Research Methods in Psychology in Organizations, Social and Work

Code:

P846

Acronym:

MIPOST

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Scientific Research Methodology

Instance: 2013/2014 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Psychology
Course/CS Responsible:	Integrated Master Psychology

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MIPSI	32	Official Curricular Structure	4	-	6	54	162
		Official Curricular Structure 2012	4	-	6	54	162

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

The purpose of this curricular unit is to provide students with conceptual and operational instruments concerning different types and objects of research in the fields of social psychology, organizational psychology and work psychology, as well as in their interfaces, supported on previous knowledge in what concerns qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. These instruments should facilitate the planning and effective implementation of the students’ projects within the framework of the development of their theses and/or internship reports.

Learning outcomes and competences

At the end of the course students should be able to:

- Identify the research methods operated by Organizational, Social and Work Psychology;

- Mobilize the adequate tools (conceptual and operational) for the planning and realization of the students’ research projects as part of their thesis and / or internship reports;

- Produce an interview guide (considering different levels of directivity)

- Organize and prepare information for the process of data analysis

- Master the basic principles of working with NVivo, software for qualitative analysis (QSR)

 - Increased skills of planning experimental and correlational studies and analysis of their results.

 - Make an analysisof the work activity;

 

Working method

Presencial

Program

1. Organizational Psychology:

- Scientific research in the organizational context;

- Historical perspective and epistemological framework of research in organizational context; - Stages of the process of qualitative research;

- Research method: case study; - Data collection instruments; - The process of analyzing data using NVivo.

2. Social Psychology:

- Hypothesis testing in experimental and correlational methods. Introduction to planned comparisons or contrasts, trend analysis, and analysis of covariance. Distinction between moderation and mediation: introduction to some common techniques.

- Exploratory data analysis techniques. Introduction to principal components analysis and cluster analysis. Aims and general principles of the two techniques; execution modes, interpretation and use.

3. Work Psychology:

- The scientific study of the relation between human beings and work activity;

- Epistemological bases and methodological options in work psychology

- Work psychology and ergonomics: iterative and participated construction of the transformational intervention;

- Research/ intervention methods: verbalizations, foundations in the real work and time related issues (the “instructions to the double”; self and crossed confrontation techniques; Magica and Matriosca; the principle of “open statistics”)

Mandatory literature

Barros-Duarte, C. & Cunha, L. ; INSAT2010 – Inquérito Saúde e Trabalho: outras questões, novas relações., 2010
Butterfield, L. D., Borgen, W. A., Amundson, N. E., & Maglio, A.-S. T.; ; Fifty years of the critical incident technique: 1954-2004., 2005
Cassell Catherine 340; Essential guide qualitative methods in organizational research. ISBN: 0-7619-4888-0
Lacomblez, M. & Vasconcelos, R. ; Análise ergonómica da actividade, formação e transformação do trabalho, Laboreal, 5, 1, 53-60, 2009
Reis Harry T. 340; handbook of research methods in social and personality psychology. ISBN: 0-521-55903-0
Santos, M.; Análise psicológica do trabalho: dos concei¬tos aos métodos, Laboreal, 2, 1, 34-41, 2006
Tabachnick Barbara G.; Using multivariate statistics. ISBN: 0-321-05677-9
Yin Robert K.; Case study research. ISBN: 978-1-4129-6099-1
Yin, R. K.; Qualitative research from start to finish, New York: The Guilford press, 2011

Complementary Bibliography

Yin Robert K.; Applications of case study research. ISBN: 978-1-4129-8916-9

Teaching methods and learning activities

Theoretical and practical presentations by the teacher; Analyses of cases - small group work followed by general discussion. Autonomous study. Practical exercises of planning of empirical studies, construction of questionnaires, and statistical analysis of data complemented by the analysis of scientific articles.

keywords

Social sciences > Educational sciences > Research methodology

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Trabalho escrito	100,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	48,00
Frequência das aulas	54,00
Trabalho de investigação	60,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Classes are subject to verification of attendance. Safeguarding the special cases covered in the law, students who miss more than 25% of the classes planned not get frequency at course unit (according to Regulation Assessment of students FPCEUP - Article 9, point 2.).

Calculation formula of final grade

In the evaluation of this UC there are 3 componens:

a) Writen work (group / individual) for the Module Organizational Psychology;

b) Writen work (group / individual) for the module Social Psychology;

c) Writen work (group / individual) for the module Work Psychology;

The final classification is obtained by weighting the evaluation components outlined above.
The ratings in each of the components and the final classification will be communicated to students on a scale of 0 to 20.

Examinations or Special Assignments

See Special assessment.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Students who by law are exempted from verification of the conditions of attendance to classes, are subjected to the same evaluation.

Classification improvement

"Students can improve classification test performed once per course, one of the two final exam periods immediately subsequent to that they received approval and that the course has provided for examination." (Section 1, Art 11 of the "Regulation assessment of students FPCEUP"). Improving the final classification obtained in this course is possible by carrying out a further examination under the above conditions.