Basic and Applied Research

                Basic and Applied Research


Written by Kenneth S. Bordens and Bruce B. Abbott in Research Design and Methods, A Process Approach. New York: McGraw-Hill. 2011. pp. 4-6.


Scientists work in a variety of areas to identify phenomena and develop valid explanations for them. The goals established by scientists working within a given field of research may vary according to the nature of the research problem being considered.

For example, the goal of some scientists is to discover general laws that explain particular classes of behaviors. In the course of developing those laws, psychologists study behavior in specific situations and attempt to isolate the variables affecting behavior.

Other scientists within the field are more interested in tackling practical problems than in finding general laws. For example, they might be interested in determining which of several therapy techniques is best for treating severe phobias. An important distinction has been made between basic research and applied research along the lines just presented.

I. Basic Research
Basic research is conducted to investigate issues relevant to the confirmation or dis-confirmation of theoretical or empirical positions. The major goal of basic research is to acquire general information about a phenomenon, with little emphasis placed on applications to real-world examples of the phenomenon.

For example, research on the memory process may be conducted to test the efficacy of interference as a viable theory of forgetting. The researcher would be interested in discovering something about the forgetting process while testing the validity of a theoretical position. Applying the results to forgetting in a real-world situation would be of less immediate interest.

II. Applied Research
The focus of applied research is somewhat different from that of basic research. Although you may still work from a theory when formulating your hypotheses, your primary goal is to generate information that can be applied directly to a real-world problem. A study by James Ogloff and Neil Vidmar (1994) on pretrial publicity provides a nice example of applied research. It informs us about a very real problem facing the court system: To what extent does pretrial publicity affect the decisions jurors make about a case? The results of studies such as Ogloff and Vidmar’s can help trial and appeals court judges make decisions concerning limitations placed on jury exposure to pretrial publicity. Further examples of applied research can be found in the areas of clinical, environmental, and industrial psychology (among others).

III. Overlap Between Basic and Applied Research
The distinction  between applied and basic research is not always clear. Some research areas have both basic and applied aspects. Consider the work of Elizabeth Loftus (1979) on the psychology of the eyewitness.

Loftus has extensively studied the factors that affect the ability of an eyewitness to accurately perceive, remember, and recall a criminal event. Her research certainly fits the mold of applied research. But her results also have some implications for theories of memory, so they also fit the mold of basic research. In fact, many of Loftus’s findings can be organized within existing theories of memory.

Even applied research is not independent of theories and other research in psychology.The defining quality of applied research is that the researcher attempts to conduct a study the results of which can be applied directly to a real-world event. To accomplish this task, you must choose a research strategy that maximizes the applicability of findings.