Basic and Applied Research

Basic and Applied Research

One way that the scientist’s values infl uence research is in the types of research that he or she fi nds important to study. Some scientists conduct research primarily for the intellectual satisfaction of knowing something, whereas others conduct research for the purpose of gaining practical knowledge about a particular social issue or problem. 

        Basic research answers fundamental questions about behavior. For instance, cognitive psychologists study how different types of practice infl uence memory for pictures and words, and biological psychologists study how nerves conduct impulses from the receptors in the skin to the brain. There is no particular reason to study such things except to acquire a better knowledge of how these processes occur. 

        Applied research investigates issues that have implications for everyday life and provide solutions to everyday problems. Applied research has been conducted to study such issues as what types of psychotherapy are most effective in reducing depression, what types of advertising campaigns will reduce drug and alcohol abuse, how to predict who will perform well at managerial positions, and what factors are associated with successful college performance. One type of applied research is called program evaluation research, which is conducted to study the effectiveness of methods designed to make positive social changes, such as training programs, antiprejudice programs, and after-school learning programs. We will more fully discuss how to conduct program evaluation research in Chapter 14. 

           Although research usually has either a basic or an applied orientation, in most cases the distinction between the two types is not clear-cut. Scientists who conduct basic research are frequently infl uenced by practical issues in determining which topics to study. For instance, although research concerning the role of practice on memory for lists of words is basic in orientation, the results could someday be used to help children learn to read. Correspondingly, scientists who

are interested in solving practical problems are well aware that the results of basic research can help them do so. Programs designed to reduce the spread of AIDS or to promote volunteering are frequently founded on the results of basic research concerning the factors that lead people to change their behaviors. In short, applied research and basic research inform each other (Lewin, 1944). Basic research provides underlying principles that can be used to solve specifi c problems, and applied research gives ideas for the kinds of topics that basic research can study. Advances in the behavioral sciences occur more rapidly when each type of research is represented in the enterprise. Accordingly, we will discuss both approaches in this book.