An Interdisciplinary Challenge: Method Triangulation in the Field of Brain Development and Motivation

Abstract

An investigation of the development of adolescents' motivation and achievement in school demonstrates how psychology and neuroscience can profit from each other in an empirical and therefore epistemological way through method triangulation. Based on a method triangulative technique that directly links quantitative, experimental, and qualitative data (Treumann, 2005), an interdisciplinary longitudinal (two measure points) study was designed to bridge the gap between neuroscience and psychology in the field of brain development and motivation in adolescence. By using this triangulative technique, the authors minimize the weaknesses of each method and maximize their strengths by combining disparate but complementary approaches. Future implications and challenges of method triangulation in the field of psychology research are discussed.Keywords: method triangulation, motivation, brain development, adolescence, neuroscience Many research topics straddle two or more disciplines. In the past, the scientific community tended to support the independence of each discipline, illustrated by the increasing number of discipline-specific methods and foci. Today, however, there is an international trend in science towards an interdisciplinary approach. The advent of neuroscience subdisciplines in the field of learning and motivation, such as neuroeducation, social neuroscience, and cultural neurosciences, have enabled novel discoveries to concern the universality and diversity in the dynamic interplay of genes, brain, and behavior. Although the formal study of these subdisciplines has only recently emerged in the past decade, the question of how environment (culture) and biology mutually constitute each other has long been a source of philosophical and scientific curiosity, dating as far back as the 7th century (Chiao, 2010). However, the theoretical and empirical tools necessary to make progress in addressing these outstanding questions have only recently become available. One methodological technique that provides opportunity to cross disciplinary boundaries in an empirical way is method triangulation.

Thick Description of the Teacher-student Relationship in the Educational Context of School: Results of an Ethnographic Field Study

“…A quantitative design would also allow a detailed examination of aspects that were touched upon in the present study, such as motivation, interest and school well-being. Specifically, the use of a traingulative method that combines quantitative, experimental and qualitative methods (Raufelder, Jagenow, Hoferichter, & Wilkinson, 2012) would be ideal for gathering data on the complex and dynamic character of the teacher-student relationship. More understanding of when and how the six principles of the teacher-student relationship emerge in students and teachers will help in the development of preventative programs which promote a positive teacher-student relationship and support effective learning and teaching processes, as well as healthy personal and professional development.…”

Does Feedback-Related Brain Response during Reinforcement Learning Predict Socio-motivational (In-)dependence in Adolescence?

“…Moreover, the use of self-report measures has been validated as an appropriate method in psychological research ( Chan, 2009 ). Furthermore, the present study combines self-report data with experimental data, thereby minimizing the weaknesses of each method while maximizing their strengths by combining disparate yet complementary approaches ( Raufelder et al, 2012 ). The reinforcement learning task might not compare directly to the situation in a real classroom setting, however, operant reinforcement learning is one of the most basic forms of learning (see Thorndike, 1929 ; Skinner, 1938 ; Ittel et al, 2013 ) and therefore also constitutes the basis for more complex learning processes in educational settings.…”