EXP 3082L EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 3sh

Laboratory Manual/Syllabus by Dr. Jay E. Gould

Spring 2005, January 5 April 29

TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
Instructor and Class Data

Required Books

Recommended Books

Prerequisite and Corequisite

Student-Learning Outcome Objectives

Mechanism
Oral Reports and Discussions
Poster Presentations
Attendance and Late Papers
Special Arrangements for Assistance
Academic Dishonesty
Plagiarism
APA Publication Manual

3
4
5
5
5
6
6
6

Assignments and Grading Criteria

Exercise #1: Driver Behavior Study
Exercise #2: Research Proposal
Literature Review and Written Proposal
Detailed Instructions for Research Proposal
Grading Criteria for Exercise #2 Paper
Exercise #3: Major Experimental Study
Group Research Proposal
Pilot Study and Main Study
Research Paper
Oral Reports and Poster Presentations
Grading Criteria for Exercise #3 Research Paper
Evaluation Criteria for Exercise #3 Poster Session
Estimated Contribution to Poster Session
Poster Evaluation by Viewers

8
8

Driver Behavior Study Handout

Chi Square ( 2) Statistical Appendix
Chi Square Analysis Example of Drive Behavior Study Data

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EXP 3082L EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 3sh

Laboratory Manual/Syllabus by Dr. Jay E. Gould
Spring 2005, January 5 April 29

Instructor:

Jay E. Gould

Phone:

474-2290

Laboratory Hours: Tue & Thur 1:002:15 pm

or
Laboratory Hours: Tue & Thur 4:005:45 pm

Office:

Bldg. 41, Rm. 216

Office Hours:

E-Mail:
Website:

[email protected]
uwf.edu/jgould

--->
--->

Tue/Thur 10:30-11:30 pm
Wed 2:30-5:30 pm

Subject line should say: Advise Re. EXP 3082

Go to Resources & Syllabi to find materials

Required Book
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (Fifth Edition).
Recommended Books
Bruning, J. L. & Kintz, B. L. Computational Handbook of Statistics. or
Linton, M. & Gallo, P. The Practical Statistician: Simplified Handbook of Statistics.
Szuchman, L. T. Writing With Style: APA Style Made Easy.
Langston, W. Research Methods Laboratory Manual for Psychology
Prerequisite
Students should have completed STA 2023 or an equivalent course in applied statistics.
Assignments in the laboratory section of Experimental Psychology will require that
students perform appropriate statistical analyses on data collected.
Corequisite
Students enrolled in this course must also be enrolled in a Lecture Section of
Experimental Psychology (EXP 3082) with the same instructor as for this laboratory
section----unless it was previously completed and the student has permission.

Student-Learning Outcome Objectives

The objectives of the laboratory section of Experimental Psychology are to familiarize
students with experimental (as well as descriptive) research methods by providing
"hands-on" experiences--through a series of exercises--in designing, conducting,
analyzing, interpreting, and writing up psychological research. As a result of careful
study and fulfillment of the course assignments, students should be able (among other
things) to:
1. Develop experimental research problems in psychology
2. Conduct reviews of the scientific literature relevant to chosen research problems
3. Formulate research hypotheses
4. Design experimental psychology studies
5. Run pilot studies
6. Execute experimental studies by collecting research data under carefully
controlled conditions
7. Summarize and statistically analyze research data
8. Evaluate research results and draw conclusions pertaining to hypotheses
9. Communicate research studies in oral, written, and poster formats

Mechanism
The objectives of this course can be achieved through careful study of the required and
recommended books listed earlier, attendance at all laboratory meetings, and careful
execution of the assignments. Some of the assignments will be done in the field or
involve use of the library without direct supervision. Students will be expected to be
diligent and responsible at all times. Note: This Laboratory Manual/Syllabus contains
very important information and guidance. Students will be held responsible for knowing
and following all of its contents.
Experiments will be conducted using either just paper and pencil, microcomputers with
software, or classical research equipment (e.g., tachistoscope, pursuit rotor, and mirror
drawing apparatus; in addition to memory drum and reaction timer, for which, however,
there are also good computer programs). Students will prepare research proposals,
collect data, analyze and interpret results, and then write papers in APA Publication
Manual style. In addition, there will be oral and poster presentations on the research.
Note: This is not the kind of lab where you can be told in exact detail everything
that has to be done. Instead you will need to show some initiative and creativity,
since that is what science requires. But you will not be left entirely on your own. You
will conduct your research in groups, and the major elements of the first exercise are
provided in a handout so that you only have to work out the details, execute the study,
analyze the data, and write it up. Furthermore, the graduate teaching assistant and I
are ready to help you whenever there are questions or problems. We want this lab to
be not only instructional, but interesting, if not exciting. However, this will depend a
great deal on your really getting involved in the research. The lab will be challenging,
but you will learn a great deal. Any recommendations that you might have for
3

