Reporting Psychological Investigations

Question 1

Abstract

Answer 1

Includes all aspects of the research (brief aim, hypothesis, procedure, results, conc etc)
= a brief summary of the article (written last)
- should be approx 100 to 300 words (1 para)
Key details
Reading an abstract can help to inform the reader as to whether or not the report is going to be useful for their purposes

Question 2

Introduction

Answer 2

= a literature review of the general area of research detailing relevant theories and concepts related to their study,
Begins broadly then starts to specify (until aims and hypotheses are produced)

Question 3

Method

Answer 3

= A description of what the research did
- Design : IV, DV, EV (how to control), CV, RM, design
- Participants : sampling method, target population and number, age, gender(demographic)
- Materials: equipment, questionnaires, consent/debrief forms.
- Procedure : exact steps given to enable replication .(ethics inc)

(Do People Masterbate Properly)

Question 4

Results

Answer 4

• Descriptive : Measures of CT, measures of dispersion, + graphs
• Inferential : stat test results
• Justification for choice, outcome is given, level of significance 1 or 2 tailed, sig or not, what hypotheses is accepted and rejected

= A description of what the research found, including descriptive and inferential statistics

Question 5

Discussion

Answer 5

• Explanation : summary in reference to aim/hypothesis
• Relationship to research - refers to background
• Limitations - evaluation of study
• Implications - use of findings in future research

= A consideration of what the results of a research study tells us in terms of psychological theory

Question 6

Referencing

Answer 6

=List of sources that are referred to or quoted in the article.
JOURNAL REF
= Author, A. (year of publication). Title of article. Title of Journal volume number, page range.
- Gupta, s. (1991). Effects of …. Personality and Individual Differences, 12(11), 1227-1237.

BOOK REF
= Author, A. (year of publication). Title of work.Location.Publisher.

WEB PAGES:
NHS (2018) Phobias: https://……(accessed May 2020)

(avoids plagiarism and allows readers to find appropriate sources)

Question 7

Research methods example

Answer 7

Common research methods in psychology include surveys, case studies, experimental studies, content analysis, meta-analysis, correlational research, quasi-experiments, naturalistic observation, structured observation and neuroimaging.

Question 8

What is a scientific report?

Answer 8

Presents the findings of a piece of research which has been designed, conducted and then analysed by one or more researchers.