What is the goal of research and what is the research circle? Describe the research circle and discuss how the circle components work to achieve the goal of research.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Ans: Varies.

Research aims to describe and explain psychological phenomena. The research circle shows how the process of conducting research is dynamic, moving from theory to data back to theory. A theory is a set of propositions that explain a variety of occurrences. Theories are not testable. From a broader theory, one or more specific generalizations can be translated into hypotheses, which allow for a direct test of the relation between two or more variables. Researchers collect data, or empirical observations, to test their hypotheses with a goal of broadening their understanding of a theory. This approach, starting with a theory and testing its predictions using data, is called deductive research. Alternatively, researchers can begin with observation and collection of data and then produce theory. This approach is called inductive research. While deductive research moves from theory to data, inductive research aims to describe a phenomenon and form empirical generalizations, which describe patterns found in the data. From empirical generalizations, researchers build theories. Both inductive and deductive research have the same goals: to build effective theories that organize and explain data or generate predictions for data not yet obtained. They are both necessary to achieve the goals of research.