In a course Methods and Evaluation, students learn how to plan, conduct, and analyse psychological studies. They also learn to assess the quality of psychological studies and to judge which conclusions can and cannot be drawn from an empirical study. Knowledge of methods and evaluation is needed in many areas of later professional practice.
Comprehensive knowledge of study design and analysis is required, for example, when evaluating interventions, such as when the effectiveness of a new therapy or the effect of a personnel development measure is to be tested. Only well-planned, well-conducted, and correctly analyzed studies can yield meaningful and reliable statements about the effectiveness of an intervention. In practice, it is generally required that the effectiveness of a measure is proven before it is regulary implemented and financed. Statistical knowledge is also needed in assessment, which involves measuring the characteristics of individuals and assessing the accuracy of the measurement. This plays a role in personnel selection, for example, where the competencies, motivation, and attitudes of applicants are to be measured. Other examples are the measurement of competencies in school psychology or of mental disorders in clinical psychology.
Knowledge of methods and evaluation is also required in all areas of psychological research. Such research can take place at universities, but also in industry (e.g., market research) or in government institutions close to policymaking. Research provides new insights that form the basis for later practice and political decisions. It must be ensured that the research meets quality standards and that the results are reliable and robust. However, knowledge of methods and evaluation is also important for practising psychologists, enabling them to judge how informative study results are and to select the appropriate procedures for their own work.
