Psychology-Research Paper

Research Design Assignment

Below you will find eight hypotheses. Each hypothesis is simply a statement that could be supported by evidence or proven to be false by the evidence. Your task for each assignment is to choose one hypothesis from the list of eight and design a research study that could test or investigate that hypothesis.

For your prospectus – due on 7/10 – please provide the following:

1)       The hypothesis of your choice

2)       The type of study you will design (true experiment, quasi experiment. Observation, case study or correlational survey)

3)       The titles and brief descriptions of two other research studies or articles from peer-reviewed psychology journals that address the issues raised by the research question (hypothesis)

4)       Wikipedia, encyclopedias and your textbook are NOT acceptable sources although they may be used to help you locate research studies and peer-reviewed articles on the topic of your hypothesis.

Typed and about 1 page in length – no handwritten or emailed work will be accepted.

For the final project please provide the following information on a double-spaced typed paper:

(1) Provide your name and list your specific hypothesis;

(2) Discuss the findings of your two other studies

(3) Provide a description of your  a)experiment (please be as specific as possible about how you will conduct the study, including a description of your participants and your method of choosing them) or b)non-experiment (be as specific as possible about the type of study it will be, the participants and how you will obtain them)

(4) If you design an experiment, specifically list your independent variable as

well as the experimental and control conditions of the variable (remember that your independent variable is the thing you think will produce a change in behavior – that is, the “cause” half of the hypothesis); and mention your dependent variable (remember that

the dependent variable is the behavior that you will be measuring – that is, the “effect” half of the hypothesis.

(5) If you design a non-experiment – quasi-experiment, observation, case study or correlational survey – please thoroughly discuss the probably confounding variables that you will have to manage in analyzing your results.

(6) Make sure that all your research variables are operational and completely measurable.

Final paper due – last day of class. 4 to 6 pages

4 to 6 pages – paper must be typed and double-spaced. A title page and the reference page do not count as “pages” of the term paper.

Please refer to instructor regarding penalties for: not typing paper, handing in a child observation or any other paper that does not fulfill the above requirements and handing in a plagiarized paper.

 

 

Possible Hypotheses (choose only one).

 

1. People in noisy environments are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure, anxiety, and feelings of helplessness.

2. If people are told that an infant is “John,” they are more likely to see “him” as bigger and stronger than if the same infant is called “Joan.”

3. Witnesses of simulated crime scenes remember less information if the “robber” has a gun than if he does not.

4. People in a bar will be more likely to leave the bartender tips if the tip jar already has some money in it.

5. Single, elderly individuals are happier if they have a dog or a cat as a pet.

6. Men are more likely to become aggressive when frustrated than women are.

7. Most people who suffer psychological problems become better with therapy.

8. People are less likely to offer help to a stranger if other bystanders are present.

9. Sleep-deprived students are more likely to get lower grades on tests.

10. People who pray regularly are more socially conservative than people who do not pray.