Research Methods: Reporting Psychological Investigations Flashcards
What are the sections of a report?
Abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion and references
What is the purpose of an abstract?
Give an overview of the study
Help the reader decide if they want to read the whole report
What does an abstract contain?
A summary of the
Aim, hypothesis, methods, results and conclusions
How long should an abstract be?
150-250 words
What is the purpose of an introduction?
Give background on relevant theories and studies
Explain how the aims and hypothesis developed
What does an introduction contain?
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
What is the purpose of a method section?
Give a detailed description of what the researcher did
Provide enough detail for the replication of the study
What does SPEED stand for in the method section?
Sampling method
Procedure
Equipment
Ethics
Design
What is the sampling method part of the method section to contain?
Number of participants
Sampling Technique used
Information about participants such as age, occupation and gender
What is the procedure part of the method section like?
A step by step account of the research, like a recipe
What does the equipment section of the method section contain?
Details of equipment or apparatus used
What does the ethics section of the method contain?
Possible ethical issues within the research and how these were dealt with
What does the design section of the method contain?
Research methods and Research methods with all decisions justified
What is the purpose of the results section?
Present an overall summary of the results
Means the reader doesn’t have to read the raw data
What two sections are there in the results section?
Descriptive statistics
Inferential statistics
In the results section, what does the descriptive statistics contain?
Tables and graphs showing frequencies and measures of central tendency and dispersion
In the results section, what does the inferential statistics contain?
The choice of statistical test and why
Calculated, critical values and significance levels are detailed
Statement of which hypothesis is accepted and rejected
If qualitative research is conducted. What goes in the results section?
Categories and themes are described along with examples
What is the purpose of a discussion section?
Discuss the findings
Suggest possible problems, uses and future research
In the discussion section, one part is limitations and modifications. What does this contain?
Evaluate research methods and procedures used and explain how this could be improved if repeated.
In the discussion section, one part is implications and future research. What does this contain?
Explain how the findings could be used
Explain any possible potential follow up studies that could be conducted
What is the purpose of a reference section?
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
What is the structure of a book reference?
Author surname, Initial (Year) Book title, place of publication and publisher
What is the structure of an article reference?
Author surname, Initial (Year) Article title, Journal Title, Volume, issue number & page numbers