improving the Laboratory Manual/Syllabus and/or the exercises, will be most

appreciated. After all, this laboratory course is designed for your benefit.
In order to be properly prepared, students will be expected to be up to date on the
lecture class Handbook assignments before starting each of the laboratory
assignments. See Course Calendar of Assignments and Exams. Students who do not
prepare in advance for the laboratory assignments will not be able to take maximum
advantage of the exercises, and their understanding and retention of the material will
suffer. Such individuals will also most likely be a hindrance rather than an aid to
classmates.
Before beginning to design and conduct your own research studies, you might need a
review of the major principles of sampling and generalization, plus hypothesis testing
and statistical analysis. If so, it would be a good idea, early in the course, to look at
Chapters 11 and 12 of the course Handbook written by your instructor (also of value
early on is Chapter 5 about the Initial and Final Phases of Research); and Chapters 2-4
in the Simplified Handbook of Statistics by Linton and Gallo (on reserve in Library),
which has a useful exercise exam at the end of Chapter 3 to test your knowledge. Note:
Control of extraneous variables is briefly touched on just before this exercise exam,
and the notation system used in the book is described on p. 133.
It might also be a good idea, when preparing for Exercises 2 & 3 later in this Laboratory
Manual/Syllabus, to review the material on factorial designs in the above sources early
on, rather than waiting for discussion on this topic occurring toward the end of the
Lecture Course. To help you, there will be some earlier discussion of factorial designs
in lecture and lab. Do not panic!
Students will be divided into groups of four to six for the purpose of discussing and
assisting each other with the laboratory assignments. This will introduce students to the
advantages and difficulties of team research. It is important that the graduate teaching
assistant and/or course instructor be alerted if any member of a group does not appear
to be participating fully. This will allow supportive corrective measures to be taken,
which will be to the benefit of everyone involved. Members of each group should
exchange phone numbers and e-mail addresses, along with their names, to facilitate
communication.
Oral reports and discussions involving the entire class will occur at laboratory meetings
when the exercises/studies (and perhaps research proposals) are completed. Students
should be prepared to discuss their research and any questions that they or others
might have. A student from each of the groups will be selected to present a 10-15
minute oral report on the study that the group conducted (or proposes to conduct). The
report should discuss the research problem, hypotheses, methods, results, and
conclusions. In other words: What was done? Why was it done? How was it done?
What was found? What does it mean? (and similar questions for research proposals,
except stated in the future tense) Attention should be given to the control of extraneous
variables: i.e., what variables/factors were controlled, how were they controlled, what
variables were not controlled, and why weren't they controlled?
4

These oral reports will provide an opportunity for the instructor, teaching assistant, and
other students to offer feedback on the quality of the research. The reports will also
give students experience in orally communicating research in a rigorous manner. They
will not be graded. They are meant to provide experience and "pleasure."
Poster presentations during final exam week on Exercise #3 will be prepared by each
research group in order to gain experience in this format used at most conventions as
an alternative to oral presentations. Examples from previous classes will be provided.
They will be viewed and commented on by the instructor, graduate teaching assistants,
classmates, and other students and faculty in the Department.

Attendance and Late Papers

It is mandatory that students attend all laboratory meetings, unless you are
specifically told otherwise--such as when the assignment is to analyze data or interpret
and write up a study. Unexcused lab absences and late papers will each result in the
loss of 1/3 of a letter grade per day for that exercise. In no case will late papers
be accepted after the last class meeting before Final Exam Week. This is only fair
to students who attend lab and get their work in on time. Moreover, since much of the
lab work is done in groups, students not participating in lab meetings are most likely
going to adversely affect the performance others in their research group.
Late papers must be turned in to the Departments Main Office, date/time
stamped, and placed in the instructors mail box. Papers slid under the
instructors door will not be accepted.
Note: Dont call the instructor or graduate teaching assistant about absences. A
written or e-mailed explanation for missing class will be required, preferably before the
absence. A doctor's note is not required--I use the honor system. Students missing
more than 4 laboratory meetings, regardless of the reasons, will receive an
incomplete "I" in the course, assuming that at least 70% of the course work was
completed and that they were not failing.
Special Arrangements for Assistance: Students with special needs who require
specific examination-related or other course-related accommodations should contact
Barbara Fitzpatrick, Director of Disabled Student Services (DSS), at (850) 474-2387.
DSS will provide the student with a letter for the instructor that will specify any
recommended accommodations. Students should attend to this as early as possible.
The instructor is not obligated to accommodate a students needs unless presented with
an official letter from the Office of Disabled Student Services.

