Types of Research

Typical study methods used in social and behavioral research include observation, record reviews, historical studies, interviews, surveys, questionnaires, and various psychological and social interventions in the laboratory or in the field.

Observational studies: Involves observation of people without intervention or applies an intervention or manipulation of a subjects' environment to observe their reaction.

Record reviews and historical studies: Use of existing public or privately held records or materials. There is no intervention or manipulation involved in these study designs.

Surveys, questionnaires, and interviews:

• Some surveys use interview methods to obtain information directly from individuals.
• Interviews can be formal or informal. Unlike informal interviews, standardized interviews have the subjects respond to a predetermined set of questions asked by a trained interviewer.
• Questionnaires are systematically developed and may be pretested on a small number of people drawn from the subject population, so that any ambiguities or biases in the way questions are stated can be identified and corrected.