Requirements for methods of psychological research. Basic research methods, requirements for their implementation, advantages and disadvantages

Psychology exam!!!

1st and 2nd tickets

Methods of psychology are ways of studying the psyche.

They are divided into: Main and Auxiliary

Basic methods:

1. Observation is a systematic, planned perception of the behavior of another person with subsequent conclusions about his psyche.

Observation Requirement:

1. Accurate recording (date of observation, observation of behavior, analysis)

2. Letter-by-letter fixation (step-by-step)

3. Having a plan

4. Having a goal

5. System

2. An experiment is a method in which the researcher creates special conditions under which manifestations of a certain psychological function are possible.

Requirements for the experiment: (psychological function (5-6 people in observation (1 person)

1. Fast

2. Fixation

3. Must be familiar

Observation is a subjective method

Experiment is an objective method

There is a more active researcher in the experiment, but you cannot interfere in the process.

2nd ticket!!! List additional methods of psychology. Auxiliary method

1 .Study of children's activity products (drawing, crafts, composed a fairy tale)

Requirements:

1. The product is created by the child himself

2. The choice of tools and materials should be made by the child himself.

3. The child should sit alone during the creative process.

4. During the process of creating a product, you must monitor this process and record everything.

5. After creating the product, have a conversation.

2. A test is a standardized method in which each task is scored.

Advantages of the test:

1. There are answer options

2. There are points

3.Reusable

4. Fast large number of subjects

5. Objectivity

Disadvantages of the test:

1. Not all tests are suitable for a certain personality.

2. Few answer options

3. The human condition (emotional) is not taken into account

3. Sociometric method (experiment, there is a condition)

Sociometry (the study of interpersonal relationships in a group, the sociometric status of each child)

Experiment with a postcard in the locker room (look in the notebook)!!!

Addition to the Test method (sociometry)

Types of test:

1. Individual - study of the psyche of a specific person

2. Group – carried out with a group of people

3. Social – conducted with people of different ages

4. Isolated – exploration of one side of the psyche

5. Test battery – a system of test tasks is used

6. Achievement tests - reveal the degree of mastery of concepts, skills and abilities at the moment.

7. Personality tests - the study of personal characteristics.

8. Intellectual – study of mental development:

· Assessment of the level of mental development

· Identification of mental development relationships

Determination of children's mental readiness for school

9.creativity tests - research creativity

10.projective – a way of indirectly studying a person’s personal characteristics based on the results of his productive activities. (Drawing test family: Vasilyeva “Do you understand me”, “Test for children” Brian Shelby.

4.Conversation method

Conversation is a question-and-answer method (from the middle of secondary preschool age)

The conversation is aimed at having an answer, and in the conversation, identifying children’s knowledge about others and identifying the child’s moral values.

Requirements for the conversation:

1. It is subjective in nature, takes the position of a child

2. Questions should be short.

3. You need to prepare for the conversation in advance

4. Vary questions (paraphrase)

5. Letter-by-letter notation

6. With one child per method

7. The number of questions in the conversation should be directly proportional to the age of the children

8. Conversation no more than 5-7 minutes.

5. Questionnaire method:

1.Indoor

2.Open

The survey is carried out by Schnerbele.

Characteristics of the main methods of psychology

Observation method is the main method modern psychology, the essence of which is that scientific facts are collected through not interference in the life of the object, but passive contemplation of this fact

Observations can be carried out both short-term and long-term. Therefore, these types of observations are the cross-sectional method (short-term) and longitudinal (long-term)

The researcher can play the role of a passive observer (detached observation), or can actively interact with the object of study while simultaneously observing him (participant observation)

Observation can be both selective and general, of the subject and the object. For example, general of the object - observation is carried out over all members of the team. Selective of the object - only individual members of the team are included in the observation. General on the subject - all manifestations of the psyche are examined in the object of observation ( character, temperament, will) Selective by subject - only one problem (thinking or memory) is studied for the entire array (in the Object).

