Behavioral Research Methods
Bus-MHR 911
Fall, 2005
Prof. Jerald Greenberg
842 Fisher Hall, 292-9829,
(Office hours: Tuesdays from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Wednesdays from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.)
You are in your first quarter of graduate school. Everyone is walking around saying things that you don’t understand. All you can figure is that they seem to be talking about research. Not wanting to broadcast your ignorance, you are too ashamed and intimidated to ask anyone what they mean. You just politely nod and smile as you soak-up the opulence of Fisher Hall, wondering if you really belong there.
Where can you go for help? Where are you going to learn how to decode this secret language that everyone just assumes you already know.
The answer is simple . . . What does anyone do when help is needed in an emergency? You call 9-1-1.
If you can relate to the first paragraph, then welcome to MHR 9-1-1, the help you seek.
Rationale and Objectives
This class is designed to familiarize incoming doctoral students with the fundamentals of behavioral research in the organizational sciences. It is designed to give students interested in such fields as organizational behavior, human resources management, business policy and strategy, international business, and marketing (especially consumer behavior) firm grounding in the basics of the behavioral research methods upon which these fields are based.
Students completing this class are expected to be able to recognize the qualities of good behavioral research, and the strengths and weaknesses of various research methods. You will be able to understand the numerous methodological options available to researchers and to assess their appropriateness to problems of interest. You also will be able to understand and critically assess the research methods and procedures reported in the journal articles in your field. In addition, it is expected that students will come away with a thorough understanding of the ethical standards used in the conduct of research, with respect to both the treatment of research participants and the dissemination of research findings.
Framed in terms of specific behavioral objectives, each student completing this class is expected:
- To understand fundamental techniques used to conduct behavioral research in organizations.
- To become familiar with the particular research methods used in your area of interest.
- To become a critical consumer of behavioral research (interpreting findings correctly and drawing appropriate conclusions).
- To apply research methods appropriately to answering your own research questions.
- To develop critical thinking skills as a research scientist.
- To develop formal or informal oral or written skills as a professional.
- To prepare you for future activities and hurdles in our PhD program.
It is important to note that this class will not deal with statistics, nor will it address the analysis of research data. It also will not provide in-depth practice in solving research problems. Statistics classes, and/or research experiences with your advisors are designed for these purposes. This class is more fundamental; it is designed to prepare students for those experiences so that they can get the most out of them. In short, we will cover all those things about research that people already assume you know.
Assignments and Grading
In keeping with my philosophy of encouraging doctoral students to practice doing the things they will be expected to do as professors, I have prepared five carefully thought-out assignments/projects that will provide opportunities for rehearsing these things and sharpening the skills required for your research career. Each assignment contributes to satisfying one or more of the specific objectives of this class as summarized in Exhibit A appearing at the end of this document.
For example, professors frequently are called upon by students and colleagues to give precise, yet brief, explanations of major questions. The “Discussion Questions” are designed with this in mind. Professors also are expected to make oral presentations of their research at professional meetings. The “Methodological Issue Presentation” will give you practice in developing the skills needed to do so. Also, as faculty members, we frequently are called upon to read and critique our colleagues’ research articles. The “Faculty Research Report” and “Journal Article Analysis” assignments are designed to simulate this process. Finally, as you know, most of what we learn from other professionals is communicated in writing journal articles. Given that one cannot have too much practice in preparing such works, you will be required to write a Research Proposal.
Each of the following assignments will contribute 20 percent to the computation of your final grade.
Discussion Questions
Students are expected to come to class fully prepared to discuss each of the discussion questions identified in the course outline. All of these are based directly on material in the three textbooks, but also may be expanded as needed (typically in the form of examples) by making reference to the supplementary reading material.
You do not have to formally write your answers to the questions, but you should bring thorough notes and be prepared to speak from them, should you be called upon in class (and you will be!). All students are expected to offer a professional and complete, yet concise, answer to each question without reading from the book. Your answers to these questions will serve as the launching point for most of the class discussions.
In advance, one student will be assigned primary responsibility for presenting an answer to one or more of the discussion questions. That person, the “discussion leader,” will take primary responsibility for answering the particular question assigned to him or her.
All students are expected to participate fully in each class session. Those who either fail to get involved or who do not make meaningful contributions to the class discussion will be downgraded I judge appropriate.
Methodological Issue Presentation
Each student will be pre-assigned one of the presentation topics scheduled for a specific week of class. These topics are identified on the course outline, and come from the three textbooks.. Students are expected to answer the questions/address the assigned issue by making a presentation to the class. This is to be a formal presentation of the type usually given at professional conventions (e.g., the Academy of Management). PowerPoint may be used.
You will be expected to describe the question and your answer in a detailed and highly organized manner that engages the audience. You should make only minimal eye-contact with your notes, and rely on the use of overhead transparency slides to guide the audience through your work. As is usually the case in professional presentations, you will have to adhere to a strict time limit—in this case, 20 minutes.
You will be interrupted frequently in the course of making this report, so make sure you know exactly what you are saying. The interruptions are not designed to distract you nor are they an indication of poor performance, so do not be insulted or dismayed by them. They merely are intended to ensure clarification or key points for the class and to make connections to related material.
Faculty Research Report
This assignment requires that you make contact with one of the faculty members in your department and ask him or her to share a relatively recent article (published or in press) reporting the results of some type of empirical research. You are to read this article very carefully and to prepare make a brief (10 minute-long) critical presentation to the class on the research methods used.
