On 2 May 1999 Al Cone wrote:
>Folks,
>
>Some time ago (December-January?) someone, I think from Valdosta State
>(but not Deb), posted a handout which contained guidelines for beginning
>students doing their first written summary of a psychology journal
>article.
>
>Whoever you are you did a good thing. Please email me off-list.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Al
>
and Judith Roberts wrote:
>I wouldn't mind at all if this was re-posted to the group, I think I may
>have missed it!
>- Judith Roberts
>City College of San Francisco
I think I may have posted the original guidelines. The questions are
listed below (with point values in parentheses). In addition, the indented
text under each question is from a support document (the "Experiment Report
Form Guidelines") which I give to students so they can remember what
information goes with each question
Kirsten
Experiment Report Form
1. Provide the reference information in APA format. (2 pts)
The general format for journal articles is:
Lastname, I. I., Lastname, I. I., & Lastname, I. I. (year). Title
of article: Only first words and proper nouns are capitalized. Title
of Journal: Almost all Words Capitalized, ##, page-page.
2. Briefly state the problem which the experimenters were studying. (2 pts)
To answer question 2 you should explain what the experimenters were
studying. Often the response to question 2 can be found at the end of
the Introduction. Be cautious, however: make sure that you
include all
relevant variables, even if the variable isn't mentioned at the end of
the Introduction.
3. Why did the authors conduct their study? (2 pts)
Question 3 may be the most difficult question to answer because the
answer may or may not be apparent or explicit as you read the article.
As you read carefully consider the importance of the research and how
that research might be utilized in the grand scheme of science or the
"real world." For example, let's say you read a research report
describing that 50% of children ages 4-5 have difficulty correctly
categorizing colored shapes. What might be the purpose of that
research? One possibility is that the researchers were interested in
the cognitive capabilities of 4-5 year old children and whether their
minds were developmentally able to correctly categorize objects in
general. The research could be used to determine whether categorizing
should be taught to 4-5 year olds or if teaching categorizing should
wait until children are more cognitively capable.
4. What was (were) the independent variable(s)? There may be more than one.
(2 pts)
You should list any and all independent variables used in analyses.
Notice that the important feature of an independent variable is whether
or not it was used in an analysis, not whether or not it was measured.
In other words, we can measure a number of variables like gender, age,
year in school, number of toes, etc., but may only use one variable
(e.g., gender) in our analysis. The variable(s) used in analysis is
(are) the independent variable(s).
5. What was (were) the dependent variable(s)? There may be more than one. (2
pts)
List all dependent variables which were used in analyses. If
responses,
RTs, performance, etc. was not analyzed, do not include it as a
dependent variable. For example, if participants completed the
MMPI and
the BDI but only the BDI was analyzed then you would list only the BDI
under dependent variable(s).
6. Describe the participants including the number who participated. (2 pts)
Your description of the participants should include: where the
participants came from (college, randomly selected at a doctor's
office,
etc.), the relative age of the participants (college students, 4th
graders, etc.), and whether or not the participants were compensated in
any way (received $10 for the 2 sessions, received extra credit or
course credit). In addition, if a two or more groups participated in
the study, you should include the number of participants in each group
(e.g., 134 4th graders and 152 6th graders). If you are describing
survey research you should include the number of surveys mailed out and
the number of surveys returned.
7. Briefly describe what the participants had to do. (2 pts)
Your description should emphasize what the participants did, not what
the experimenters did. Therefore, do not include any information about
pre-testing, development of the testing materials, test reliability,
etc. When you describe the participants' activities include
information
in correct chronological order - what the participants did first,
second, third, etc. Your description should also include when the
participants completed any dependent measures and, if deception was
involved, when the participants were debriefed.
8. What were the results of the experiment? (2 pts)
If there were 4 or fewer outcomes (significant and non significant) I
expect that you will briefly describe each outcome. For example,
authors might report that students rated male and female professors
equally likeable (no difference in professor's gender - a non
significant outcome) but that students rated female professors as less
competent than male professors (significant difference due to
professor's gender).
If there were 5 or more outcomes I expect that you will summarize the
outcomes. I recommend that you use the dependent measures as a means
for summarizing outcomes. For example, if authors examined performance
on the MMPI, BDI, EPI, and EPPS you can summarize all the outcomes for
the MMPI, then summarize the outcomes for the BDI, etc.
9. Do you have any criticisms of the research? or If not, what can you
personally take from this research? (4 pts)
For question 9 I expect that you will address at least one of the
questions listed above. In general I prefer an answer that has depth
rather than breadth. For example, if you have any criticisms of the
research I would prefer that you NOT list all of the criticisms.
Instead please state one or two criticisms and describe what you would
do to fix the problem. For example, if you disagree with the author's
operational definitions, what operational definitions would you use and
why? One helpful hint: Every single experiment has flaws.
If you choose to answer the second portion of the question I prefer
responses which are very personal and concrete or specific. The more
personal and specific you can make your response the more likely it is
you will receive higher points.
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Kirsten Rewey, Ph.D. |
Department of Psychology |
300 Fraser Purchase Road | "Those who make peaceful revolution
St. Vincent College | impossible will make violent
Latrobe, PA 15650 | revolution inevitable."
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