The use of surveillance is subject to the following conditions:

1) determination - defining the goal, task of the study;

2) natural conditions- typical surveillance conditions (so that persons do not know that they are being monitored);

3) having a plan;

4) precise definition object and subject of observation;

5) limitation by the researcher of the signs that are the subject of observation;

6) development by the researcher of unambiguous criteria for assessing these characteristics;

7) ensuring clarity and duration of observation

Advantages and disadvantages of the caution method

Fig 124 Advantages and disadvantages of the observation method

The observation method is used not only by scientists, but also by students, for example, when accumulating data for writing psychological characteristics of a person

Experiment is the main method of psychology, which consists in the fact that facts are obtained by creating special conditions, in which the object could most clearly demonstrate the subject being studied

There are experiments: laboratory and natural, ascertaining and molding

Laboratory testing is carried out in special psychological laboratories using appropriate equipment

A natural experiment is carried out under normal activity conditions for the person under study. A natural experiment, just like a laboratory experiment, is carried out according to a specific program, but in such a way that the person does not know that it is being studied and the solutions to the problem are solved calmly, at a pace that is usual for her.

A constitutive experiment is aimed at fixing the existing psychological characteristics of a person, a shaping experiment is aimed at stimulating the desired mental manifestations

Tests are used as an additional method in psychological research.

A test is a test, a test, one of the ways to psychologically diagnose the level of development mental processes and human properties. Psychological tests are a certain system tasks, the reliability of which is tested at certain age, professional, social groups and is assessed and standardized using special mathematical (correlation, factor, etc.) analysis.

There are tests for studying intellectual abilities, the level of mental development of an individual and tests of academic performance. With their help, you can find out the level of development of individual mental processes, levels of knowledge acquisition, and general mental development of the individual. Tests as standardized methods make it possible to compare the levels of development and success of experimental subjects to the requirements of school programs and professional profiles of various specialties.

In order to avoid errors when using tests as a method psychological research their content must correspond to the phenomenon under study (mental activity, attention, memory, imagination, etc.) and are not required to perform special knowledge. The content of the test and instructions for its execution should be as clear and understandable as possible. Results test study cannot be assessed as absolute indicators of an individual’s mental capabilities. They are only indicators of the level of development of certain qualities at the time of the study under specific living conditions, training and education of the individual.

In psychology, in particular in pedagogical practice, the survey method is widely used when it is necessary to find out the subject’s level of understanding of tasks, life situations concepts used in teaching and practical activities (natural science, technical, social) or when information is needed about the interests, views, feelings, motives of activity and behavior of an individual. The most common types of surveys as a method of psychological research include conversation, interviews, questionnaires and sociometric studies.

A conversation is a purposeful conversation with a subject in order to clarify his understanding or understanding of natural and social phenomena, scientific issues, interdependence, cause and effect, beliefs, ideals, and ideological orientation. The questions posed must be clear and precise, aimed at psychological phenomena. In a conversation, it is necessary to seek not only ascertaining answers, but also explanations, motivations, that is, answers to the questions not only “what is this?”, but also “why?”, “how?”.

One of the conversation options is an interview, which is used in psychological and sociological research. The interview contains thoughts, opinions, facts from the life of the respondent, i.e. experimental subject, his attitude to political events, situations, social phenomena etc.

The interview may not be standardized or standardized. In a non-standardized interview, the respondent’s questions are not fully formulated and can change during the research process, but in a standardized form they represent a certain system and are formulated clearly.

Questionnaire research is one of the methods of psychological survey. Using a questionnaire, literary, artistic, sports, professional interests and preferences, motives, attitudes towards the choice of actions, deeds, types of work, in certain experiences, and their assessments are explored. To the questions posed in the questionnaire, respondents give answers in in writing. Moreover, the questions are posed in such a way that the answers to them will be descriptive or alternative: “yes”, “no”, “I don’t know”, “I find it difficult to answer”, and therefore in such a way that several answer options are given in advance, among which the subject is asked to highlight one that suits his personal views and interests. The questionnaire asks questions of both a stated and motivational nature, as in a conversation and interview. The questionnaire can be personal, when the subject notes his last name and first name, provides some information about himself, and anonymous, when used, more honest answers are obtained.

