledgments
1 | Introduction
Introduction
Goals of Research
Evaluation of Research
Initiating a Research Review
Finding Research
Summary
Exercises
2 | The Scientific Approach
Introduction
A Philosophy of Science
Science and Nonscience Compared
Ethics of Consuming Research
Summary
Exercises
3 | Reading a Research Report
Introduction
Research Report Organization
Summary
Exercises
4 | Sampling
Introduction
Sampling Distributions
Probability Sampling
Nonprobability Sampling
Representative Samples
Summary
Exercises
5 | Measurement
Introduction
Measurement Levels
Reliability
Validity
Epistemic Correlation
Scaling
Summary
Exercises
6 | Experimental Research
Introduction
Causal Analysis in Experimental Research
Demonstration Versus Demography
Alternative Explanations for Research Results
Experimental Design
Demonstration Versus Demography Again
Summary
Exercises
7 | Quasi-Experimental Research
Introduction
Time-Series Designs
Regression-Discontinuity Designs
Nonequivalent Groups Basic Pretest Designs
Self-Selection
Correlational Research
Meta-Analysis
Single-Participant Designs
Summary
Exercises
8 | Qualitative Research
Introduction
Phenomenological Method
Ethnography
Grounded Theory
Historical Research
Case Study
Mixed Method Research
Summary
Exercises
9 | Conceptual Overview of Statistical Analyses
Introduction
Types of Statistics
Single-Sample Statistics
Relational Statistics
Group Differences
Summary
Exercises
10 | Archival Research
Introduction
Content Analysis
Methodological Issues in Content Analysis
Existing Data Analysis
Methodological Issues in Existing Data Analysis
Summary
Exercises
11 | Survey Research
Introduction
Survey Content
Survey Instruments
Administering Surveys
Data Analyses in Survey Research
Summary
Exercises
Epilogue
Glossary
References
Author Index
Subject Index
About the Author