PSYOP RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

PSYOP is the dissemination of truthful information to foreign audiences in support of policy and national objectives. Used during peacetime, contingencies, and declared war, these activities are not a form of force, but are force multipliers that use nonviolent means in often violent environments.

Truthful information is collected through different methods as Survey, experiments and field studies.

Survey: 

It is a procedure for collecting information by asking members of some population a set of questions and recording their responses. It is useful for identifying the average or typical response to a question as well as the distribution of responses within the population.

Types of survey:

Interview survey: Asking series of questions face to face  from interview schedule and recording answers. Same questions will be given to all respondents. Interviewer sometimes follow flexibility in asking questions following support (supporive interview). Exact order and wording of questions sometimes differ but all topics should be covered.

Questionnaire survey:  Instead of face to face interview, a series of questions on paper are presented to respondents and data were collected. The questions should assess individual differences, discrimination between high and low  groups, internally consistent. Questionnaire should be reliable and valid.

Experiment: 

The method to assess effect of independent variable (manipulated by researcher) on dependent variable in controlled conditions (making other variables constant or controlled in order to  prevent them from influencing the dependent variable and confusing the result.

Types of experiments:

True experiment:    In a true experiment, subjects are randomly assigned to the treatment conditions (levels of the independent variable). The only differences in the groups would be due to chance. True experiments are excellent for showing a cause-and-effect relationship.

There are three criteria that must be met in a true experiment

1. Control group and experimental group
2. Researcher-manipulated variable
3. Random assignment

Quasi-experiment:  

Quasi-experiments are sometimes called natural experiments because membership in the treatment level is determined by conditions beyond the control of the experimenter (subjects are already in the box). An experiment may seem to be a true experiment, but if the subjects have NOT been randomly assigned to the treatment condition, the experiment is a quasi- experiment (quasi = seeming, resembles).

Field studies:

A field study refers to research that is undertaken in the real world, where the confines of a laboratory setting are abandoned in favor of a natural setting. This form of research generally prohibits the direct manipulation of the environment by the researcher. However, sometimes, independent and dependent variables already exist within the social structure under study, and inferences can then be drawn about behaviors, social attitudes, values, and beliefs. It must be noted that a field study is separate from the concept of a field experiment. Overall, field studies belong to the category of nonexperimental designs where the researcher uses what already exists in the environment. Alternatively, field experiments refer to the category of experimental designs where the researcher follows the scientific process of formulating and testing hypotheses by invariably manipulating some aspect of the environment. 

APPLICATION IN PSYOP

Survey
Surveying Public Opinions During Stability and Support Operations:
PSYOP Support to the First Marine Division in Iraq


Ref: http://www.psywarrior.com/PSYOPSurveysinSASO.html

Single-subject experiments

Instead of comparing behavior or performance of groups of people at a single point in time, a single-subject experiment involves a single case studied over a longer period of time. One individual or situation is exposed to the varying levels of the independent variable.


The most simple single-subject research design is termed ABA, where A is the baseline (non-treatment or control) condition or phase. B refers to the introduction of the treatment factor. Behavior is recorded in both stages. Then there is a return to A to see if in fact it was B that brought about the change. An example might be treating a hyperactive child with a drug. Stage A involves recording the child's behavior before any treatment, e.g., how many disruptive events in the classroom within a specified period of time. Stage B would involve the same measurement after the child has been treated. If B (the treatment) makes a difference, returning to level A (no treatment) should result in a return of the disruptive behavior. The basic research design can include a second treatment phase -- ABAB, thereby increasing the reliability and internal validity of the results.

Types of experiments:

Laboratory experiment:

Field experiment:

            It has four levels -individual, state, interstate and international.  United nations is international psyop. To identify more and less violence prone areas, following indicators maight be considered. The indicators are: low

crime rates, minimal incidences of terrorist acts and violent

demonstrations, harmonious relations with neighboring

countries, a stable political scene and a small proportion of

the population being internally displaced or refugees can be

equated with peacefulness.

1. PSYOPS takes many shapes and forms. It can be used at a national or regional level or down to a small
   group or personal level. The purpose is always to promote the objectives of the originator and diminish
   the will of the opponent to resist or fight. Most conventional methods require some degree of trust or
   belief by the opponent in the originator’s message. Some unconventional methods work when no trust or
   
   connection exists. As shown in the Viet Nam example, the originator can unwittingly self-inflict PSYOPS
2.