Purpose: This assignment introduces you to writing journal reports in psychology and is especially important for psychology majors who will be required to write reports in future courses (but it will also increase the ability of nonmajors to read research reports too).

The assignments:

Part 1 Project Proposal (10% of course grade, due: in lab Oct 17&18): includes an introduction w/ literature review, hypotheses/predictions, the methods section for the experiment, and the references.

Part 2 Final APA style manuscript (15% of course grade, due: in lab Nov 21&22): - A complete write-up of the class research project using APA format. Includes the parts from the proposal (revised according to feedback from the earlier draft), plus results and discussion sections, including any necessary figures.

EVALUATION CRITERIA (Each criteria is worth 20 points)

1. Relevant Introduction and Discussion (including References)
2. Adequate Method statement (e.g., for replication)
3. Appropriate Interpretation of assigned data analysis (especially description)
4. Moderate deviation from APA format
5. Readable use of the language (including grammar, spelling, paragraph structure, etc)

LETTER (NUMBER) GRADE

A (90-100)
B (80-89)
C (70-79)
D (60-96)
F (0-59)

Introduction: It is necessary that you do some library research to write the Introduction. Any secondary source like an introductory psychology text will provide a minimal background. You must also cite at least three primary sources (e.g., journal articles). The Psychological Abstracts are a good way to find recent primary sources. Be sure you state clear reasons for doing the experiment (i.e., hypothesis; see below) in your Introduction. Specifically, I want you to develop and provide background for the idea that inspired the experiment that the class designed (or research that is relevant to the experiment that we designed). Be sure that the references you cite fit with your hypotheses.

Methods: Your Method section is intended to communicate with people who know very little about what was done. Be certain, however, that you include enough information so the study could be replicated. Note also that you should use the second person, passive voice as well as past tense throughout your paper.

Results: The data you are to report in the Results section are described statistically in the Data Summary Table (see attached handouts). These data have been subjected to an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and the results of this inferential statistical analysis are reported in the following ANOVA Summary Table. Report F ratios and probability levels in the text of your paper using the following format , F(df) = #.##, p < .##,.

Do not include any of these tables in your paper, you should make your own where you feel that they are needed. For each of the main effects and interactions, report the data in the text of your paper, describe the effect, and give associated inferential statistics.

Discussion: In your Discussion section, discuss your results, do not simply repeat the results (avoid redundancy throughout the paper. There is no space for it!). Discuss your data in light of the hypotheses. Why might your results have been different from expectation or previous research? What is the significance for your hypotheses of the interactions? How might you explain the any unexpected effects. In the context provided by your Introduction, what do your results mean (what are the implications of these results)?

Reference: Your References section must include at least the three primary references you have cited in the text of your paper and no references can be listed here which are not cited in your paper. Consult the APA Manual or published reports for examples how to report citations.