Academic Dishonesty: I am very aware that there is a great deal of pressure to do

well in college. But that is never an excuse for cheating on an exam, plagiarizing an
assignment, or in any other way being academically dishonest. There are severe
penalties for such wrongdoing. Do the right thing and be a good citizen--be honest! You
should carefully review the Rights & Regulations section of the UWF Student Handbook,
from which the following was excerpted.
Expectations for Academic Conduct/Plagiarism Policy: As members of the University of
West Florida, we commit ourselves to honesty. As we strive for excellence in performance,
integritypersonal and institutionalis our most precious asset. Honesty in our academic work
is vital, and we will not knowingly act in ways which erode that integrity. Accordingly, we
pledge not to cheat, nor to tolerate cheating, nor to plagiarize the work of others. We pledge to
share community resources in ways that are responsible and that comply with established
policies of fairness. Cooperation and competition are means to high achievement and are
encouraged. Indeed, cooperation is expected unless our directive is to individual performance.
We will compete constructively and professionally for the purpose of stimulating high
performance standards. Finally, we accept adherence to this set of expectations for academic
conduct as a condition of membership in the UWF academic community.
Plagiarism: be very careful not to plagiarize. Plagiarism is defined as an action to
pass off the ideas, words, or creations of another as one's own. For a discussion of this
very important ethics issue, see pages 349-350 & 395 of the Publication Manual of the
American Psychological Association, and review the information posted at
http://uwf.edu/cassupport/insupport/plagiarism.rtf on the UWF Web site.
Naturally, students should discuss the research with others in their group, but all
research papers and proposals turned in for a grade must be done independently,
using the individual student's own words, ideas, figures, tables, and references
(there may be some overlap, but be sure you have personally read every reference you
include in your paper). As an example, since a proposal for group research (Exercise
#3) is written as a team effort, then no individual's research report should be worded the
same as the proposal. If there are any questions at all about whether something would
represent plagiarism, be sure to talk to the instructor or graduate assistant before
making a serious mistake that could result in your failing the assignment, and even
the entire course, and possibly being brought up for disciplinary action by the
University.

APA Publication Manual

The editorial style given in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association (Fifth Edition, 2001) is to be followed to the extent indicated in the
instructions given below for each exercise. There are also Grading Criteria sheets
included for the exercises. These should be reviewed before conducting and writing up
each exercise. They will serve as a useful guide for you. Then, when turning in an
exercise paper, attach the Grading Criteria sheet for that exercise to the back of your
paper so that it can be used for grading purposes. Please note that all research papers
and proposals must be typed and stapled.
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Start reading the APA Publication Manual at the beginning of the term! Deviation from
the APA style, as well as spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors, will significantly
affect the grade on the research paper. In addition to carefully reading the extensive
description of "Parts of a Manuscript" in Chapter 1, be sure to thoroughly study Chapter
4, which contains sections giving "General Instructions for Preparing the Paper
Manuscript," and "Instructions for Typing the Parts of the Manuscript," as well as a
"Sample Paper." Additionally, there are helpful checklists in the APA Publication
Manual for a quick check of major errors. Appendix A--Checklist for Manuscript
Submission (pp. 379-383)--is probably the most useful, but also see the table and figure
checklists on pages 175 and 201. Finally, Chapter 2 provides good general information
in sections on "Writing Style, Grammar, and Guidelines to Reduce Bias in Language;"
and Chapter 3 describes the many mechanical aspects of the "APA Editorial Style" that
writers are expected to follow.
Other useful information on writing research papers will be found in Chapter 5 of the
lecture course Handbook written by your instructor, and in the recommended book
Writing With Style: APA Style Made Easy. In addition, I have placed in a file in the
Reserve Book Room of the Library a textbook example of an APA-style research paper.
Several other aids to writing, both in general and using the APA Editorial Style, can be
found on the Internet. Remember, however, that the APA Publication Manual takes
precedence over everything else for papers in this course!
A well written research report is essential since it is the major basis by which
one's research may be evaluated by others. Moreover, writing in general is an
expression of thought, and therefore our writing is a very important quality about
ourselves that we exhibit to the world. Strive for accuracy, completeness, clarity,
conciseness, and readability. When writing papers you should be able to form
sentences free of grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors; you should be able to
organize sentences into effective paragraphs; and you should avoid writing that is
vague, ineffective, and incoherent. If you think you need help with your writing, don't put
it off! For those who would like to improve their skills, you can use the services of the
University's Writing Laboratory, and/or you take a composition/writing course in the
English Department.
NOTE: The grades for all exercises will be based on the quality of work turned in, as
well as peer evaluations and observed performance during laboratory meetings, i.e.:
attendance, demeanor, execution of exercises, and discussion of exercises. The grade
on all research papers and proposals will be adversely affected by poor spelling,
punctuation, grammar, and nonconformity to the editorial style of the American
Psychological Association Publication Manual. Moreover, students turning in an
illiterate paper for the Major Experimental Study (discussed below) will receive an
incomplete ("I") in the course, unless they are failing, in which case they will
receive a grade of "F". Dont let this happen to you! If you need help, talk to the
instructor or graduate teaching assistant, and get help from the Universitys Writing
Laboratory. As noted, there are also writing aids on the Internet.