With the help of questionnaire research, a large amount of material can be collected, which gives reason to consider the answers received to be quite probable. The disadvantages of this method are subjectivity, randomness of answers, and the difficulty of verifying their correctness and sincerity.

Sociometric research, or the selection method, is used to clarify relationships in a team, the evaluative attitudes of experimental subjects to others, and to give advantages to some members of a team or group over others when choosing a leader or friend. The basis for evaluative attitude and choice is a feeling of sympathy or antipathy towards others. In psychology, the sociometric technique is used to study group differentiation, when group members are asked to answer questions like: “Who would you like to be friends with?”, “Who would you choose as a group leader?” The choice can be mutually positive, mutually negative, or positive or negative on the part of the group member and negative (positive) on the part of the one he would choose.

The number of positive and negative choices is recorded on the matrix, after which their percentage is calculated. With the help of sociometric research it is possible to identify real place personality in a team with its business qualities, popularity, interpersonal relationships.

The method of analyzing the products of activity is based on the fact that the results of a person’s work include his knowledge, skills, abilities, attentiveness and observation, and character traits. Consequently, the products of activity make it possible to see in them a wide variety of mental qualities and personality traits, and the level of their development.

The products of students' activities are their written works, products, drawings, models, photographs, etc. Comparing the work, the student performs at different times, at different stages training, you can identify the level of its development, perfection of skills, accuracy, skill, intelligence, perseverance, etc. This is precisely what should be the subject of analysis of the products of activity, and not, for example, the cost of the product produced.

The products of a student’s activity can also be analyzed during the process of their creation. By observing this process, one can identify not only its quality, but also the dynamics, pace of work, dexterity in actions, and attitude to the task. These observations help to gain a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the mental, emotional, volitional and characteristic qualities and properties of a person.

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The complexity and originality of mental phenomena requires the researcher to know the basic principles and methods of studying them.

The theoretical principles that guide the researcher when studying any objects and phenomena are called principles.

Methods - these are techniques and means used by scientists to study objects and phenomena in order to obtain new knowledge about their properties, patterns and mechanisms of their occurrence and existence.

The doctrine of the principles and methods of organizing and implementing research and practical activities that guide scientists is called methodology.

The term " methodology" comes from the ancient Greek word "methodos", which means "way", "road". The methodology enables scientists and practitioners to find a more correct path in order to obtain the desired results in research and practical activities.

Methods of psychology, initially developed in scientific research, are then transferred to the practicing psychologist and serve the purposes of diagnosis, development and correction, psychoprophylaxis, etc.

Methods used in psychology, are techniques and methods that make it possible to obtain new facts for the scientific understanding of patterns mental activity and mechanisms of functioning of mental phenomena of interest to the researcher.

In order for the information obtained using methods to be reliable, it is necessary to comply with the requirements of validity and reliability.

Validity b- this is the quality of the method that indicates its compliance with what it was originally created to study.

Reliability - evidence that repeated application of the method will produce comparable results.

For the scientific study of mental phenomena, the following methods are widely used: observation, survey, testing and experiment.

Observation represents such way of studying the psyche when the researcher directly perceives the behavior and activities of the individual, without interfering with their course.

Observation is the seemingly simplest method, but in fact it requires serious professional training and knowledge. The essence of this method is that, by observing and recording (using regular recording or any technical means) behavioral characteristics, see behind them manifestations of one or another psychological characteristics in real behavior. Another task observation is highlighting behavioral features And activities, mental manifestations, which have not yet found a satisfactory description in science.

Feature of scientific observation is his intentionality, purposefulness(carried out in accordance with a predetermined goal), selectivity(not all, but certain features of behavior and activity are observed), orderliness(carrying out in accordance with a specific plan) and systematicity. It is essential to record what is being observed as completely as possible.

Observation can be external and internal.

External surveillance is carried out on other people, when the researcher can, without much difficulty, collect data on a person’s mental activity by observing his behavior in natural conditions from the outside. If a person notices that he is being watched, then he begins to behave constrained and unnatural. Such observation is ineffective and ineffective.

