Week 4- Discussion, Evaluating research + reflecting on findings Flashcards
What is the purpose of the discussion?
- Summarise what was accomplished in the study
- Interpret results
-> Assess scientific significance
-> Explain what they mean in terms of research question (hypothesis) - Discuss wider implications of results
- Propose what research needs to be done next
- Should relate back to research + concepts discussed in intro
What is the structure of the discussion?
1) Briefly remind reader about aims of study + state key findings in relation to research question (non-numerical) - can also explain whether hypotheses were supported
2) How can your results be explained? Relate findings to theories + previous research described in intro
-> how do results compare to previous findings? Do they support them? If not, what does it tell us?
-> should be biggest part of discussion + need to have sufficient literature to discuss
3) What are the implications for your research?
-> Implications can be theoretical or practical
-> How do the findings extend knowledge of methods + theory? Are there real life implications - what do we know now that we didn’t know before?
4) What are the limitations of the research?
-> Focus on limitations in methodology that may have affected what you found
-> Try not to rely on standard issues of ‘small sample size’ and ‘lack of generalisability’ - think about how you ran your study/what your stimuli were
5) Suggest areas for future research based on:
-> Research findings
-> Implications
-> Methodological limitations
6) Conclusion - summary para
Why is it important to acknowledge limitations?
Identifying potential limitations:
- Enhances the reader’s understanding of your findings
- Shows that you can critically evaluate your work
- Can also provide avenues for future research
Although we try to overcome potential limitations prior to carrying out the research, some issues are more difficult to overcome
How do we present limitations?
Chasan-Taber (2014) propose a 4 step approach for discussing limitations in a report:
1) Identify limitation
2) Describe impact on findings
3) Discuss alternative approaches
4) Describe methods to minimise limitation
How do you solve individual differences if all ppts took part in different conditions?
- Shouldn’t be a problem if you randomly allocate ppts to conditions
- Could have used a within-subjects design
-> if you did not, could justify why a between groups design was used
How do you solve practice effects when all ppts completed the different conditions
- Improvements in task performance could be due to practice effects
-> if this is an issue, a between-subjects design is usually better
What should you do to prevent situational variables having an effect on the findings?
As testing takes place across several different locations, findings could reflect changes in situational variables e.g. difference in lighting + temp
-> This could have been thought through more carefully in advance
-> Make sure you fully consider issues around control before conducting study
What should you do if ppts try to guess the aim of the study?
- If ppts completed all conditions, may try to guess aim of study
- Any differences found across conditions could have been due to demand characteristics
Can be resolved by:
1) Using between-subjects design
2) Employing certain level of deception to conceal true aims
Another solution to demand characteristics is also double blind studies
What are floor and ceiling effects?
Ceiling effects:
- Unable to detect any possible effects because the upper range is restricted
i.e. could happen if task is too easy
Floor effects:
- Unable to detect any possible effects because lower range is restricted
i.e. could happen if task is too hard
Solution:
- Consult existing literature to see what they have done
Carry out a pilot experiment before the actual one
What are floor and ceiling effects?
Ceiling effects:
- Unable to detect any possible effects because upper range is restricted
i.e. could happen if task is too easy
Floor effects:
- Unable to detect any possible effects because the lower range is restricted
i.e. could happen if task is too hard
Solution:
- Consult existing literature to see what they have done
- Carry out pilot experiment before actual one
How do you prevent decline in performance due to ppts getting bored or tired?
- Counterbalancing
- Rest breaks
- Between-subjects design
Why would only including ppts who were undergraduates in experiment be an issue?
- Not generalisable to wider population
Need to state why this is a problem for your study - Younger
- More educated
- More intelligent
Describe generalisability as a limitation
As researchers we want to be able to apply our findings to wider pop
When evaluating studies, think about:
- Sampling method i.e. was the sample representative of target pop derived
- Are the researchers claiming that the findings relate to the entire or the specific target pop?
