Critical Thinking About Research: Psychology and Related Fields 2nd Revised edition

To become informed consumers of research, students need to thoughtfully evaluate the research they read rather than accept it without question. This second edition of a classic text gives students what they need to apply critical reasoning when reading behavioral science research. It updates the original text with recent developments in research methods, including a new chapter on meta-analyses. Part I gives a thorough overview of the steps in a research project. It focuses on how to assess whether the conclusions drawn in a behavioral science report are warranted by the methods used in the research. Topics include research hypotheses, sampling, experimental design, data analysis, interpretation of results, and ethics. Part II allows readers to practice critical thinking with a series of fictitious journal articles containing built-in flaws in method and interpretation. Clever and engaging, each article is accompanied by a commentary that points out the errors of procedure and logic that have been deliberately embedded in the article. This combination of instruction and practical application will promote active learning and critical thinking in students studying the behavioral sciences.
This book teaches readers to be informed consumers of research---that is, to thoughtfully evaluate the research they read rather than accept it without question.
There are many good texts on research design, say Meltzoff and Cooper, but they are written from the perspective of the research producer, not the research consumer. Writing for graduate students of psychology and related discipline, they teach the important skill of critiquing research. Their topics include seeking trustworthy knowledge, research variables and strategies, research designs and threats to internal validity, manipulation and measurement validity, research synthesis and meta-analysis, and research ethics. They also provide 17 articles as practice for critical thinking, among them treatment of flying phobia: comparative efficacy of two behavioral methods, effect of context upon accuracy of recall of affective experiences, and contingency reinforcement in the treatment of talking aloud to self: a single-case study. Annotation ©2017 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)