The Psychology Research Handbook: A Guide for Graduate Students and Research Assistants: A Primer for Graduate Students and Research Assistants

The Psychology Research Handbook: A Guide for Graduate Students and Research Assistants: A Primer for Graduate Students and Research Assistants

by Dr . Frederick T . L . Leong (Editor), Dr . James T . Austin (Editor)

Synopsis

This comprehensive, easy-to-understand guide is ideal for the beginning psychology researcher.

The Handbook follows the standard model of research planning, design, data collection, statistical analysis and writing-up results. Individual chapters focus on such integral tasks as: finding a topic; conducting literature searches; selecting instruments; designing surveys and questionnaires; sampling; applying for institutional approval; conducting mail and phone surveys; cleaning up a data set; using basic and advanced statistical analysis; and doing qualitative analysis. In addition, a special topics section gives advice on such issues as coordinating a research team, applying for grants and using theory in research.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 408
Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc
Published: 10 Oct 1996

ISBN 10: 0803970498
ISBN 13: 9780803970496

Media Reviews

The Psychology Research Handbook is destined to become a standard reference work for students seeking to master psychology research methods and procedures. The editors, Dr. Frederick T. L. Leong and Dr. James T. Austin, are to be congratulated for providing students with a comprehensive guide for conducting many types of psychology research on human subjects. It's all here in clear and lucid prose: the reader is treated to an intellectually stimulating and fun-filled journey into the world of psychology research, from 'identifying a research topic' to 'applying for research grants.' The volume contains 29 chapters, some of which are co-authored by advanced graduate students. This touch of the 'real world' adds to the clarity and practicality of many chapters. Unlike other research handbooks that are filled with arcane material that frightens the budding researcher, this volume will spark a lifelong love affair with the psychology research process. Of special value are the chapters on topics typically missing from other texts, including 'cross-cultural research,' 'dealing with journal editors and reviewers,' 'conducting meta-analyses,' and 'using archival datasets.' In my opinion, this is the book of choice for introducing the psychology research process to students and research assistants.

-- Foreword by Anthony J. Marsella

The Psychology Research Handbook is a true handbook. It provides guidance in planning, designing, and carrying out research and data analysis, as well as instruction in writing up the research and applying for grants. Each chapter offers good practical advice on topics ranging from 'cleaning up data,' 'revising a research manuscript,' and so on to 'coordinating a research team' and 'applying theories in research.' Although the subtitle is 'A Guide for Graduate Students and Research Assistants,' I expect to refer to it next year in my 51st year of doing psychological research and writing.

-- Wilbert McKeachie

A valuable grand tour--from the ground up--of everything a beginning researcher wants to know but is usually afraid to ask. For both the new graduate student and the serious undergraduate.

-- Martin Seligman

A sound, step-by-step, practical, clearly written guide to how to initiate, do, and publish psychological research. The excellent coverage of the relevant literature is broad and up-to-date. It includes a chapter on the methodology of cross-cultural research that covers most of the essential points.

-- Harry C. Triandis

In every field of endeavor, in order for someone to be considered competent there is a set of knowledge, skills, and abilities that must be developed. Often, this takes place in formal settings like the classroom. But much of this development can only occur in the context of working with a 'master' or subject matter expert. This is often referred to as the acquisition of tacit knowledge. A real strength of the Leong and Austin primer is that it assembles a fine set of experts and has them present in a very readable format the tacit or proceduralized knowledge that they have accumulated as a result of years of practical exposure to the design, development, implementation, and documentation of research in psychology. In this regard, I feel that the section on research writing and some of the special topics covered are especially noteworthy. When read in conjunction with an instructor's input, these chapters in particular should increase the student's capacity for professional-level work immensely. All things considered, this handbook should meet an important set of needs among advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students in psychology.

-- Richard Klimoski
Author Bio
Frederick T. L. Leong, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology (Industrial/Organizational and Clinical Psychology Programs) and Psychiatry. He is also the Director of the Center for Multicultural Psychology Research at Michigan State University. He has authored or co-authored more than 250 journal articles and book chapters. In addition, he has edited or co-edited 12 books. Dr. Leong is a Fellow of the APA (Divisions 1, 2, 5, 12, 17, 29, 45, 52), Association for Psychological Science, Asian American Psychological Association, and the International Academy for Intercultural Research. His major research interests center around culture and mental health, cross-cultural psychotherapy (especially with Asians and Asian Americans), and cultural and personality factors related to career choice and work adjustment. He is past president of APA's Division 45 (Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues), the Asian American Psychological Association, and the Division of Counseling Psychology in the International Association of Applied Psychologists. He has served on the APA Board of Scientific Affairs, the Minority Fellowship Program Advisory Committee, and the Commission on Ethnic Minority Recruitment, Retention, and Training (CEMRRAT2) Task Force. He received the Dalmas Taylor Distinguished Contributions Award from the APA Minority Fellowship Program and the Stanley Sue Award for Distinguished Contributions to Diversity in Clinical Psychology from APA Division 12. He is also the 2007 co-recipient of the APA Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology. James T. Austin (Ph.D., Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Virginia Tech University, 1987) is a Research Specialist 2 at The Ohio State University, specializing in the psychometrics of test creation and evaluation for Career-Technical Education at the secondary and community college levels. He served as Assistant Professor of I-O Psychology from 1991-1997 at Ohio State. His research on goal-setting, criterion measurement, and research methodology has appeared in Psychological Bulletin, Annual Review of Psychology, Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decisions Processes. He is currently cowriting a book on analysis and prioritization of needs assessment data in program evaluation.