PSYC512: Research Methods Lecture 17

1. PSYC512: Research MethodsLecture 17 Brian P. Dyre University of Idaho PSYC512: Research Methods

2. Lecture 17 Outline • Lecture 16 Review • Relational Research • Sampling • Research Ethics • Writing Research Proposal • The Art of Peer Review • Addressing Reviewer’s Comments PSYC512: Research Methods

3. Ethics associated with Human Subjects • The unspoken subject-experimenter contract • Subject expectation is that experimenter will • give clear instructions • ensure safety & warn of dangers • inform subjects of the nature of the experiment • Experimenter expectation is that subjects will • cooperate • be honest (faithful) • In psychology, subjects frequently see experimenter not as a scientist but rather as a therapist PSYC512: Research Methods

4. Institutional Ethical Oversight • Institutional Review Board • research must be approved prior to conducting the research • approval does not lesson responsibility of the experimenter • Federal Review may also occur for projects receiving federal funding (e.g., NIH, NIMH) PSYC512: Research Methods

5. Basic Ethical Principles • Minimize harm to participants • Informed consent • Freedom to withdraw • Protection from harm • Confidentiality • Maximize benefit to science PSYC512: Research Methods

6. Informed Consent • Ss should be given a description of what they will do and possible problems (and detrimental effects), the purpose of the experiment • Ss must sign a consent form that describes risks or discomforts and explicitly states that • participation is voluntary • the subject may withdraw at any time without penalty • responses are confidential or anonymous • Deception • “cover story” used to minimize reactivity to experimental procedures • if used must provide a full debriefing! PSYC512: Research Methods

7. The Debriefing • As a part of informed consent, subjects should be told of the full nature of the study • Especially important if study causes temporary detrimental effects or uses deception • Goal: identify and remove misunderstandings • Opportunity to collect additional data • Opportunity to educate PSYC512: Research Methods

8. Freedom to Withdraw • Ss must be allowed to withdraw from an experiment at any time • Ss must KNOW they have the freedom to withdraw PSYC512: Research Methods

9. Protection from Harm • Experiments that subject Ss to any risk require very strong justification • Experimenters’ responsibility to anticipate risks and take measures to minimize risks PSYC512: Research Methods

10. Confidentiality • Information given by or collected from Ss should be kept confidential • Sometimes confidentiality conflicts with protection from harm • Easiest manner to insure confidentiality is to collect data in a manner that makes the data anonymous • Maintaining confidentiality • Data security • Keep information coding identity separate from the data itself PSYC512: Research Methods

11. Maximizing benefit to science • Minimize waste by using pilot studies • insure equipment and stimulus materials are appropriate and working correctly • eliminate bugs from data collection and data reduction (analysis) • Make sure your measures are reliable PSYC512: Research Methods

12. Writing a Research Proposal • Purpose of Research Proposal • Presents a literature review that defines the concepts and intervening variables pertinent to a particular research question • Presents a specific research question with explicit hypotheses to be tested • Develops a plan for addressing that research question empirically, including descriptions of • Target population and subject sampling • The research design, including explicit definition of independent and dependent variables and how the stimuli and procedures implement these variables • Aspects of stimuli and procedures that help to control for extraneous variables and confounding variables • Types of analyses to be used, predicted results, and how these predictions relate to the hypotheses PSYC512: Research Methods

13. Research Proposals: Global Concerns • Scientific Writing Style • Precision more important than entertainment, but… • Research is part science and part advertising – not only do you need to develop good ideas but you must be able to sell your ideas • Proposal is often the basis of first impression for the quality of the research project • Proposal must be clear on ALL levels of analysis • Words • Sentences • Paragraphs OUTLINE! • Sections PSYC512: Research Methods

14. Research Proposals: Global Concerns • APA guidelines • Orderly expression of ideas - organization • Smoothness of expression - transitions • Economy of expression - concise language • Precision and clarity – use scientific vocabulary “jargon” correctly and insure that all terms are defined the first time they are used PSYC512: Research Methods

15. Organization of a Research Proposal – USE APA STYLE! • Title Page – title should specifically describe what the paper is about so that it is useful information for other researchers’ literature searches • Abstract • essentially a mini-paper for lit. searches • be extremely CONCISE! (< 150 words) • introduce specific topic • discuss variables, etc. • present major results (no statistics!) • discuss important conclusions PSYC512: Research Methods

16. Organization of a Research Proposal – USE APA STYLE! • Introduction • Purpose • Demonstrate knowledge of relevant research • Define intervening variables and their relation to manipulations and measurements used in previous reserach • Present and justify research question and hypotheses • Present and justify the general method to be used • Organization • Start broad then narrow to your general purpose • Discuss only relevant research in a logical flow • Near the end provide an explicit statement of hypotheses and an overview of the general research design PSYC512: Research Methods

17. Organization of a Research Proposal – USE APA STYLE! • Method • explicitly state how variables are manipulated • define in separate sub-sections • Participants (subjects) • Design • Stimuli/Apparatus/Materials • Procedures • Results • scales of IVs and DVs • transformations of DVs • list analyses you plan to perform • summarize predictions PSYC512: Research Methods

18. Things to Avoid: Brian’s Proposal Pet Peeves • Use of informal language: e.g., you don’t “run” subjects, you test subjects • Ambiguous pronouns: if you use the word “it” make sure the surrounding context makes the meaning of the word “it” obvious, otherwise avoid using it (as in “it”) • Sexist pronouns (he vs. she) – word sentences to avoid having to use these if at all possible, or use “he or she” • Verb tense • Introduction Section: discussion of specific previous research  past tense, ideas or concepts that are general for all time and not linked to past present tense • Method and results: future tense • Plural/singular mismatches • Passive voice – word sentences in active voice • Superfluous, imprecise language (e.g., avoid vague adverbs—search for all words ending in “ly” and consider eliminating them) • Style issues like “that” vs. “which” PSYC512: Research Methods

19. The Art of Peer Review • Example review available online in lecture schedule • Goal: Assist author in improving the clarity and impact of the paper (or proposal) by offering specific constructive criticism (no name calling!) and complements (where appropriate) • Structure • Summary • Major (or general) criticisms (typically <=3) • Minor (specific) criticisms (any number, specifically listed by page and line number) PSYC512: Research Methods

20. Addressing Reviewer’s Comments • Never blame a reviewer for a negative review • Consider all criticism as constructive—the reviewer is trying to help you! • Assume misunderstandings are your fault, not the reviewers. All misunderstandings occur because you did not write clearly enough • The cover letter (required with submission of revised proposal) • Specifically responds to the reviewers comments by • describing specific changes made in the paper to address criticisms • Presenting a rationale for why a reviewer’s criticism was not addressed • Must be worded very diplomatically! PSYC512: Research Methods

21. Presenting Research • Time-allotted: 20 minutes  strictly enforced! • Use same general format as the written report • introduction (roughly 10 minutes) • method (roughly 8 minutes) • Summary (2 minutes or so) • Given time allotted you cannot go into the same level of detail as your written report • Materials • Talk from an outline of points you wish to make • Visual Aids  power point • Elements of Style • PRACTICE YOUR PRESENTATION! • Anticipate questions and how you will answer them PSYC512: Research Methods