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Requirements in the attached file
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The term assignment is to submit a research proposal, written in the style of the American
Psychological Association (APA). Although APA style is used primarily for reporting the results
of research that has already been conducted, your job is to propose research following APA
style wherever possible.
You will not have to collect, analyze or interpret actual data. What you have to do is explain why
you are planning to collect data (Introduction section), how you plan to collect them (Method
section), how you plan to present and analyze them (Results section), and how you plan to
interpret them (Discussion section). How you are expected to do the Results and Discussion
sections, given that you will have no data, is explained below. You will also need a title
page, abstract, and list of references, all done according to APA style.
The specific steps:
1. Select a specific topic in psychology that interests you and can be studied
experimentally. This will usually be a possible relationship between some behavior (the
dependent variable) and some situation which can be manipulated (the independent
variable). For most of you, It will help to start by using PsycINFO to look up what research
has been done on any topic (the literature on that topic of your choice) that interests you. At
this step and at all other steps, discuss any challenges or uncertainties you may have
with your instructor or with the GTA.
2. Use PsycINFO (not a different search engine), to review the peer-reviewed literature
on the topic. Reach PsycINFO via the GW website (click on Gelman) or see a librarian.
3. Decide upon a specific research hypothesis you wish to test and devise an
EXPERIMENTAL test of that hypothesis. Yes, what you propose must be an experiment!
4. Start writing a research proposal on your topic, following these guidelines and answering
the questions below.
5. Get approval for your topic from your instructor by February 20, 2024. The best way to
do this is to schedule a meeting with your instructor before this date once you have a topic in
mind, even if you are not sure about it. If you miss this deadline, it is okay, but make sure
you get approval before the end of February.
6. Submit a draft of the Introduction and Method sections, including a list of the references
cited in these two sections, by March 28, 2024. An abstract is not necessary at this stage,
but a title page and references are. The draft is not scored, but you will lose one percentage
point from your score on the term project for every business day (Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday) your draft is late.
7. Revise the Introduction and Method sections based on the comments (feedback) you
receive and submit the complete final proposal, including Results and Discussion sections,
title page, abstract, and complete list of references by April 25, 2024. You will lose one
percentage point from your score on the term project for every business day (Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday) your proposal is late.
General Guidelines and Suggestions
The final proposal will be scored on how completely, precisely, and concisely you write your
proposal in APA style. This requirement may mean that you have to write differently than you
have ever written before. What worked for you in high school or in English class may not work
for you here.
“Completely” means that you have followed all guidelines and included all the information listed
below. “Precisely” means that you have been as specific as possible. “Concisely” means that
you have used as few words as possible. “APA style” means that you must have a title page,
abstract, running head, page numbers, headings, references, citations, and follow all other
aspects of APA style exactly wherever appropriate—see text book, chapter 11.
Follow APA style as defined in text (Chapter 11). There are other sources of information
about APA style, such as manuals, librarians, and information on the Internet, and some of
these may be helpful to you, but do not deviate from the rules in the text without discussing it
with your instructor
Information that Must Be Included (All in APA style)
Title Page (Including running head and page number to also appear on all following pages)
Abstract (At least one sentence about each of: research hypothesis, method, analysis reflecting
a statistically significant result, and interpretation of results with respect to the research
hypothesis)—Must be part of final proposal but should not be included in draft
Introduction Section
· State the topic you are planning to deal with and why further knowledge about this topic
is important. Define all important terms carefully, making it clear what behavior or construct
you are studying. Do this in one or two paragraphs.
· State what the published scientific literature says about this topic. Include a brief review
of the literature from peer-reviewed journals. At least four of the articles you cite must be
reports of original research (that is research done by the authors and being reported in that
article for the first time). For each report of original research that you cite, briefly state
what the authors did (their method) and what they found (their results) and that is all;
do not include their goals, opinions, or conclusions. You may also cite a review of the
literature, or an article or book presenting a relevant theory to help make what you are
writing clear, but these will not count as reports of original research. All citations in this and
other sections must be in APA style. Do this in one paragraph for each report of original
research you review.
· State, in the last paragraph of this section, how you think your proposed independent
and dependent variables are related and why you think they are related in this way, based
on the literature and logic. This should include a one-sentence statement or prediction that is
your research hypothesis, indicating cause and effect. Do this in one paragraph that
includes the research hypothesis at the end of the paragraph.
Method Section
· Design: Name the kind of an experimental design you will employ, and state how it will
be implemented. Most designs will be either independent groups (between-subjects) or
repeated measures (within-subjects), but there are other possibilities, such as matched-pairs
or one of the single-subject experimental designs. (You should not attempt to study more
than one independent variable, so that you should not employ a factorial design or a mixed
experimental design.) Do this in one brief paragraph, maybe only one sentence.
· Participants: Give the important characteristics of your participants. Also state exactly
how you will recruit them (if using university students, then name the university, GW?), what
incentives, if any, will you offer, and, if informed consent is required (and it is for almost all
research), when and how it will be obtained. If you screen out some of the potential
participants you recruit, state exactly how you will do this. Specify how many you will study
altogether and in any groups your design calls for. Do this in one paragraph.