To ensure that the people being monitored cannot guess this, the so-called participant observation . To this end, the researcher carrying out such observation becomes a member of the group and engages in the same activities as them or leads the same lifestyle as them. In this case, aspects of people’s behavior and psyche that are of a purely intimate nature are revealed.

One of the unique methods of psychological research is survey. It is used to obtain preliminary data about mental phenomena that occur in both individuals, and among groups of people. The survey can be oral or written.

Oral survey carried out in the form of a conversation with an individual or a group of people. In order for the conversation to produce the desired results, the researcher must master the art of interviewing. The conversation must be planned and prepared in advance, and ways and means must be thought out to help understand the mental state of the interlocutor.

Written survey is most often carried out using questionnaires It is used in cases where it is necessary to study mental phenomena in a large number of people. The disadvantage of this type of survey is the lack of direct contact with the respondents, as well as the low reliability of the answers, since it is impossible to be sure how frankly the person being interviewed answers the questions posed.

In modern psychology it is widely used test method. Tests take precedence diagnostic character. They make it possible to objectively establish the presence or absence of mental properties and qualities in a subject and give them quantitative and qualitative characteristics.

Tests are applied to study the level of development of mental processes, abilities, knowledge and skills, manifestations of character traits and temperament properties.

The tests are a set of standardized, verified tests , the results of which are interpreted in a certain way.

Depending on what personality traits are being studied, the corresponding set of tests is used.

So, for example, to study the abilities and availability of knowledge, skills and abilities, they use test assignments , based on the results of which they judge the level of development of a person’s perceptual, mnemonic, intellectual and other qualities and the degree of his readiness to perform a particular activity. When studying the mental properties of a person, they use questionnaire tests , answering which subjects reveal their inherent characteristics of temperament and character.

The most important thing in psychological research is experiment. Using this method, the researcher himself creates the conditions under which the mental phenomenon of interest begins to manifest itself. In addition, during the experiment, he can make adjustments and changes to the situation he creates, vary and repeat it many times to obtain reliable data.

The experiment can be carried out both in laboratory and in natural conditions.

Laboratory experiment makes it possible to obtain accurately recorded data, since special equipment is widely used in its implementation. Negative point This type of experiment is that it is carried out in artificial laboratory conditions and causes unnatural behavior of the subjects.

IN natural experiment this drawback is eliminated, since here the study is carried out in a familiar environment in the process of performing some activity that the subject is usually engaged in. Natural experiment is used in all branches of psychology. But it has received especially wide application in educational psychology.

The most effective is comprehensive study carried out not by one, but by several methods.

First carried out observation or survey in order to collect initial preliminary information on the basis of which a proposal is put forward hypothesis O possible availability researcher of interest mental phenomenon. Then, to verify the correctness of the hypothesis, we apply testing, which makes it possible to establish the degree of severity of a mental phenomenon and give it quantitative and qualitative characteristics.

The research results are carefully analyzed, compared and summarized, and theoretical and practical conclusions are drawn based on quantitative and qualitative assessments. The reliability of the conclusions largely depends on the methods of processing the data obtained through mathematical analysis and technical means used in science.

Methodology and methods of psychological research

2.1. Basic requirements for methods of psychological research

To solve the complex of problems described in the previous chapter, science has a developed system of means, directions, paths, and techniques.

Method- this is the path of scientific knowledge. As one of the founders of Soviet psychology wrote, S.L. Rubinstein (1779-1960), this is the way through which the subject of science is learned.

Methodology - This is an option, a particular implementation of the method in specific conditions: organizational, social, historical.

The set or system of methods and techniques of any science are not random or arbitrary. They develop historically, change, develop, obeying certain patterns and methodological rules.

Methodology- this is not only a teaching about methods, rules for their selection or use. This is a systematic description of the philosophy itself, ideology, strategy and tactics of scientific research, standing above the particular theory of science. The methodology specifies What exactly,How And For what we explore how we interpret the results obtained and how we implement them in practice. A study may, for example, be completely correct methodologically, but illiterate, theoretically and methodologically untenable, and therefore essentially erroneous. Therefore, compliance with certain methodological requirements, or principles, is a necessary condition effectiveness of scientific and psychological research.