In a presentation made in class on Wednesday, November 16, 2005, you will have to describe the research question addressed and the specific methods used to address it (e.g., bring in actual questionnaires used), and then share your ideas about the strengths and limitations of this particular method.
Students are expected to coordinate their efforts so as to avoid duplication of faculty. Each student should report on a different faculty member’s work. This assignment forces you to introduce yourself to the faculty members and to talk to them about their research interests—a task that is critically important to your success in graduate school.
Journal Article Analysis
This assignment requires you to give a critical analysis of the research methods reported in an empirical article in the research literature in your field (e.g., from Journal of Applied Psychology, Academy of Management Journal, Personnel Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes). These will be presented in class on Monday, November 21, 2005.
You are to find an article that does something that violates one or more rules of research discussed in this class. In other words, this is a treasure hunt for mistakes. Tell the class precisely what was done and why you think was done improperly or interpreted inaccurately. Technical problems of a fundamental nature are not likely to be found in published articles, but questionable practices can be observed (e.g., things that make you say “that seems weird”). The key thing to look for is the degree to which any particular conclusion drawn is questionable (a violation of internal validity insofar as alternative explanations are not ruled out).
Refrain from criticizing research on obvious grounds (e.g., a field study may have more external validity than a lab study). Also refrain from criticizing research on the basis of what was not done (there is always more). Both kinds of comments are unacceptable because they are trivial. However, sharing original insight into something that strikes you as problematic is highly worthwhile.
Be sure to explain precisely was done and what is wrong with the procedure (or the interpretation). Base your analyses on specific information from this class. Also as applicable, consider the questions raised in Appendix B of Schutt.
Research Proposal
You are to write a research proposal on any one specific researchable issue relevant to your field of study. Select a question that interests you, follow the attached Guidelines for writing research proposals (Exhibit B), and use the material from class and the Whitley book for specific guidelines. To make sure that your question is defined in an appropriately narrow fashion, feel free to consult with faculty members who share your interests.
Your manuscript should be approximately 25 pages in length (double spaced in 12-point type, not counting references), following the page budget indicated in the Guidelines section (Exhibit B). Be sure to follow the suggestions for narrative literature reviews made by the Whitley text, the Bem (1995) supplementary reading, and the most current manuscript-preparation guidelines used by the American Psychological Association or the Academy of Management. Failure to do so will result in the loss of points. You will be judged by professional standards, so be clear, precise, logical, and thorough.
It is absolutely essential that your writing be razor sharp in thought and clear in presentation. Write in simple sentences, developing your ideas logically. Your grade on this assignment will be lowered by ideas that appear to be vague or that are not clearly expressed. I should come away from reading your proposal knowing precisely what you want to do and why it’s important (i.e., the contribution to the research literature).
This assignment is due at 12:00 noon on Monday, December 5, 2005. Send completed paper to me at .
Class Policies
Classes at this level are considered preparation for professional life, and students will be treated accordingly. You are expected to conduct yourself in a professional manner by coming to all classes fully prepared to participate as scheduled. Tardiness, unexcused absences, and early departures are considered inappropriate. Likewise, barring emergency conditions, all work is due on the assigned dates.
Don’t be misled by the casual and laid-back atmosphere in this class, and in most professional encounters. The expectations for excellence are quite serious!
Reading Material
Primary texts:
Whitley, B. E. (2002). Principles of research in behavioral science (2nd ed.). Burr Ridge, IL: McGraw-Hill.
Schutt, R. K. (2004). Investigating the social world (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge.
Shoemaker, P. J., Tankard, J. W., Jr., & Lasorsa, D. L. (2004). How to build social science theories. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Supplementary materials:
A booklet of supplementary reading materials is available for sale at Cop-EZ in the Tuttle Garage.
COURSE OUTLINE, CALENDAR, and ASSIGNMENTS
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Behavioral Science Research Strategies
Whitley: Chapters 1 and 2
Schutt: Chapter 1
Discussion Questions (no discussion leaders today)
Whitley, p. 28, questions 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15
Whitley, p. 56, questions 1, 2, 3, 4, 9
Formulating Research Questions
Whitley: Chapter 4
Schutt: Chapter 2
Packet: Wilson et al. (1993)
Discussion Questions (no discussion leaders today)
Whitley, p. 120, questions, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Wednesday, October 5, 2005
Research Questions, Hypotheses, Models, and Theories
Schutt: Chapters 3 (skim)
Shoemaker, Tankard, & Lasorsa: Whole book
Discussion Question (each student must present an answer)
- What are the distinctions between a research question, a hypothesis, a theoretical model, and a theory?
- What are the desirable characteristics of a theory or model?
Presentation (each student must do this)
Thumb through articles in a recent (2003-2005) issue of one or more of the following journals until you find one particular article that interests you.
· Journal of Applied Psychology
· Academy of Management Journal
· Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes
· Administrative Science Quarterly
· Personnel Psychology
Make sure that the article provides an empirical test of some hypotheses based on some theory or theoretical model. Keep looking until you find such a work (there are many, so this is not difficult). Then, once you find such an article, come to class prepared to do each of the following:
- Identify the research question.
- Explain in general terms the theory or model being tested.
- Identify some of the specific hypotheses that are presented to test that theory or model.
- Explain how the theory was tested methodologically.
- Describe what was found and what bearing it has on the theory (e.g., the hypothesis was confirmed, lending support for the theory, or the hypothesis was not confirmed, casting doubt on the theory).
- Explain the value do you see in this work and the problems exist.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005