Your task is design your own experiment. Your experiment should be novel, but not too general. For example “The effects of social media on anxiety” is too general; “The effects of negative messages on Facebook on people’s self assessment of mood” is better. “How violent video games effect behaviour” is too general; “Comparing the impacts of Highly violent, Moderately violent, and Non-violent videos games on physiological measures of anxiety immediately after playing ” is much better.
Your study can be very creative, but you should use SOME research to design it. Base SOME of your ideas on research or measures that already exists; make sure to cite your work. For example you could find a test of intelligence or anxiety to use in your study. Simply saying “I will measure intelligence” is not enough; you must say HOW in your operational definitions/procedures (for example: “using the WAIS test”).
The worksheet for you to use is attached in Module 8 of Canvas. It includes all the headings below.
Make sure to hand write all your responses in the worksheet OR create your own worksheet and type your answers;
Submit your worksheet to Canvas
It MUST include all the headings below (see example under Module 8.
Your topic must be related to psychology.
Come up with your study first, and then fill in the worksheet using these headings and instructions:
Research Question:
State your research question or the phenomenon you are studying. Explain the rationale behind your study. Why is it interesting or important to study your research question? How will your study help people or science? Marks will be given for originality and how compelling it is.
General Design:
Give a brief overview of your research design (example: “This experiment will present videos of car crashes to students and ask them questions about the speed the cars were going, and the presence of glass; The key manipulation will be the descriptiveness of the verbs used in the questions (e.g., hit vs smashed).”
Hypothesis:
Formulate a clear and testable hypothesis based on your research question. Remember to state both the null and alternative hypotheses. This section should involve the IV and DV below. Example: “We hypothesize that the students in the “smashed” condition will produce the highest speed estimates compared to the students in the other (more neutral) conditions. We also hypothesize, more people will recall seeing broken glass in the the “smashed” condition compared to the “hit” condition.” The null hypothesize is that verb choice will not influence student responses.
Independent Variable(s) (IVs):
Identify the variable(s) you will manipulate or control in your experiment. Include the operational definition(s). Example: “The IV will be the descriptiveness of the verb used in the question “How fast were the cars going when they ____?” and include the words smashed, hit, collided, bumped, and contacted.
Dependent Variable(s) (DVs):
Identify the variable(s) you will measure to assess the effect of your independent variable(s). Include the operational definition(s). Example “The 1st DV will be the speed estimates the students respond with to the question “How fast were the cars going when they ____?” in km/h. The 2nd DV will be the students yes or no response to the question “Do you recall seeing broken glass?”
Comparison Groups
Experimental Group(s):
Describe the condition(s) of the group(s) that will receive the experimental manipulation or treatment.
Control Group:
Describe the condition of the group that will not receive the experimental manipulation or treatment.
Population and Sampling Method:
Explain the method you will use to select participants for your study (e.g., random sampling, convenience sampling), and from where you will be selecting them.
Participants and Assignment Method:
Specify the characteristics of the participants (e.g., age, gender, other traits) and the sample size you would like. Explain how your participants will be assigned to groups (e.g. this may be based on characteristics, for example, if you are comparing gender differences; or this might be using random assignment, convenience sampling etc.)
Research Design:
Choose a suitable research design for your experiment (e.g., between-subjects, within-subjects, mixed design). Justify your choice. Example: “The experiment represents a 2×2 between subjects design with factors determined by the IVs (interviewer gender X bridge type).”
Procedures:
Describe the step-by-step procedures for conducting the experiment. Be explicit about how you will manipulate the independent variable and how you will measure the dependent variable. Example: “An interviewer will approach young men crossing one of the bridges. He/she will ask them if they would participate in a short study about the impact of scenery on creativity. They the interviewer will explain the instructions to the participants and give them TAT picture … etc”
Ethical Considerations:
Briefly discuss any ethical considerations that need to be addressed when conducting your experiment, such as informed consent and debriefing.
Predicted Results:
State what you expect to find based on your hypothesis. Include potential limitations or alternative explanations for your predicted results that you need to consider.
Conclusion and Implications:
Discuss the potential significance of your findings and how they might contribute to the field of psychology