reporting psychological investigations Flashcards
what should the title of an investigation include?
it should say what the study’s about and include the independent and dependent variable
what should the abstract of an investigation include?
this is a concise summary of the report - no more than 200 words that tells the researcher about the study. it should include a brief summary of the aims, hypotheses, method and results. conclusions and limitations can also be included
what should the introduction of an investigation include?
this is normally a literature review of the general area of investigation. it should begin broadly and then become more specific until the aims and hypotheses are presented. if your research is very new, you may struggle to find existing research that fits into your introduction.
what is included in the procedure part of an investigation report?
design, sample, apparatus/materials and procedure
what should the design of an investigation include?
the research method (e.g. field, interview), the design (e.g. repeated), how extraneous variables were controlled (e.g. random), how materials were chosen (e.g. word lists) and how ethical issues were dealt with
what should the sample of an investigation include?
this is information about your participants: number of participants, ages, genders, biographical and demographic information, how participants were allocated to conditions
what should the apparatus/ materials of an investigation include?
anything used and where it came from e.g. the body image index ( it should also be referenced)
what should the procedure of an investigation include?
a recipe style list of everything that happened. it should start with how researcher and investigation was introduced to the participants/ how informed consent was obtained.
what instructions were given to the participants and how they were debriefed afterwards.
how the data was collected and recorded
what should the results of an investigation include?
descriptive statistics such as tables, graphs, charts and measures of central tendency and dispersion
inferential statistics - choice of test, calculated and critical values and levels of significance
whether the hypotheses were accepted or rejected
raw data to be presented in the appendix
if qualitative methods are used - results could be presented as analysis of themes in tables/ categories or direct quotations
what should the conclusion of an investigation include?
an explanation of the findings - summarising the results and relating them to the aim and hypothesis. any unexpected findings should be presented
implications of the study - does it relate to real-life?
limitations and modifications - anything that went wrong needs to be addressed and how you would correct them next time
the relationship to previous research - this should echo your introduction. data should be compared to previous research
suggestions for further research
what should the references of an investigation include?
a reference section is needed, include correct information about journals, books, articles and websites
it should be presented in alphabetical order with the first author’s surname.
what should the appendices of an investigation include?
should include: copies of the questionnaires used; raw data; statistical calculations; ethical forms; copy of instructions; debrief