The first methodological requirement is the need for the method used to correspond to the theoretical one. beforestatement about the subject science. This position is clearly visible and illustrated by the material discussed in Chapter. 2 historical stages of changing ideas about the subject of psychology. For example, the soul can only be studied by introspection - introspection. When studying the phenomena of consciousness, conditioned reflexes or behavior, the experimental method becomes acceptable, although its methodological implementation in such cases may be fundamentally different. If we believe that the psyche is always the bearer’s conscious and expressed in words idea of it, then to study it it is enough to ask the subject the appropriate questions through verbal tests and questionnaires. The main thing is to understand that any method of psychology highlights only a particular aspect of its subject, specific facts or manifestations, features of their existence and functioning. But one cannot take the particular for the general, the phenomenon for the essence, and reliably judge, for example, the properties of a person’s temperament based on his answers to self-assessment questions about the speed of movement of the arms or legs.

The method used must be objective, those. the result obtained must have the property of verifiability and repeatability, therefore, any psychological research requires ensuring unity external and internal manifestations of the psyche. For example, the results of the experiment are supplemented by self-report data from the subject, and objective physiological parameters are correlated with verbal test responses. The methodological expression of this approach is the principle of the unity of consciousness and activity, developed in Russian psychology, which will be discussed in subsequent chapters.

When studying the psyche, it is desirable to realize geneticschecheskogo or evolutionary approach, i.e. study of a phenomenon in the process of its genesis, development, in the process of purposeful formation. This is the methodology of a “longitudinal slice” (in time), the logic of a formative, transformative experiment, clearly worked out, for example, in the scientific school of P.Ya. Halperin (see section IV).

Almost any psychological study needs to take into account social, cultural, historical factors in which the psyche really exists. Each person carries within himself not only the individual, but also the social: family, profession, nation. The human psyche is essentially social, so the results of social interactions can manifest themselves in the most unexpected and significant ways. For example, you should not interview people in the presence of their boss. You cannot use unadapted foreign methods in Russia. When assigning a school grade, social comparison of students is necessary.

5. Each method used by psychology must, on the one hand, be deeply individual, for every person is unique. But on the other hand, scientific generalizations systematized conclusions, extended recommendations. How many and which subjects should be taken to obtain reliable conclusions? What methods should be selected and what mathematical apparatus should be used?

Such questions are solved in psychology using probability theory and mathematical statistics. This is a special probabilistic methodology, according to which there are no unambiguous, linear cause-and-effect relationships in the world. One system of conditions corresponds to a certain varying set of coherent consequences, subject to the laws of probability.

6. Another requirement for psychological methods is comcomplexity And interdisciplinarity. Any serious scientific problem is interdisciplinary, therefore, for its solution, it requires the participation of specialists of different profiles: psychologists, teachers, philosophers, sociologists, lawyers, doctors, and so on, depending on the tasks being solved. Each science brings some specific aspects to psychology, but the mental is not reducible to the social, physiological, behavioral, or their sum. The requirement for complexity also means the presence of a variety of complementary research methods and techniques that are adequate to the understanding of the subject and the problems being solved. There are no good or bad methods. Each is specific and in some way irreplaceable in the general structure of scientific knowledge. Moreover, modern psychological research is characterized by systematic, conditioned by the complex, hierarchized structure of the psyche itself.

AH subject. The importance of art in the development of natural science, technology, and economics.

OH- the science of methods for identifying chemical compounds, principles and methods for determining the chemical composition of substances and their structure. The subject of the Academy of Sciences is the development of analysis methods and the practical implementation of analyses, as well as a broad study of the theoretical foundations analytical methods. This includes the study of the forms of existence of elements and their compounds in different environments and states of aggregation, determination of the composition and stability of coordination compounds, optical, electrochemical and other characteristics of substances, study of the rates of chemical reactions, determination of metrological characteristics of methods, etc.

AH is the scientific basis of chemical analysis.

Theoretical basis AH consists of fundamental laws of natural science, such as the periodic law of D.I. Mendeleev, the laws of conservation of mass and energy, constancy of the composition of matter, acting masses, etc.

