• describe and explain current, ethical best practices and principles in conducting and reporting psychological research.
• describe challenges and trade-offs when conducting field research in critical settings and to explain how to apply their own research knowledge in such situations
• explain three distinct, advanced research methods relevant to the master track CRS for designing and conducting empirical research.
• explain how one or more of these advanced research methods might be applied in a master thesis research.
• use these advanced research methods on ecologically valid research problems or data: and analyze research challenges in the CRS domain and present the most suitable research method to different audiences.

Connection to the work field
This course prepares students for the psychology work field in several ways. First, it provides a toolbox for performing psychological studies, and several novel ways to analyze data. Moreover, for students who will not continue in academia, it can provide them with a toolbox to better understand and interpret results and studies from papers that they will need to read for their profession.

In this course students get acquainted with (a) current best (and questionable) research practices in the social sciences, (b) doing field research in critical settings and (c) acquire skills to use advanced research methods and technology in the domain of Conflict, Risk and Safety. These practices and skills are aimed at facilitating and informing students’ upcoming master thesis research and are relevant for prospective positions after graduation.

The course consists of lectures (introductory and specialty lectures) and tutorials.

The two specialty lectures will allow students to learn about:

1. The current do’s and don’ts in conducting and reporting psychological research (e.g. p-hacking) and best practices to follow to improve their thesis research (lecture Questionable research practices) and;
2. The challenges confronted with when conducting field research in critical settings (e.g. aftercare to victims’ families after the crash with Malaysia Airlines flight MH17), what trade-offs need to be considered in such situations and how to apply their own research knowledge (lecture Field research in critical settings).

During four tutorials, students will acquire state-of-the-art research methods and technologies for designing research (using eye-tracking technology) and analyzing empirical data (using R software and propensity-score matching) and presenting these research methods to different audiences.Based on all tutorials, students complete assignments to demonstrate that they acquired the skill to use each of these specific research methods offered.

The lectures and tutorials are each offered by different, experienced lecturers, and together cover a wide range of theoretical approaches, research methods and ecologically valid research problems within the domain of CRS.