Explain which nonexperimental research method you should use in each of the following situations to obtain the best results and why; and describe how bias could be minimized when using each method. a. You wish to find out if people throw away their trash after they eat inside a fast-foodrestaurant. b. You wish to collect information regarding schizotypal personality disorders. c. You wish to

Question

find out the opinions of the American public regarding changes in the taxcode?
d. You wish to find out whether there is an association between being physical attractivenessand being acquitted of a crime by juries.

Answer 1

Answers will include:

a. To find out whether people throw away their trash, one should use naturalistic observation,
which involves observing behavior as it unfolds naturally. (The survey method would not
be used in this situation, since people might give a socially desirable answer if questioned,
which might not reflect their true behavior. Therefore, it would be best to use observation
of actual behaviors. A case study involves the behaviors of a single person, while
correlational studies look at a relationship between two factors.) To minimize bias when
using naturalistic observation, observers could avoid the observer effect by appearing as
"customers" themselves sitting in the restaurant or hidden cameras could be used, while
the use of operational definitions and training in objective observation could minimize
observer bias.

b. Unusual and rare mental disorders, such as the schizotypal personality disorder would
best be studied using the clinical method, or case study, which is an in-depth, detailed study
of a single subject. Case studies on several clients with this same disorder could be
collected and compared across the country.

c. To find out the opinions of a large group of people, the survey method would be the most
effective method. The questions to be asked should be carefully worded, so there is no
misunderstanding by the subjects being surveyed. The subjects to be surveyed should be
randomly selected in order to obtain a representative sample from the population (the
American public). Telephone surveys and Internet surveys have been used to reach
large groups of people. Biased samples can limit web-based research because it isn't easy
to control who actually answers your online questionnaire. However, psychologists are
getting better at gathering valid information using the Internet. It should be noted that
replies to survey questions are not always accurate or truthful because many people show
a distinct courtesy bias, a tendency to give "polite" or socially desirable answers.
Therefore, a large sample must be surveyed in order to minimize the effects of this bias.

d. Looking for an association or relationship between two events would involve a correlation
study. One would need to operationally define "physical attractiveness" and then rate the
physical attractiveness of persons being tried for a crime before a jury and note the final
verdict (acquitted or guilty). A correlational coefficient would be calculated regarding the
relationship between these two events.