As you have learned during this class, the many methods of research available make it helpful to think through the different options prior to determining which research method is appropriate for your study. It is important to think of what is most needed from your study results when choosing what method to use. If a researcher wants to study an exercise intervention for reducing depression, the researcher might collect in-depth data from one person using a single case study, watch people and collect observational data, survey people on their rates of exercise and their moods, collect data from people who regularly use their gym membership and people who do not in terms of their mood, or randomly assign people to receive or not receive an exercise intervention and collect data on their symptoms of depression. Different research designs yield different data. The data obtained, in turn, impact the conclusions that can be made and the implications of study results for professionals working in the field.

Imagine you have earned your psychology degree and are working as a researcher who was just given a large grant to conduct a psychology study on substance abuse. The only limitation is that you need to focus on a relationship between two variables (such as exercise and depressionorsocial media use and anxiety).

Please respond to the following in regards to substance abuse research:

• What two variables would you want to focus on? Would you want to explore association or causation?
• What would be your question and hypothesis?
• What research design would you choose to use? Why?
• What type of data would you collect?
• What is a source of error or bias that could affect your results?
• How might the results of this study be useful to professionals working in the field?