The 12 Types Of Research Techniques: Characteristics And Functions
In the same way that science studies many different aspects, the methods necessary to address them must also be different, with appropriate characteristics to address one or another object of study.
Research techniques are all the tools that science uses to increase its field of knowledge, both of people individually and as a whole, in addition to being able to understand natural phenomena, such as animal behavior.
Next We will see what the main research techniques are and we are going to encompass them according to whether they are quantitative techniques or qualitative techniques.
Research techniques are the processes and instruments used in the approach and study of a certain phenomenon, fact, person or social group. With these methods, researchers can collect, examine, analyze and display information with which they have encountered. It is from these processes by which research manages to satisfy its main objective, which is to acquire new knowledge and expand science.
Not all research techniques are suitable for the same objects of study. Depending on its characteristics, some techniques or others will be more appropriate. At the moment when what they want to study is proposed, the research group will decide to choose the most appropriate technique, this choice being a fundamental point in any research project.
Types of research techniques
Roughly, There are two types of research techniques: quantitative techniques and qualitative techniques Within these two types there are different tools that are used depending on the data to be obtained and the way in which it is going to be analyzed.
Quantitative research
Quantitative research is empirical, and is based on objectivity. Quantitative techniques usually collect data by transforming them into numbers, and relating these values in such a way that it can be established whether or not there are causal relationships between the different variables evaluated.
1. Surveys
The purpose of the survey is measure the characteristics of a population by collecting data, obtained from the answers given by the respondents and analyzing them statistically.
Data is obtained through questionnaires, that is, lists of questions that participants must answer.
Among the questions that can be asked in a survey we have practically all types: open questions, closed questions, dichotomous questions (option A or option B), multiple choice questions, fan questions, estimation questions. opinion questions…
Although they are easy and quick to apply, surveys involve some problems. Among them is the lack of sincerity in the participant’s responses, in order to want to make a good impression or disguise reality from the researcher. Also, unconsciously or voluntarily, the participant may tend to answer “yes” to everything.
Besides, It may happen that participants do not understand some of the items in the questionnaire answering in a way that is totally contrary to what they would have really answered if they had understood them.
Tests could be considered a technique halfway between surveys and interviews. The difference with surveys is that tests usually have a diagnostic purpose while surveys aim to know public opinion, impersonally and without knowing the name or personal data of the respondents.
Their objective is to collect information on defined traits of the person, such as their personality, behavior and personal characteristics, both individually and collectively. Among the characteristics evaluated we can find intelligence, academic performance, memory, degree of depression…
These research techniques are among the most classic tools in psychology and since the first ones were developed, new ones have been designed, adapted to all types of scientific needs. Tests cannot be missing in experimental psychology, but also sociology and educational sciences.
For a test to be adequate, it must be valid, that is, study what it aims to study and not something else For example, it makes no sense for a test to say that it evaluates intelligence if it includes general knowledge questions, such as knowing what the capital of France is or how many years are five years.
It must be understood that the tests, despite being very objective, are not perfect. There is always the possibility that, as happens with surveys, the participant does not answer everything objectively or has not understood the items that make up the questionnaire.
3. Correlational studies
Correlational studies allow us to determine the degree to which two or more variables are related within a sample or population The degree of relationship is estimated using various statistical methods, which allow us to know if the relationship between these variables exists and, if so, to know if it is direct or inversely proportional.
An example of a positive relationship between two variables would be: the grade obtained in an exam and the hours dedicated to studying by university students correlate in such a way that the more hours of study, the better the grade.
An example of a negative relationship would be: grade obtained in an exam and hours spent chatting in the bar, correlating in such a way that the more hours spent in the bar, the worse the grade in the exams.
4. Causal-comparative studies
Similar in some ways to correlational studies, causal-comparative studies They aim to establish the time in which the cause and effect occur in a given phenomenon It is for this reason that these studies are subdivided into two types: retrospective causal-comparative studies and prospective studies.
In retrospectives, the research group analyzes the problem when the effects have already occurred. That is, it is about finding what is the cause of a phenomenon that has already been observed. On the other hand, in prospective studies, the investigation begins before the events occur, starting from the causes and trying to find out what their effects will be.
