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This article presents an alternative to the typical approaches used in introductory research courses through emphasis on the logic and creativity of the research process and on the problems of equating research with statistics early in one's training.Far too many graduate students in the helping professions become turned off to the tedium, complexity, and apparent irrelevancy of research design and statistical methods that usually comprise the essence of introductory courses in research and evaluation. It is well-known that many graduate with an oath to avoid research if at all possible. In some instances this may be good for the professions, but perhaps valuable investigations have not been undertaken due to lack of understanding of the logic and purpose of research.It is important that the beginning researcher not equate research and statistics. It is possible to be a good researcher and know nothing about sophisticated statistical techniques. It is also possible to know a great deal about statistics and be a mediocre or poor researcher. Obviously, the complete investigator in the social-behavioral sciences should excel in both the logic of inquiry and statistical methods. The distinction between the two is important to grasp, especially at the early stages of one's training. Perpetuation of the belief that research is the application of sophisticated statistical analyses to interval-ratio data is one of the primary reasons why many students are turned off and why research has had less than optimal impact on the helping professions (Goldman, 1981;Levine, 1974;Sprinthall, 1981).The above could easily be misinterpreted to imply that knowledge of experimental designs and of statistical methods are seen as unnecessary in the preparation of researchers. True experimental designs and appropriate statistical analyses and interpretation still constitute the ideal for many research questions in many situations. If the logic of research, the scientific method, and the creative nature of the process William M.