· Procedure: Explain the procedure you will follow in collecting data from participants,
step by step. Quote or paraphrase their instructions. If a cover story is used, describe it. If
confederates of the experimenter are used, describe them. Give the values of the
independent variable and state exactly how they are controlled and administered. State
when the dependent variable is measured. If a manipulation check is needed, describe how
it will be done. If debriefing is required, state when it will occur. Do this in one or two
paragraphs.
· Measures, equipment or materials: State how you will measure the dependent variable.
(You should not attempt to study more than one dependent variable. If it is common in the
literature for researchers to study more than one dependent variable, pick the one you think
is most important and study only it.) If the method of measurement has been used before,
cite at least one relevant article. It is recommended that you use a published measure,
not one you make up yourself. Give the values of all variables or the ranges of possible
scores, and give the published reliabilities and validities of these variables if they are
available. Also describe any equipment or materials that will be used in the collection of
data. Do this in one or two paragraphs.
***Remember to provide enough detail in the Method Section so that your reader can
repeat your study, using the same or similar participants, procedure, and measures,
equipment, and materials!***
Results Section (Just do what is asked for below and nothing else.)
·
Name each condition you will be presenting data about.
·
Name the descriptive statistics you will use to describe the data from each condition.
· Name the measure of effect size will you use and state why it is appropriate for your
data.
· Name the specific means or proportions that you will compare in order to test your
research hypothesis. If you will be testing a statistical interaction, name the variables
involved. If you will be making several tests, name the means or proportions relevant to the
most important test of your research hypothesis. If you are comparing change scores in a
pre-post design, then make this clear, and state that the change score is your
(transformed) dependent variable.
·
Name the test statistic you will use and state why is it appropriate for your data.
Discussion Section (Just do what is asked for below and nothing else.)
· State what it means with respect to the null hypothesis if the test of statistical
significance results in a p-value equal to or less than 0.05. Also state what this says about
your research hypothesis.
· State what it means with respect to the null hypothesis if the test of statistical
significance results in a p-value more than 0.05. Also state what this says about your
research hypothesis.
· State what it means with respect to the practical significance of the relationship if your
result is statistically significant and your measure of effect size turns out to be large, say a
value of Cohen’s d greater than 0.5 or less than -0.5.
· State what it means with respect to the practical significance of the relationship if your
result is statistically significant and your measure of effect size turns out to be small, say a
value of Cohen’s d between -0.1 and 0.1.
· List, and briefly discuss, the limitations of the study, including variables that are not
adequately controlled and limitations to how widely the results can be generalized to other
populations or other situations. Use no more than one paragraph for each limitation—use
less if you can.
References (As with all other parts of proposal, follow APA style exactly, including for
websites. Use text book as a guide, nothing else.)
Also see the grading rubric in this syllabus (see next page).
All submissions of drafts and projects should be hardcopies brought to class by you or
by another student. Do not submit assignments by email or to my office or mailbox
without permission. If you cannot submit assignments to me directly, then submit them
to the Psychology receptionist on the 7th floor of 2013 H Street, and ask that person to
date-stamp your assignment.
REVIEW Grading Rubric for Term Project (Proposal)
Aspect Graded—See previous pages for more detailed
requirements—A maximum of 50 points will be earned for a
nonexperimental proposal
Possible
Points
MECHANICS
●
Grammar/Spelling/Complete sentences
●
Clarity / Organization / Transitions / Inclusion of sufficient detail /
Inclusion of definitions where needed
●
Completeness / Inclusion of all requested information
●
Conciseness / No unnecessary words or sentences / No
repetition
●
Preciseness / Using specific (not vague) words
●
APA Style / Headings / Title page / Citations / References
4
4
4
4
4
4
ABSTRACT
●
Statement of topic, method, results, & interpretation
4
INTRODUCTION SECTION
●
Statement of topic, question, or issue, with terms defined
●
Reason for topic’s importance
●
Review of relevant peer-reviewed original literature
●
Statement of how proposed study is related to literature
●
Statement of research hypothesis indicating cause & effect
●
Rationale for hypothesis
4
4
8
4
4
4
METHOD SECTION
●
Design—name, controls for selection differences and control of
order & carryover effects
6
●
Participants—who?, how many?, recruitment or sampling,
incentives, informed consent, debriefing (if needed)
6
●
Procedure—what happens when (separately for each condition if
needed), manipulation of independent variable, instructions,
cover story (if needed), manipulation check (if needed)
6
●
Materials & Measures—what apparatus & other objects are used,
how dependent variable is measured, how it is scored, its
possible values, its reported reliability & validity
6
RESULTS SECTION
●
Descriptive statistics presented for each condition
●
Measure of effect size & why appropriate
3
2
●
Test statistic & why appropriate
2
DISCUSSION SECTION
●
Meaning of a p-value less than or equal to .05
●
Meaning of a p-value more than .05
●
Meaning of a small effect size
●
Meaning of a large effect size
●
Limitations, related to confounders and to generalization
3
3
2
2
3
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