PSCH Assignment 5

Psychology 242

Reading, interpreting and evaluating an original research article

So far in your studies of psychology, you have primarily been reading second-hand reports about psychological research in an introductory textbook. While introductory textbooks provide a good overview of a broad range of different topics covered by scientific psychology, the format does not allow a detailed description of the methods used in specific studies. As a result, it is virtually impossible for the reader to evaluate the quality of specific studies, and the validity of the conclusions drawn by the researchers (or rather, by the authors of the textbook).

For this homework assignment you will go directly to the original source, and read an original research article. The purpose of this exercise is to (1) practice reading about scientific psychology in the more “dense” and methods-focused format provided by research articles, (2) practice interpreting statistical results as they are typically reported in the research literature, and (3) practice evaluating the validity of conclusions in the light of the methods used and the statistical results reported.

What you are supposed to do

Read the article referred to below carefully (you will find it on Blackboard), and answer the nine questions found on the next page. Please include the original questions in the document you hand in and add your response below each question.

In order to do well on this assignment, it is important that you read the research article very carefully, and that you go back to the text as you try to answer the questions for the assignment. Doing a careful job on this assignment will have the additional benefit of preparing you for the sixth (and final) homework assignment, which will be an extension of this assignment.

Article

Ravizza, S. M., Uitvlugt, M. G., & Fenn, K. M. (2017). Logged in and zoned out: How laptop internet use relates to classroom learning. Psychological Science, 28, 171-180.

Deadline

The deadline for this assignment is Friday 4/3. You must upload your assignment on SafeAssign before 8am, and bring a hard copy to your TA at the beginning of class.

Good luck!

Tomas Stahl

Questions

1. What is the main research question (problem statement)? (2 points)

Note. The authors may not explicitly state: “This is our main research question/problem statement). However, a careful read will enable you to identify it.

2. What data collection (research) method was used in this study? (2 points)

Note. The authors may not explicitly state what research method was used, but it can be inferred from their description of what they did (i.e., from the procedure).

3. What was the final sample size in this study, and what criteria were used to include participants in the analyses? (2 points)

4. What was the main dependent variable in this study? (2 points)

5. According to the authors, what is the main advantage of the present study compared to previous research on this topic? (2 points)?

6. According to the authors, what are the two possible downsides of relying on self-reported internet use? (4 points)

7. What potential confounding variables did the authors try to control for in this study? (3 points)

8. What were the main findings from this study? (4 points)

Note. To back up your conclusion, you are expected to report and interpret the direction and strength (in statistical terms) of the relationships between the main independent and dependent variables as reported in this article.

9. When you take all aspects of the research reported in this article into account, how would you evaluate this research? Do you see any weaknesses/limitations with the study? As you try to answer this question, think in terms of potential threats to different types of validity (statistical, construct, internal, external). Are there any major threats that have not been appropriately addressed? (4 points)?