Known for its coherent overview of research methodology, Leary uses variability as an integrative theme, covering both experimental and non-experimental methods, including advanced topics.
Starting from the proposition that psychology is the study of behavioral variability, Leary uses the integrative theme of variability to demonstrate that all aspects of the research process attempt to answer questions about variability. This approach provides greater coherence and gives students a heuristic for thinking about problems they encounter in research. All major methods and designs are covered, including descriptive, correlational, experimental, and quasi-experimental approaches. While basic methods receive considerable coverage, the inclusion of more advanced topics, such as cross-lagged panel designs, factor analysis, meta-analysis, and structural equations modeling, allows for different levels of teaching and learning.
Mark R. Leary, Ph. D., Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University, received his B.A. from West Virginia Wesleyan College (1976) and his doctorate from the University of Florida (1980). He taught at Denison University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Wake Forest University before moving to Duke. Dr. Leary’s research and writing focus on social motivation and emotion, areas in which he has published more than 150 scholarly articles and chapters. Dr. Leary is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, and the Association for Psychological Science, as well as a member of the International Association for Relationship Research and the International Society for Self and Identity. Dr. Leary was the founding editor of Self and Identity, a new scholarly journal, and served for nine years as Associate Editor of the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. He has also served on the editorial review boards of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Journal of Personality, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Personality and Social Psychology Review, and Emotion.