This semester's class experiment examines factors that may influence people's memory for lists of words. Each of you (students in 231) will help design the experiment, collect the data, and write up an APA style paper based on the experiment and the results.

The experimental packet

Download the class experiment packet here.

The class experiment packet includes: Instructions for running the experiment Debriefing Statement 4 copies of the consent form Data Summary sheet

Your assignment is to download the class experiment packet, construct the materials, find four volunteers to participate in the experiment, test the volunteers, debrief the volunteers, compile the data (using the Data summary sheet), and return the data to class on Monday Oct. 11.

Here are three required readings for the class paper. By this I mean that your review of the literature in your introduction section must contain brief reviews of these articles. Additionally you must find and include one other relevant research (empirical) paper.

• Donaldson, W. (1980). The category size effect in serial memorization. Candadian Journal of Pscyhology, 34, 175-178.
• Cohen, B. H. (1963). Recall of categorized word lists. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 66, 227-234.
• Kirsner, K. (1974). Modality differences in recognition memory for words and their attributes. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 102, 579-584.
• The researc paper that you find.

The Results of the Class Experiment

The descriptive statistics

There were 324 total participants, 81 in each condition.

The graph(s)

Here is the same graph in two different graphic formats (JPEG and GIF). In the past some people have had trouble coping one or the other. If you do have trouble copying and pasting these graphs let me know as soon as possible so that I can figure out another way to get you the graph to use in your paper.

GIF

JPEG

The inferential statistics

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 (5% of course grade, due: in lab Oct 28&29): includes an introduction w/ literature review, hypotheses/predictions, the methods section for the experiment, results, and the references. See the checklist below for specifics about what we're going to be looking for.

EVALUATION CRITERIA
Title page	__/2
Introduction Problem of interest Link between problem and past research Summarize the past research Describe the basic purpose of the current experiment Describe hypotheses (conceptual level IV and DV	__/2 __/2 __/15 __/4 __/4
Method Thoroughness of the description Participant description Design -IVs and DVs, operational definitions Materials - description of the stimuli Procedure - how the experiment was performed	__/2 __/2 __/5 __/2 __/4
Results Descriptive Statistics What inferential statistics were used, what alpha level Results of the statistical analyses	__/2 __/2 __/2
Discussion Were the hypotheses supported or rejected? What are the implications of the resluts? Discussion of possible alternative explanations Future directions
References Are all the appropriate references cited? Are all the references cited in the text? Are the citations in the appropriate APA format?	__/15
Tables and Figures Figure captions page Each figure on a separate page Figures are clear/neat Tables follow APA style guidelines Tables and figures cited in text	__/5
Writing Overall clarity Grammar Spelling APA format	__/10 __/5 __/5 __/10

Part 2 Final APA style manuscript (10% of course grade, due: in lab Dec. 2&3): - 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.

The paper must be typed (neatness, spelling, and grammar are important), must follow APA format, and must be brief and concise (at most 10-12 double-spaced pages, inclusive of header page and figures). Placement of headings, titles, paragraph indentations, content of sections, etc. must follow the pattern used in APA journals. The final authority on format is the APA Publication Manual (but most questions you may encounter can be answered by reference to several of the APA style web pages).

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 four primary sources (the three assigned and a relevant one that you find on your own). 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.