RM

Question 1

Writing consent forms

Answer 1

MUST be written in future tense
Thank the participants for considering taking part
* The aim of the research including an outline of the task and how much of their time
it will take (TIME AND TASK!) be specific.
* Explain the ethical issues which have been accounted for especially the right to
withdraw & confidentiality
* Remind them they can ask any questions
* Include space where they can sign to show they consent

Question 2

Writing standardised instructions

Answer 2

MUST be written in future tense e.g. you will be required to…
* Formal but polite
* You will be required to do this….step by step of what they will do…
* How long they will take to complete the task
* What they should do when they have finished
* Do they have any questions?
* Ask if the participant have any questions

Question 3

Writing a debrief

Answer 3

Written in past tense
* Thank the participants for taking part in the research
* Include the aim of the research (true nature of the study)
* Explain why it was important to deceive them (if that’s the case)
* If it was an independent groups design – the ppts must be told of the condition that
they did not take part in.
* Explain the relevant ethical issues which have been accounted for (right to withdraw
data, their data will be kept confidential)
* Reassure them their behaviour is normal, offer after care (if needed)
* Ask participants if they have questions

Question 4

Sections of a scientific report

Answer 4

1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Method
4. results
5. Discussion
6. Referencing

Question 5

Section 1: Abstract

Answer 5

What is the purpose of an abstract? This allows the reader e.g. a
student or another psychologist to gain an overview of the study
and help them decide if they want to read on.
What goes in an abstract? A summary of the study covering the
aims, hypotheses, method, results and conclusions. It is the first
part of the Psychology report. Abstracts are reported in a single
paragraph of 150-250 words.

Question 6

Section 2: Introduction

Answer 6

What goes in an introduction? It begins by describing previous
research in the area is described. Links are made with previous
research or it is made clear how the current research will add to
the previous research. The introduction ends with the researcher
stating the aims and hypotheses of the research.
What is the purpose of an introduction? Gives background on
relevant theories and studies to explain how aims and hypothesis
developed.

Question 7

Section 3: Method

Answer 7

What is the purpose of an introduction? This section gives a detailed
description of what the researcher did - this should provide enough
detail for replication of the study.
What goes in a method section?
S - Sampling method, how many took part and information about Ppts,
ages, occupations, gender etc.
P - Procedure - written like a recipe with the exact order of events
including any standardised instructions.
E - Equipment details of any materials and apparatus used.
E - Ethics - significant ethical issues may be mentioned as well as how
they were dealt with.
D - Design e.g.’ repeated measures’ or ’covert observation’. Design
decisions should be justified.

Question 8

Section 4: Results

Answer 8

What is the purpose of the results section? To present the overall summary of the findings
to the reader rather than reviewing the raw data.
What goes in a results section?
Descriptive statistics - tables and graphs showing frequencies and measures of
central tendency and dispersion.
Inferential statistics - stat tests are reported and calculated values and
significance levels are detailed.
For any qualitative research - categories and themes are described along with examples.

Question 9

Section 5: Discussion

Answer 9

What is the purpose of the discussion section? This section will discuss the findings and
suggest possible uses and future areas of research.
What goes in a discussion section?
Summary of results – written description of the statistical results focusing on whether the
hypothesis was supported. The results from tables and graphs are discussed along with any
atypical data.
Compare with other results – Explain whether the findings support the results of the
studies in the introduction.
Limitations and modifications –evaluate the present research methods and procedures and
explain how this could be improved if repeated.
Implications & future research – explain how the findings could be used and any potential
follow up studies that could be conducted.

Question 10

Referencing an article

Answer 10

Author name - date - title of article, journal title, volume, issue number, page numbers.

Question 11

Referencing a book

Answer 11

Author’s last name, followed by first initial (date). Title of book. place of publication: publisher

Question 12

The peer review process

Answer 12

• Psychological research papers, before publication, are subjected to independent scrutiny by other
  psychologists working in a similar field to decide if it should be published.
• Work is considered in terms of its validity, significance and originality and possible improvements
  may be suggested.
• Assessment of the appropriateness of the methods and designs used.
• The reviewer can: Accept the research as it is, accept the research if improvements are made,
  reject the research.
• The review can be open (both researcher and reviewer named), single blind (only the researcher
  named and so reviewer is anonymous) or double blind (where both researcher and reviewer are
  anonymous.
• The editor of the journal will make the final decision on whether to publish the research, based on
  the comments of the reviewer.

