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A wide range of research methods are used in psychology. These methods vary by the sources of
information that are drawn on, how that information is sampled, and the types of instruments that are
used in data collection. Methods also vary by whether they collect qualitative data, quantitative data or
both.

Research psychology encompasses the study of behavior for use in academic settings, and contains
numerous areas. It contains the areas of abnormal psychology, biological psychology, cognitive
psychology, comparative psychology, developmental psychology, personality psychology, social
psychology and others. All branches of psychology can have a research component to them. Research
psychology is contrasted with applied psychology.

Research in psychology is conducted in broad accord with the standards of the scientific method,
encompassing both qualitative ethological and quantitative statistical modalities to generate and
evaluate explanatory hypotheses with regard to psychological phenomena. Where research ethics and
the state of development in a given research domain permits, investigation may be pursued by
experimental protocols. Psychology tends to be eclectic, drawing on scientific knowledge from other
fields to help explain and understand psychological phenomena. Qualitative psychological research
utilizes a broad spectrum of observational methods, including action research, ethnography,
exploratory statistics, structured interviews, and participant observation, to enable the gathering of
rich information unattainable by classical experimentation. Research in humanistic psychology is more
typically pursued by ethnographic, historical, and historiographic methods.

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