Methods of study in psychology

1. Unit – I Introduction to
psychological Basis of
Education
1.1 Methods of study in psychology-Introspection/ self-reporting,
observation, survey. Case study, Interview, Testing, Experimental.

2. Introspection
 Method of self examination or inner observation
 Made by two Latin words intro meaning within or inward and spiere meaning
to look
 A person perceives, analyses and reports one’s own feelings
 Reporting of everything that takes place in one’s mind during the course of
mental act

3. Merits of introspection
 Simple method
 Readily available
 Low cost
 Inner or covert behaviour is revealed

4. Drawbacks of introspection
 Mental process changes continuously
 Lack of reliable communicability and repeatability
 Others cant observe same feeling as we examine our own feeling
 Impossible to acquire validity, exactness in self observation or examination of
one’s own mental process
 Applied to adult normal human beings only

5. Observation method
 Means perceiving behaviour as it is
 Observation in natural condition
 Mental process for others through observation of external behaviour
 Waiting for behaviour to occur in natural conditions

6. Merits of observation method
 Natural
 Flexible
 Economical
 Developmental characteristics of child can be observed

7. Drawbacks of observation method
 One can be expert in hiding feelings
 Subjectivity
 Lack of replicability
 Dependant on time and place or natural situation
 Inability to establish relationship between cause and effect

8. Experimental method
 Latin word experimentum meaning trial or test
 Used to cause and effect relationship
 Pre-arrangements of control conditions
 Certain conditions leads to theories or principles

9. Merits of Experimental method
 Cause and effect can be established
 Allows precise control of variables
 Can be replicated

10. Drawback of Experimental method
 All the psychological phenomenon cannot be studied by this method
 Costly in terms money and time