lab report(psychology) spss

PSY3RPB FINAL PROJECT REPORT

Introduction

Your major assignment (40% of your total mark) for PSY3RPB is a 2500 word research report, describing the findings from your group research project. This will provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your competency in describing all aspects of project development, design, analysis and interpretation. Your submission will take the form of a formal research report, comprising abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion, and reference sections, as well as any supporting information that might be required. This assignment is due by 9 AM on Monday October 19th, 2020. Extensions will be considered only in exceptional circumstances because it is important that the marks for this project are finalized before selection for Fourth Year courses takes place.

In finalising the write up of your report, please refer to the tutorial materials, the marking criteria

(on the next page) and the APA 7th edition manual for details regarding how to approach writing up each section. Most importantly, follow any advice provided by your Project Leader regarding content and how to deal with the elements of the report outlined in the marking guide. Due to the diversity of projects, it is obviously not possible to have a fixed method of presentation, but every project will address the elements of the marking guide in some manner.

This assignment is likely to show high similarity indices if you have utilized part of your lit review and/or funding application. The details in your Final Report should be fully updated and take on board past feedback - cutting and pasting exact full sections from previous work is not acceptable as it means that you have not evolved your understanding of the area at the completion of the project. Please ensure you actually check your originality report to assess that you have worded things correctly and referenced appropriately.

Marking Rubric

Final reports will be marked and returned via Turnitin GradeMark in LMS. Project leaders will provide advice regarding content expectations within each section of the report.

Abstract (5%)

Written communication

Needs work

Good Well Done

• Is there a persuasive introductory statement?

• Does the abstract clearly present the main aims and hypotheses?

• Are important aspects of the method described?

• Are key results presented coherently?

• Is there a clear statement of the main conclusion?

• Are the components presented in a structured, logical and coherent manner?

Introduction (15%)

Inquiry/Research

• Are all key concepts clearly defined?

• Is there evidence of careful selection and evaluation of previous work?

• Is the information 2haracter into a logical and well-justified argument?

• Is the research question valid given the literature included?

• Are the aims and hypotheses well justified?

Critical Thinking

• Has the context of the inquiry been described and justified?

• Are key elements important to the research question/s carefully assessed and presented?

• Is the validity and reliability of information clearly and effectively questioned?

• Are concepts employed to arrive at the aims and hypotheses well integrated, well understood and appropriately applied?

• Are relevant alternative viewpoints constructively compared to help justify the study aims and hypotheses?

• Are the aims and hypotheses defended with firm supporting evidence and well- reasoned arguments?

Method (15%)

Critical Thinking

• Are all separate key elements important to exploring the question carefully assessed and presented?

• Is selection of methodology clearly detailed and justified, including important validity and reliability information when appropriate?

• Is all relevant information regarding the sample and tasks provided?

• Is a clear explanation of testing conditions (environment and/or groups) provided?

• Is the procedure logically sequenced?

Creative Problem Solving

• Are important details regarding recruitment of the participants, exclusion criteria, demographics and conditions

• Are important details regarding the nature of the materials, the construct being assessed and justification for use discussed?

• Are the materials selected demonstrated to be appropriate and valid and the important characteristics of the materials described?

• Is the manner in which each material was administered (including any instructions given) as they apply to the experimental conditions (groups) and the testing situation clearly described?

• Is the process of data management and the analyses used sufficiently detailed (Including level of significance, assumptions tested and decision criteria)?

Results (25%)

Critical Thinking

• Is the logic behind analysis selection explained in terms appropriate to the intended audience?

• Are the results presented effectively? • Are statistical outcomes translated in a meaningful way in terms of concrete

information for the reader?

• Are the statistical outcomes related back to the context of the project?

• Are there clear statements of conclusion regarding the outcomes of the analyses?

Quantitative Literacy

• Has the process of data screening and cleaning been explained?

• Is information regarding decision-making criteria used for the analyses reported when appropriate?

• Are descriptive statistics characterizing the sample included?

• Are appropriate inferential statistics used?

• Is the layout of tables or figures clear and is all necessary information provided?

• For each of the tests described, are; 1) the assumptions behind each analysis mentioned, 2) important results highlighted in the text and/or in a table or figure (when appropriate), 3) the results interpreted accurately in light of the data presented?

Discussion (30%)

Inquiry/Research

• Is the key question of the investigation illustrated and the context of the inquiry described (including restatement of aims and hypotheses)?

• Is a statement of support or lack of support for the hypotheses integrated with a summary of the main results?

• Are the results effectively interpreted with regard to existing literature?

• Is the information evaluated relevant in addressing the outcomes of the study? • Does a statement of conclusion effectively tie up the findings of the current study?

Critical Thinking

• Are the theoretical underpinnings of the results elaborated upon, in comparison to findings of current literature in the same field and to findings in the literature more generally?

• Is the value of the study assessed critically in terms of methodology and theory?

• Has the generalizability, or external validity, of the findings been examined?

• Are limitations of the research, which limit the conclusions that can be drawn from the results, addressed?

• Are potential solutions for methodological issues presented?

• Is the discussion of future research directions effective?

• Is the significance of the research and the implications for the broader field within which the research is based adequately considered?

• Does the conclusion acknowledge the value of the results and is it sufficiently detailed with good insight for future applications?

Writing Style (5%)

• Are all required components of the task present?

• Are the English language skills demonstrated excellent or do they hinder understanding?