Obtaining pure and ultra-pure substances that form the basis of many industries new technology, would have been impossible without the development of appropriate analytical control methods.

Chemical analysis. Types of analysis objects.

Chemical analysis- this is the experimental acquisition of data on the composition and properties of an object.

Objects of analysis: Natural- water, air, soil, mineral raw materials, oil, minerals. Industrial-organic and inorganic origin metals and alloys. Clean islands. Biomedical.

AH methods. Hybrid methods. The concept of analysis methodology.

1. Sampling - obtaining a representative sample when analyzing any object. (from the lake throughout, from different depths)

2. Sample preparation - transferring the sample to a state convenient for analysis.

3. Separation and concentration - allow you to separate components during the analysis process (extraction, precipitation, sublimation, distillation, chromatography)

4. Detection methods (identification) (determine which components are part of the object)

5. Determination methods - determine quantitative content.

Hybrid methods combine both separation and determination. (Example: chromatography)

Method of analysis- a universal and theoretically based method for determining the composition of the analyzed object.

The analysis method is based on certain principles of the relationship between the composition of a substance and its properties.

Method of analysis - detailed description analyzing an object using a specific method.

4. Types of analysis: elemental, functional, molecular, material, phase.

Elemental analysis- allows you to determine which elements and in what quantitative ratio are included in the composition of a given sample. Molecular analysis- allows you to determine the presence of individual chemical compounds characterized by a certain molecular weight. Structural analysis– allows you to determine the arrangement of atoms or molecules in a crystal. Functional analysis- allows you to determine the content of individual functional groups in the structure of a substance. Phase analysis- allows you to determine individual structural components of heterogeneous systems that differ in properties, physical structure and are limited from each other by interfaces.

Classification of analytical methods. Chemistry, physical and biological methods of analysis.

Chemistry is based on chemistry and we draw conclusions visually, assessing any changes.

Physical-instrumental detection of changes in the analytical system.

The biological analytical signal is generated due to the biologically sensitive part, which is in contact with the object of analysis.

Requirements for methods of analysis.

1.Right– a parameter characterizing the closeness of the experimental and true values of the measured quantity. It is characterized by a systematic error, which depends on the operation of the device, individual characteristics analytics, calculation errors and methodological errors.

2. Reproducibility– parameter reflecting random measurement errors and showing

degree of scatter of repeated (parallel) determinations. This is a measure of how repeatable results are when an analysis is performed multiple times.

Reproducibility determines the probability that subsequent measurements will fall within a specified interval centered on the average value. It can be assessed using any available sample, whereas to evaluate the correctness of the method it is necessary to have standard samples.

Standard samples– samples of substances whose composition is typical for a certain class of analyzed materials are determined with high accuracy and does not change during storage . An indispensable condition for the use of a standard sample in chemical analysis is the maximum similarity of the composition and properties of the standard sample and the analyzed sample. They are used for calibration and verification of analytical instruments and methods. They are of particular importance when using the physical method of analysis (example: analysis of cast iron and steel alloys).

3. Analysis accuracy is determined by the sum of accuracy and reproducibility.

4. Detection limit (DL) is the minimum concentration of a substance that can be determined by this method with some permissible error: (mol/dm3; μg/cm3;%).

5. Sensitivity–

6.–

7.Expressiveness.

8.Simplicity.

9.Economical.

10.Locality.

11.Automation.

12.Distance.

In production conditions, where analyzes are widespread, the simplest, fastest methods are chosen if they provide the required accuracy and a sufficiently low detection limit. The choice of method in each specific case is determined by the goals and objectives of the study, as well as production capabilities (availability of chemical reagents and instruments).

7. Macro-, micro- and ultramicroanalysis.

The range of concentrations (contents) of the substance in the analyzed sample and the generally accepted term characterizing the amount of the component being determined are interrelated:

a) if the mass fraction of the analyzed substance is more than 10%, then we are talking about the determination (analysis) of the main component;

b) if the mass fraction of the analyzed substance is 0.01% -10%, then they talk about determining impurities;

c) if the mass fraction of the analyzed substance is in the range (10 -6 -10 -2)%, then trace amounts are analyzed (determination of traces of the substance).

