Research Methods in Psychology

Reviewed by Kathleen McWhorter, Lecturer III, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on 1/1/26

Comprehensiveness rating: 5

This textbook covers all major topics one would expect to learn when taking a course on psychological research. These topics include scientific reasoning, the scientific method, ethics, experimental and non-experimental designs, measurement, data analysis, and reporting of results. The text also includes both traditional methods and more modern issues such as replication and open science.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

While much of the content in this text is not likely to go out of fashion any time soon, it has remained up to date regarding the field of research, in that it includes a section on the importance of replication studies, publishing non-significant findings and the practice of open science.
The information throughout the text is accurate and rooted in current psychological research standards. The concepts, terminology and statistical explanations align with the accepted practices in the field of psychological research.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The information presented in the text is highly relevant for undergraduate psychology students and the content prepares students to evaluate and understand scientific research and findings. The text also contains information that will be helpful for students who are carrying out their own research as part of the course. At the end of each chapter there are exercises that are meant to give students a hands-on experience with the material that was presented.
One suggestion would be to include examples that are not just academic in nature and include some that would allow students to understand how concepts could be used in a clinical or real-world setting.

Clarity rating: 5

Research concepts are explained in clear, accessible language appropriate for beginners and there are concrete examples and summaries to reinforce understanding from real research being done in the field. Each chapter offers a summary as well as learning objectives to help support student comprehension.

Consistency rating: 5

Terminology and explanations are consistent across the text. Each chapter is structured in a uniform way, allowing students to come to know what to expect in terms of the layout of the information.

Modularity rating: 4

The first several chapters have the potential to be used independently, allowing instructors the flexibility to design their course to their particular liking. Some later chapters however, especially those focused on statistics and more complex research designs, assume prior knowledge from earlier chapters, which may make it difficult to use solely on their own.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

There is a logical progression from foundational concepts to advanced methods. Each chapter contains headings, subheadings and summaries that make it easy to navigate.

Interface rating: 5

The open-access digital format is easy to navigate, and the use of visual aids, tables, and exercises are well-placed to support student learning. This also includes examples on best practices when creating different types of charts (frequency distributions, scatterplots, etc.) with real data. It also includes comics and funny images that relate to current material to help deepen student understanding.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The writing is grammatically correct and free of distracting errors. The writing is grammatically correct and free of distracting errors. There is an error in the final chapter in which a subheading suggests further discussion of ANOVA, however, the text instead skips directly to the next subheading and topic without providing the expected explanation.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text demonstrates cultural relevance by using inclusive language, avoiding stigmatizing examples, and incorporating diverse research perspectives and ethical considerations.

This textbook is particularly well suited for introductory and mid-level undergraduate research methods courses in psychology. Overall, this text is an excellent choice for instructors seeking a rigorous, accessible, and cost-effective foundation in psychological research methods.