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING CRITERIA

On this and the following pages you will find descriptions of the three main exercises
you will be conducting during the semester. You should read over all of these now so
that you are aware of everything that will be expected of you. This will also allow you to
start preparing for the later exercises early if you wish. Note that there will also be one
or more additional short exercises to be turned in for completion of the course
requirements. See, e.g., "Bibliographic Exercise" in the Course Calendar (class 8).

EXERCISE #1: Driver Behavior Study

At the beginning of the course, students will work in pairs conducting field research on
the behavior of drivers. This study will count 25% toward the lab grade. The major
aspects of the research design are provided to help get you started. However, you and
your partner(s) will get to flesh out the details, so that you begin learning some aspects
of research design right from the very beginning. There is a separate handout
describing this study, the research paper (which is to be written individually by each
student), and the grading criteria. There are also separate handouts describing the Chi
Square statistical analysis to be used, as well as an example of the computations.
If you wish, you may substitute a study from Chapter 1 of Langston's Research Methods
Laboratory Manual for Psychology. You will need to turn the study into an experiment
(see p. 39-41 of that book). You should use the Driver Behavior Study handout as a
guide for doing an alternative experiment. Consult the instructor about your
experimental design before carrying out the research. Also, I have an alternative public
restroom hand-washing experiment article (in my Driver Behavior folder).

EXERCISE #2: Research Proposal

For this exercise each student will design an experimental study of his or her own. This
will count 25% toward the lab grade. The research proposal is to be written individually
by each student. This exercise is in preparation for Exercise #3, the Major Experimental
Study, which will initially involve getting together with the others in your research team
and preparing a group research proposal (which should build on your individual
research proposals), and then running a pilot study. Logically, therefore, students must
begin planning the group research proposal for the Major Experimental Study at the
same time they are selecting specific topics for the individual research proposals of
Exercise #2. The proposals can involve research done in a field setting or laboratory,
using either a microcomputer with software, classical research equipment, an apparatus
that you make yourself, or just good old paper and pencil.
Microcomputers can be very useful tools for conducting psychological research. In the
unlikely event that you are unfamiliar with microcomputers, which are more commonly
called personal computers, the article by Tong and Gupta that has been placed on
reserve in the Library should be helpful. The Department has some software programs
for running studies on aspects of human behavior and cognition. There are also
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programs available on the Internet, and on the CD-ROM that comes with the Langston
lab manual. Examples of what can be investigated are: information processing and
decision speed (reaction time tasks), verbal learning and memory, concept formation,
reading and lateralization of language, problem solving, psychophysics, and visual
illusions.
Classical research equipment is also available for this exercise. Examples are: the
tachistoscope, which is used to investigate perceptual and attentional processes; the
pursuit rotor, which is used to investigate sensory-motor coordination; the mirror
drawing apparatus, which is used to study development of sensory-motor coordination
and transfer of training; the reaction timer, which is used to measure decision making
speed; and the memory drum, which is used to study verbal learning.
Note: Most students do interesting research studies for this course without using
computers of other research equipment. This saves time that would be needed to learn
how to use the software or equipment.
Several aids are available to you for finding research ideas/problems. One example is
the recommended lab manual for the course by Langston. There are also books on
reserve in the Library by Hergenhahn; Osgood; Stevens; Woodworth & Schlosberg; and
King & Riggs (see the "Additional Recommended Readings" list in the lecture syllabus).
These books should prove most useful in learning something about the research
applications of each piece of classical apparatus as well as microcomputer software
programs. These books, as well as that by Jung & Bailey, also contain ideas for studies
using only paper and pencil. Note that the books by both Hergenhahn and by Jung &
Bailey contain actual outlines of experiments that can be run by students in laboratory
settings--the latter book's studies require only paper and pencil. The reserve book by
Schwartz (Classical Studies in Psychology) might provide some additional ideas, but
note that the studies in this book are not all experiments. In addition there are several
articles on reserve in the Library of studies that could serve as the basis for your own
research: e.g. those by Hearst; Josephs et al.; Pashler; and Rauscher et al. See the
articles marked with asterisks on the Additional Recommended Readings list in the
Lecture Syllabus. A particularly interesting approach for developing research studies is
to look through some of the current issues of psychology journals in the Library to see
what's been done most recently.
Although you are welcome to use the aids listed above to find research problems/topics,
I strongly suggest that you try to come up with some ideas of you own. Think back over
the courses that you have taken in psychology, the books and articles you have read,
and your personal life experiences. Then ask yourself what it is that particularly
interests you about psychology. Finally, try to imagine how you might go about
conducting experimental research in that area. Taking an approach like this will make
your laboratory research much more personal, and therefore exciting.