9. Basic analytical characteristics: sensitivity and selectivity of determinations.

Sensitivity– a parameter characterizing the change in the analytical signal, for example, optical density or voltage, with a change in the concentration of the component being determined, i.e. this is the tangent of the slope of the calibration graph.

Selectivity, selectivity– the ability to determine a substance (ion) in the presence of others.

Related information.

To solve the complex of problems described in the previous chapter, science has a developed system of means, directions, paths, and techniques.

Method- this is the path of scientific knowledge. As one of the founders of Soviet psychology wrote, S.L. Rubinstein (1779-1960), this is the way through which the subject of science is learned.

Methodology - This is an option, a particular implementation of the method in specific conditions: organizational, social, historical.

The set or system of methods and techniques of any science are not random or arbitrary. They develop historically, change, develop, obeying certain patterns and methodological rules.

Methodology- this is not only a teaching about methods, rules for their selection or use. This is a systematic description of the philosophy itself, ideology, strategy and tactics of scientific research, standing above the particular theory of science. The methodology specifies what exactly, how And For what we explore how we interpret the results obtained and how we implement them in practice. A study may, for example, be completely correct methodologically, but illiterate, theoretically and methodologically untenable, and therefore essentially erroneous. Therefore, compliance with certain methodological requirements, or principles, is a necessary condition for the effectiveness of scientific and psychological research.

1. The first methodological requirement is the need for the method used to correspond to the theoretical one idea about the subject science. This position is clearly visible and illustrated by the material discussed in Chapter. 2 historical stages of changing ideas about the subject of psychology. For example, the soul can only be studied by introspection - introspection. When studying the phenomena of consciousness, conditioned reflexes or behavior, the experimental method becomes acceptable, although its methodological implementation in such cases may be fundamentally different. If we believe that the psyche is always the bearer’s conscious and expressed in words idea of it, then to study it it is enough to ask the subject the appropriate questions through verbal tests and questionnaires. The main thing is to understand that any method of psychology highlights only a particular aspect of its subject, specific facts or manifestations, features of their existence and functioning. But one cannot take the particular for the general, the phenomenon for the essence, and reliably judge, for example, the properties of a person’s temperament based on his answers to self-assessment questions about the speed of movement of the arms or legs.

2. The method used must be objective, those. the result obtained must have the property of verifiability and repeatability, therefore, any psychological research requires ensuring unity external and internal manifestations of the psyche. For example, the results of the experiment are supplemented by self-report data from the subject, and objective physiological parameters are correlated with verbal test responses. The methodological expression of this approach is the principle of the unity of consciousness and activity, developed in Russian psychology, which will be discussed in subsequent chapters.

3. When studying the psyche, realization is desirable genetic or evolutionary approach, i.e. study of a phenomenon in the process of its genesis, development, in the process of purposeful formation. This is the methodology of a “longitudinal slice” (in time), the logic of a formative, transformative experiment, clearly worked out, for example, in the scientific school of P.Ya. Halperin (see section IV).

4. Almost any psychological study needs to take into account social, cultural, historical factors in which the psyche really exists. Each person carries within himself not only the individual, but also the social: family, profession, nation. The human psyche is essentially social, so the results of social interactions can manifest themselves in the most unexpected and significant ways. For example, you should not interview people in the presence of their boss. You cannot use unadapted foreign methods in Russia. When assigning a school grade, social comparison of students is necessary.

6. Another requirement for psychological methods is complexity And interdisciplinarity. Any serious scientific problem is interdisciplinary, and therefore requires the participation of specialists for its solution. different profiles: psychologists, teachers, philosophers, sociologists, lawyers, doctors, and so on, depending on the tasks being solved. Each science brings some specific aspects to psychology, but the mental is not reducible to the social, physiological, behavioral, or their sum. The requirement for complexity also means the presence of a variety of complementary research methods and techniques that are adequate to the understanding of the subject and the problems being solved. There are no good or bad methods. Each is specific and in some way irreplaceable in the general structure of scientific knowledge. Moreover, modern psychological research is characterized by systematic, conditioned by the complex, hierarchized structure of the psyche itself.