Method
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ASPSYC4490Week7VirtualVisit3TheMethodsSectionFall2026.pptxVIRTUAL VISIT #3
WEEK 7
The Methods Section
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Research Seminar – The Big Picture Reminder
There are 2 reference books to guide our research process
Undergraduate Writing in Psychology (Landrum, 2021)
The APA Publication Manual, 7th edition (APA, 2020)
EVERYTHING written for this class must be in APA Style. Exactly. Precisely. Always.
The Undergraduate Writing in Psychology textbook provides helpful hints about how to start and complete a paper. Very useful and important.
If you are not familiar with APA Style or would like additional help with writing
The NSU Academic Success Center has writing tutors available by appointment online:
https://www.nsula.edu/academicsuccess/
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The Methods Section
Information needed to complete your methods section
Continue reading Undergraduate Writing in Psychology
Total Transparency: Method Section and Sample – Chapter 6
Includes description of method section purpose and what is included
APA Publication Manual, 7th edition
Review Chapter 2 Paper Elements and Format for information about formatting margins, paragraph alignments, and heading levels.
Remember Chapters 4, 5. and 6 all apply to any writing in psychology. Writing style, grammar, bias-free language, and the mechanics of style are very important.
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The Methods Section
Using APA formatting and style, the methods sections:
Explains how the study will be conducted
It includes four separate subsections with standard formatting
Sample/Participants
Materials/Instrumentation
Procedures/Design
Proposed Analysis
Designed as a blueprint for other researchers to replicate the study.
There is a Methods Section Example on Moodle for reference. Please note the Methods section is written in future tense because it provides information about a proposed study, just like yours.
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The Methods Section – Sample/Participants Subsection
Information needed to complete your Participant subsection
Each individually chosen research topic evaluates a particular research question using variables from a larger archival study. Everyone will use the same archival data but not all the variables to evaluate the relationship between 2 variables in college students.
Generalized anxiety disorder symptoms (GAD-7) & Shyness (Expanded Revised Shyness Scale)
ADHD (ADHD Self-Rating Checklist) & Generalized Anxiety Disorder symptoms (GAD-7)
Empathy (Toronto Empathy Questionnaire) & Shyness (Expanded Revised Shyness Scale)
Empathy (Toronto Empathy Questionnaire) & ADHD (ADHD Self-Rating Checklist)
Depression (PHQ-9) & Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD -7)
Depression (PHQ-9) & Motivational Persistence (Motivational Persistence Scale)
Number of Campus Organizations Involved in & Peer Pressure (Peer Pressure Scale)
Number of Campus Organizations Involved in & Depression (PHQ-9)
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The Methods Section – Participants Subsection
Information needed to complete your Participant subsection
(Remember this is a proposal for what will happen – future tense)
Participants
are at least 18 years of age
college students enrolled at NSULA
include males and females
will provide consent prior to participation
the participant demographics form and the informed consent to participate in the research is on Moodle
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The Methods Section – Materials/Instrumentation Subsection
Instruments (Materials) used to measure variables in this archival study are located on Moodle under Week 7. They are as follows:
ADHD self Rating Symptom Scale
Brief Resilience Scale
GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder – 7) anxiety screening
Peer Pressure Scale
PHQ-9 (Patient Depression Questionnaire)
The 20 – item Expanded Revision of the Cheek Buss Shyness Scale
The Motivational Persistence Scale (MPS)
The Toronto Empathy Questionnaire
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The Methods Section – Materials/Instrumentation Subsection
The variables used for each chosen research topic and research question are found in one of the Instruments (Materials) listed.
For Example, if the research topic is the relationship between vaping and resilience in college students, the instruments used are:
Penn State Electronic Cigarette Dependence Index
Brief Resilience Scale
After the instruments are identified, you must find an article for each one which describes the instrument to obtain psychometric properties of the measure used in the Materials section.
Each instrument is described in a separate paragraph in this subsection. Review the Method Section Example on Moodle.
Remember to follow APA formatting, use citations in your Methods section and add these references to your list.
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The Methods Section – Procedure/Design Subsection
Information needed to complete your Procedure/Design Subsection
Each study investigation is
a component of a larger study submitted to NSULA Institutional Review Board (IRB). A copy of the study IRB review is posted on Moodle.
Participants provide informed consent before participation in the study and can obtain results by email
data is collected anonymously via a survey link on Survey Monkey
After survey completion a debriefing form will be provided. A copy is posted on Moodle for review.
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The Methods Section – Proposed Analysis Subsection
Statistics Reminders for the Procedure/Design Subsection
This investigation will use SPSS Version 23 for statistical analysis of the data
Quantitative research methods include analysis of data using statistics to investigate a hypothesis about measurable variables.
When investigating a relationship between variables, a Pearson r correlation is conducted.
A Pearson Correlation Coefficient (r) measures the strength of a relationship between two variables and the direction of the relationship, either positive (+) or negative (-).
The value of the coefficient ranges from +1 to -1.
A value of +1 indicates a perfect degree of association between the variable in a positive relationship.
For a Pearson r correlation, both variables must be normally distributed.
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The Methods Section – Proposed Analysis Subsection
When investigating a relationship between variables, a Pearson r correlation is
conducted.
A Pearson Correlation Coefficient (r) measures the strength of a relationship between two variables and the direction of the relationship, either positive (+) or negative (-).
The value of the coefficient ranges from +1 to -1.
A value of +1 indicates a perfect degree of association between the variable in a positive relationship.
For a Pearson r correlation, both variables must be normally distributed.
When investigating the difference between 2 unrelated groups, use an Independent Samples t-test. Are the means of the 2 groups different?
Does the average level of depression in male college freshmen differ from the average level of depression in female college freshmen?
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The Methods Section – Procedure/Design Subsection
Statistics Reminders for the Procedure/Design Subsection
This subsection second paragraph requires:
each variable is operationally defined
What is the variable, how is it defined, and how is it measured?
Example: The study investigates the relationship between age and fatigue levels. Participant age is collected utilizing a demographic questionnaire. Fatigue level is a construct measure by the Crowder Fatigue Scale (CFS), which includes self-report information about daytime fatigue symptoms (Crowder & Buboltz, 2005).
what statistical test will be used
Step by step procedures of how the study will be conducted
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The Methods Section
Reminder: Review the Method Section Grading Rubric posted on Moodle.
This is the guide for correctly completing the assignment
All required sections are identified.
APA Style Reminders:
Times New Roman font size 12
Double Spaced document
Grammar counts
In-text citations and references required
Page numbers, headers, all 4 parts of the methods section