The main characteristic of experimental studies is that they are guided based on the prior development of one or several hypotheses That is, they start from a statement, in the form of an affirmation, and it is through research that the aim is to know if this statement is true or false, that is, to verify or refute it. During the experiment, the research group controls one or several variables, evaluating the effects that occur based on the changes they make to them.
Qualitative research
The main objective of qualitative research is to understand and interpret phenomena that, for various reasons, cannot be extrapolated to a laboratory context, or that depend on the context in which they occur. It is for this reason that With qualitative research, scenarios, people and communities are described in their natural form without researchers directly controlling and modifying one or several variables.
1. Observation
Observation, as its name indicates, implies carefully observe the phenomenon, fact or specific case, taking the necessary information and recording it more or less systematically.
Really, observation is a fundamental element of all research, no matter how quantitative it ultimately aims to be. In fact, observation is such an important tool for science that, basically, most scientific knowledge has been obtained using this qualitative technique.
The research group relies on observation to obtain as much data as possible Thus, they observe behaviors that may not be evaluable through the administration of questionnaires or that the subject under study is not aware of performing. This technique is also frequently used at the beginning of research, when there is not enough information about a specific phenomenon.
There are different forms of observation Let’s see what they are.
2. Bibliographic research
Bibliographic research is a qualitative technique that is responsible for exploring everything that has been written about a certain topic or problem This type of research aims to fulfill the following functions:
3. Ethnographic studies
Ethnographic studies are used when desired learn more about the behavior, habits and ways of life of a human group of any ethnicity, culture, linguistic group, sexual orientation or political tendency.
Each human group can have very different behaviors, beliefs and attitudes, but they make up the same cultural unit, which is why this special type of study is used, given that there are sociocultural aspects that are difficult to evaluate and obtain quantitatively.
4. Grounded theory
This research method involves developing theory from data. That is, the starting point does not consist of the theoretical framework or a previous bibliographic search, but rather the theory is developed based on the data obtained during the process.
Grounded theory is not only used in social sciences, but is also a method applied in health sciences An example of this would be in the evaluation of a patient’s symptoms and signs, which will determine the diagnosis and the intervention process.
The narrative technique involves ask people to tell their stories or experiences about a certain event, explaining their testimony and how they experienced it
A similar technique is visualization methods, in which subjects are asked to report a phenomenon, element or fact in a pictorial way, such as creating a map, a diagram or a more or less artistic representation of their experiences.
An example of a visualization method would be asking someone to make a diagram of their community or the elements that are part of their daily life, such as their house, school, neighborhood bakery…
6. Case studies
Case studies involve an in-depth examination of a single person or a single institution The main objective of these techniques is to provide the most accurate representation possible of the individual being studied, trying to obtain all types of information relevant to what you want to study about them.
The case study is a widely used tool in psychology, especially if it is a very complex case or one that needs special attention, or if it is a patient who comes to the psychotherapist’s office. By approaching the person individually and deeply, the researcher has a detailed understanding of the problem or issue to be addressed
7. The interviews
The interview is a technique with which data is obtained from the dialogue between two people: the interviewer, or the researcher, and the interviewee.
The role of the interviewee can be played by a research participant, a patient, a job candidate or an expert on a certain topic. This interview It is carried out in order to obtain information from the interviewee, which will vary depending on the object of study of the research
The interview is one of the oldest research techniques. It has been used for a long time in psychology and is also applied in sociology and education. In fact, it is in these sciences, along with observation, that the interview constitutes an indispensable technique since it allows data to be obtained directly from the person who is the object of the study.
The use of the interview It is done when it is considered necessary for there to be interaction and dialogue between the researcher and the person being investigated It is also a good tool to use when the population being studied is small and manageable, whether it is one person or a small group of them.
The interviewer must be a person who demonstrates self-confidence. Furthermore, he must put himself at the level of the interviewee, presenting the interview in terms that are easily understood by the interviewee and that do not give rise to ambiguities.
