Research Methods: Reporting Psychological Investigations

Question 1

What are the sections of a report?

Answer 1

Abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion and references

Question 2

What is the purpose of an abstract?

Answer 2

Give an overview of the study
Help the reader decide if they want to read the whole report

Question 3

What does an abstract contain?

Answer 3

A summary of the
Aim, hypothesis, methods, results and conclusions

Question 4

How long should an abstract be?

Answer 4

150-250 words

Question 5

What is the purpose of an introduction?

Answer 5

Give background on relevant theories and studies
Explain how the aims and hypothesis developed

Question 6

What does an introduction contain?

Answer 6

Describe previous relevant research
Links are made to how the current research will add to the previous
Ends with a statement of the aims and hypothesis

Question 7

What is the purpose of a method section?

Answer 7

Give a detailed description of what the researcher did
Provide enough detail for the replication of the study

Question 8

What does SPEED stand for in the method section?

Answer 8

Sampling method
Procedure
Equipment
Ethics
Design

Question 9

What is the sampling method part of the method section to contain?

Answer 9

Number of participants
Sampling Technique used
Information about participants such as age, occupation and gender

Question 10

What is the procedure part of the method section like?

Answer 10

A step by step account of the research, like a recipe

Question 11

What does the equipment section of the method section contain?

Answer 11

Details of equipment or apparatus used

Question 12

What does the ethics section of the method contain?

Answer 12

Possible ethical issues within the research and how these were dealt with

Question 13

What does the design section of the method contain?

Answer 13

Research methods and Research methods with all decisions justified

Question 14

What is the purpose of the results section?

Answer 14

Present an overall summary of the results
Means the reader doesn’t have to read the raw data

Question 15

What two sections are there in the results section?

Answer 15

Descriptive statistics
Inferential statistics

Question 16

In the results section, what does the descriptive statistics contain?

Answer 16

Tables and graphs showing frequencies and measures of central tendency and dispersion

Question 17

In the results section, what does the inferential statistics contain?

Answer 17

The choice of statistical test and why
Calculated, critical values and significance levels are detailed
Statement of which hypothesis is accepted and rejected

Question 18

If qualitative research is conducted. What goes in the results section?

Answer 18

Categories and themes are described along with examples

Question 19

What is the purpose of a discussion section?

Answer 19

Discuss the findings
Suggest possible problems, uses and future research

Question 20

In the discussion section, one part is limitations and modifications. What does this contain?

Answer 20

Evaluate research methods and procedures used and explain how this could be improved if repeated.

Question 21

In the discussion section, one part is implications and future research. What does this contain?

Answer 21

Explain how the findings could be used
Explain any possible potential follow up studies that could be conducted

Question 22

What is the purpose of a reference section?

Answer 22

Give details of other books or articles mentioned in the research
Help avoid plagiarism
Help the reader locate the research papers used in the study

Question 23

What is the structure of a book reference?

Answer 23

Author surname, Initial (Year) Book title, place of publication and publisher

Question 24

What is the structure of an article reference?

Answer 24

Author surname, Initial (Year) Article title, Journal Title, Volume, issue number & page numbers