For courses in Experimental Methods and in Research Methods in Political Science and Sociology

An informative and unintimidating look at the basics of research in the social and behavioral sciences

Exploring Research makes research methods accessible for students – describing how to collect and analyze data, and providing thorough instruction on how to prepare and write a research proposal and manuscript. Author Neil Salkind covers the research process, problem selection, sampling and generalizability, and the measurement process. He also incorporates the most common types of research models used in the social and behavioral sciences, including qualitative methods. The Ninth Edition explores the use of electronic sources (the Internet) as a means to enhance research skills, includes discussions about scientific methods, and places a strong emphasis on ethics.

NOTE: This ISBN is for a Pearson Books a la Carte edition: a convenient, three-hole-punched, loose-leaf text. In addition to the flexibility offered by this format, Books a la Carte editions offer students great value, as they cost significantly less than a bound textbook.

Neil J. Salkind received his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in Human Development. After teaching for 35 years at the University of Kansas, he remains as a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology and Research in Education, where he continues to collaborate with colleagues and work with students. His early interests were in the area of children's cognitive development. After researching in the areas of cognitive style, he became a postdoctoral fellow at the University of North Carolina's Bush Center for Child and Family Policy. He is the author of Statistics for People Who Think They Hate Statistics (Sage), Theories of Human Development (Sage), and Exploring Research (Pearson). He has edited several encyclopedias including the Encyclopedia of Human Development, the Encyclopedia of Measurement and Statistics, and the recently published Encyclopedia of Research Design. He was the editor of Child Development Abstracts and Bibliography and lives in Lawrence, Kansas, where he likes to read, swim with the River City Sharks, bake brownies, and poke around old Volvos and old houses.

1. The Role and Importance of Research

2. The Research Process: Coming to Terms

3A. Selecting a Problem and Reviewing the Research

3B. The Importance of Practicing Ethics in Research

4. Sampling and Generalizability

5. Measurement, Reliability, and Validity

6. Methods of Measuring Behavior

7. Data Collection and Descriptive Statistics

8. Introducing Inferential Statistics

9. Nonexperimental Research: Descriptive and Correlational Methods

10. Nonexperimental Research: Qualitative Methods

11. Pre- and True Experimental Research Methods

12. Quasi-Experimental Research: A Close Cousin to Experimental Research

13. Writing a Research Proposal

14. Writing a Research Manuscript

Appendix A

Appendix B

Appendix C

Bibliography

Glossary

Index