Research Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Research Methods - Essay Example A fairly classic, everyday example of this is a fictional study that found a correlation between ice cream consumption and murder rates. In studying the two variables in a specific area, e.g., New York City, it would become clear that there is a relationship between ice cream consumption and murder because over the course of the year, they both rise and fall in a seemingly related pattern. Does homicidal proclivity derive from consuming too much ice cream No, it doesn't. The confounding variable here is the heat. As summer becomes hotter, people eat more ice cream; research has shown they also tend to have more violent outbursts. In this case, there is no valid relationship between the two variables even though, from a limited perspective, there appears to be one. For a research study to be effective or believable, it has to have strong conclusions (validity) which are based on consistent measurements (reliability); thus, the research design needs to consider these two elements and factor in methods which ensure a high quantity of each (Cohen, Manion, & Morrison, 2000, p. 129). This approach provides the reader or researcher with confidence that the data was measured in a scientific and repeatable way, and that the conclusions are accurate and truthful as we can best understand them.