Early chapters instroduce important concepts for developing research ideas, subject sampling, ethics, and data collection to help students understand the process of research. Subsequent "Nuts and Bolts" chapters provide more detailed coverage of these topics and the various types of research. This approach creates a logical scaffolding upon which students can build their knowledge.

Key Features:

• chapter organization mirrors the steps in the research process in the first part of the book and then lays out the details of different types of research designs in the second half. This sequence reflects the logical, natural progression of the research process

• the spaced repetition of concepts follows a proven memory/learning model that maximizes student retention

• Thinking About Research sections at the end of chapters provide a summary of a real research study for students to analyze and relate to the chapter content

• examples and activities in each chapter come from a wide range of psychological settings, giving students a useful overview of real research

• end-of-chapter quizzes

New to this Edition:

• updated with more research examples that relate to different designs and clarifies difficult concepts such as internal validity and the relationship between data collection techniques and various research designs

• Using Research feature at the end of selected chapters help students connect research methods knowledge to reports they encounter in their daily lives and from the media

• Why Should I Care About Research discussion added to the end of Chapter 1 helps students put the course and methods skills they are learning in context with their future goals

• Expanded Test Yourself questions at the end of chapters provide more practice for students

• Updated to conform to the latest guidelines of the APA style Manual, 6th Edition

Ancillaries:

• Password-protected Instructor Resource Site include a test bank, PowerPoint slides, sample syllabi, answers/tips for the in-text questions, an answer key for the Lab Manual and class discussion topics and activities.

• An open-access student study site provides chapter summaries and objectives, E-flashcards, Web quizzes, additional SPSS data examples, SAGE journal articles, and additional Web resources.