• Has correct, discipline-specific terminology been used to describe the content and, where appropriate, has care been taken to explain this terminology?

• Is the information presented succinctly, with no repetition or verbosity?

• Is the work very well written, in that the writing is fluent, engaging and interesting to read, with word choice, sentence variety and expression in general being of a high quality?

APA Format (5%) – where appropriate Needs work Good

• Is there a correctly formatted title page with a descriptive title?

• Are page numbers and headers included on each page? • Is the report double spaced?

• Is non-biasing language used?

• Are references in correct APA format

o In text? o In the reference list?

Research Project Participation (10%) Was the student an active and engaged member of the research group?

Did the student:

• regularly attend Zoom research meetings? • participate in and contribute to Zoom research meetings? • attend and contribute to discussions in the F2F meeting (Sept 24th)? • engage in participant recruitment? (if required) • contribute to individual data collection (if appropriate)? • assist in data scoring/cleaning (as appropriate)?

Mark for Research Project Participation /10

Assignment Checklist

Recommended word counts are not provided for each report section as this will vary between projects and it is up to you to decide whether you have sufficiently addressed each report element. This is the most important thing to keep in mind. For projects with non-significant results, the Results section may not be very long – don’t try to pad it out unnecessarily – but for other projects the Results section may be very long. Length is irrelevant. If you have fully characterized the outcomes of the study so the reader is clear on what happened in terms of the hypotheses and you have established the basic scaffolding for your discussion, move on.

A recommended number of references is not provided for similar reasons; the answer to this question is how long is a piece of string? – You have enough references when you have fully justified the reasoning behind the study at the start and comprehensively examined the outcomes at the end.

There is no 10% rule for this assignment – the body of the report (excluding abstract) must be 2500 words or fewer.

Below is a checklist that you can use to assess whether you have included all required components. Use this checklist, the marking rubric, and discussions with your project leader to determine exactly how you should put your report together to achieve the best outcome possible.

Students who do very well on this assignment are typically those who write several drafts and who finish their first draft in time to clarify any sensible questions with their project leader.

Abstract (5%) 120 words (not included in word count)

A general introductory sentence into the area (could be combined with statement of aims and hypotheses) is provided?

Are the questions being asked clear and the expected findings stated? Is the basic method clear? (Each section of the method very briefly dealt with) Are main outcomes described? What was the main conclusion?

Introduction (15%)

Is the reader clear from the outset why your area of investigation is important? Have the main terms been defined? Have the main questions within the research area been highlighted? Has the intended population been justified? Has the intended method been justified? Is the aim of the study clear and does it flow logically based on the information preceding it? Are the hypotheses of the study clear and do they flow logically from the preceding information?

Has the background literature necessary to support the logic of the hypotheses been clearly reviewed?

Methods (15%)

Are the characteristics of the participants clear? How were they recruited? Were there any exclusion criteria? Are they sorted into different conditions? If so, how many people (or animals) in each?

Is the nature of the materials used clear? What is each material used for (what is it measuring)? Have the materials been demonstrated to be appropriate and valid? Have the important characteristics of the materials been described?

Is the procedure logically sequenced? Is the manner in which each material was administered clear? Are the experimental conditions (groups) clearly described? Are the instructions given to the participants clear? Is the testing situation detailed?

Is the process of data management detailed? (Including level of significance, assumptions tested and decision criteria)

Are the analyses selected justified and appropriate for assessing the data obtained?

Results (25%)

Has basic data screening been described? (Including removal of outliers and any transformations)

Has basic descriptive data been provided? (To set up the following analyses) Has each analysis been introduced with a clear statement regarding what it will demonstrate? Have the data been presented in a relevant Table and/or Figure that has been introduced and has an appropriate (stand alone) title/caption?

Have the general patterns in the data been explained in clear terms? Have the statistical outcomes been presented accurately with a good level of interpretation? Do the results presented reflect analysis of all elements of the study described in the method? Are the different elements of the analyses tied together so the reader is clear regarding what the results demonstrated?

Discussion (30%)

Have the aims and hypothesis been restated? (may include statement of support integrated with a summary of main results).

How do your findings relate back to past literature in context with the original hypotheses? What are the theoretical implications of the results (whether the hypothesis was supported or not)? Are they complementary or conflicting?

Have logical explanations or possible accounts of unexpected findings been offered? What are the limitations of your research, and are there any alternative explanations for the results?

Is the generalizability, or external validity, of the findings discussed? Are there any potential solutions for methodological issues? Where could/should the research be taken next? What is the overall conclusion of your study?

Writing (5%)

Is the sequence of information logical? Is the content of each section correct? Do your paragraphs flow correctly? Has spelling, grammar and sentence structure been checked (and rechecked, and then checked some more)?

APA (5%)

Have the following been checked?

Running Header and Header Page Numbers Title Heading levels of different sections Table Titles/ Figure Captions Table notation (M, SD, N etc) Figure font Error bars In text referencing References list Spacing Indentation Reference to Appendices Language

Research Project Participation (10%)

Were you an active and engaged member of the research group? Throughout the semester did you:

regularly attend Zoom research meetings? participate in and contribute to Zoom research meetings? attend and contribute to discussions in the extended meeting (Sept 24 th)? engage in participant recruitment (if required)? contribute to individual data collection (if appropriate)? assist in data scoring/cleaning (as appropriate)?

ASSIGNMENT DUE DATE IS 9 AM MONDAY OCTOBER 19, 2020