Girasoli publishes textbook on psychological research methods

Anthony Girasoli, lecturer of psychological science at Eastern Connecticut State University, recently published his first textbook through Cambridge University Press. “Research Methods and Applied Statistics” blends statistical concepts with real-world applications for psychological research.

“It feels incredible to publish my first textbook,” said Girasoli. “It was always a dream of mine, and Eastern helped shape it by giving me the opportunity to teach research methods and see where students struggle — and where they shine.  

“Additionally, I’m proud to have the book peer-reviewed and published by Cambridge University Press. It reflects the rigor and passion that went into this project.” 

Girasoli designed the textbook based on his experience working with students in the classroom. According to him, one of the primary goals is to make statistical methods more accessible and applicable for undergraduate students when they study human behavior. 

“In psychological research, it's important that we always try to understand certain phenomena about human behavior, so we want to take a scientific approach to trying to understand those things about humans,” said Girasoli. "A lot of the statistics that students work on in the textbook are actually real concepts that solve real-world problems.” 

The textbook blends technical skills with the importance of historical and ethical diversity. Girasoli cites the analytical writings of figures such as W.E.B. Du Bois and Florence Nightingale to acknowledge the advancement in research that marginalized demographics inspire, while also debunking harmful concepts such as scientific racism. 

“I wanted to make the textbook diverse and expose how some outdated statistical methods were rooted in racism,” he said. “For instance, Carl Pearson’s correlation coefficient originated from eugenicist ideology. It’s important that students know where the tools we use come from.”

Girasoli made his text even more accessible for undergraduates by making it applicable to affordable statistical analysis tools. “A lot of students can’t afford statistical software,” he said. “Teaching software such as R (R Project) in the textbook gives everyone the chance to succeed, no matter their budget.” 

The book introduces students to “mixed methods research,” a blend of both qualitative and quantitative research that allows psychology students to be practical when conducting research while simultaneously leaving an empathetic door open to the subjects they’re analyzing. 

“Blending these statistics with doing things like interviews and focus groups shows how well they complement each other,” said Girasoli. “These methods aren’t just for the classroom — they can guide graduate students through thesis work or be a quick reference for professionals conducting research in the field.”