Question 13

The peer review purpose (role)

Answer 13

• To ensure quality and relevance of research, eg methodology, data analysis etc and accuracy/validity and reliability of findings.This is because it is difficult for authors and researchers to spot every mistake in a piece of work. Showing the work to others increases
  the likelihood that weaknesses will be addressed.
• This process ensures that published research can be taken seriously because it has been
  independently scrutinised by fellow researchers
• It helps to prevent the dissemination of irrelevant findings, unwarranted claims,
  unacceptable interpretations, personal views and deliberate fraud. (retains integrity)
• Determines whether research should receive funding

Question 14

PROBLEMS associated with the peer review system

Answer 14

1. FRAUD. In a small number of cases, peer review has failed to identify fraudulent research
   before publication.
2. VALUES. Although psychologists try to be objective, it is generally accepted that it is
   impossible to
   separate from your personal, cultural or political views. Thus if research findings agree with
   the reviewers own beliefs then they are more likely to be accepted as objective research.
3. BIAS: There are a number of ways in which a review of research may be biased, e.g
   Institution bias – the tendency to favour research which comes from prestigious universities. Gender bias – the tendency to favour male researchers and bias towards positive findings.
4. ANONYMITY: It is usual practice that the ‘peer’ doing the reviewing remains anonymous throughout the process to produce a more honest appraisal. However, due to direct
   competition for limited research funding a minority of reviewers may use their anonymity as a way of criticising rival reviewers. Therefore some journals use open reviewing where the names of the reviewers are made public.

Question 15

One limitation of conducting objective research

Answer 15

it can lead to a reductionist viewpoint. This is often a problem as we are simplifying
behaviour down into simple basic units, for example simplifying OCD to simple basic units
such as a mutated SERT gene which has been identified by objective methods such as gene
mapping. This neglecting a holistic approach which will take into account a variety of factors
to explain behaviour such as culture and socio-economic background. Therefore, when
conducting objective research we fail to gain a full understanding of human behaviour in
context.

Question 16

strength of using replicable research in Psychology can lead to practical applications

Answer 16

If a researcher uses replicable
procedures for example when Skinner investigated reinforcement with rats, the rats were
placed in a controlled environment. This means the research can be replicated under the
same conditions which increases the credibility of the research. This can help to develop
practical applications such as aversion therapy Therefore showing features of a science is
an important part of applied Psychology.

Question 17

One limitation when considering if Psychology follows all features of a science is that some
approaches/theories cannot be falsified

Answer 17

For example, Freud in the Psychodynamic
approach created the idea of 5 psychosexual stages that children must progress through to
have a ‘normal development’. However, this theory cannot be falsified as there is no
possible way to test if this idea is true or false due to the unscientific nature of studying the
unconscious. Therefore not all areas of Psychology can be considered a science due to
their unscientific methods, lowering the credibility of Psychology as a science.

Question 18

Paradigm:

Answer 18

Where scientific disciplines have a shared set of
assumptions and methods
Psychology lacks a universally accepted paradigm
(there are too many internal disagreements and
conflicting approaches)
Paradigm shift = when there is a revolutionary
change in scientific assumptions where the old
paradigm is replaced with a new one. An example
of a paradigm shift could be the move away from
behavioural psychology to cognitive psychology

Question 19

Replicable

Answer 19

Repeat the research using the same methods/procedure (1)
to check for similar findings (1) Procedures must be
operationalised and detailed in order to do this.
Repeating research to check findings are externally valid. (1)
This may sound like reliability but rather than using the same
sample, psychologists test a different group of people to see if
similar behaviour is observed. This helps to generalise the
theory to a wider population. (1)
This increases confidence in results (1)

Question 20

Objective

Answer 20

The research has to be unaffected by the expectations of the researcher usng factual measurements and measurable data to reduce subjectivity