Literature Review and Written Proposal

After each student has individually come up with one or more ideas for research, the
ideas should be discussed among the members of the research groups to refine them
and determine whether they would be feasible as an experiment for Exercise #3. Each
member of the group will then select a research problem/topic. Everyone's should be
different in some way from the others in their group, but can overlap.
Each individuals research topic must involve at least two independent variables.
One must be experimentally manipulated, but the rest can be correlational independent
variables (see the lecture section Handbook for an explanation). Sex/gender may only
be used as a variable in the study if there are at least two other independent variables.
The same applies to a pretest-posttest testing independent variable. Note: Although
statistically less powerful, and thus less desirable, one could simply compute pretestposttest change scores (see Handbook) as the dependent variable, rather than adding a
pretest-posttest independent variable. The dependent variable must involve score
data (not frequency or ordinal data), which would be statistically analyzed using an
ANOVA (Analysis of Variance).
Students will individually do a literature search/review to find a minimum of three (3)
pertinent studies relating to their research problem/topic. At least two (2) of the
references must have been published with the last 5 years. A laboratory meeting will be
devoted to training and practice on conducting computerized literature searches (see
"Bibliographic Instruction" under class 8 in the Course Calendar).
Each student will next individually write and hand in his/her own research proposal for
an experimental study that builds on the knowledge grained from the literature review.
Briefly, the typed proposal should include, among other things:
1. Study title and names of the investigators (your name, then others in your group)
2. Statement of the research problem(s) and hypothesis(es), along with the basis for
them, i.e., summarize the relevant research literature (note: a detailed literature review
is not required for this proposal)
3. Explicit identification and operational definitions of the independent variables (at least
two, other than gender/sex or pretest-posttest) and the dependent variable(s)
4. Description of the research design and experimental methods (participants/ subjects,
apparatus/materials, and procedure--including identification of extraneous variables and
their controls, as well as the instructions and informed consent form)
5. Description of the statistical analysis(es) to be used, along with estimated mean
dependent variable results, illustrated with a table and figure
6. Discussion of the expected results, generalizations, and conclusions
7. List of references in APA style.
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Detailed Instructions for Research Proposal

Writing research proposals and reports is covered in the Handbook written by your
instructor in Part One, Chapter 5, and Appendix 3 of the Handbook provides a detailed
list of components. APA style must be strictly followed throughout the paper, and the
format of the proposal must be the narrative form of a typical research report with its
various sections--rather than a list format. These variations are discussed at the end of
Appendix 3.
All the components listed in Appendix 3 of the Handbook must be included. In addition,
the proposal should include an abstract placed right after the title page. Abstracts are
challenging to write, so you need this practice before Exercise #3. Be sure that the
papers title indicates that this is a research proposal.
At the end of the proposal there should also be both a table and figure (see the APA
Publication Manual: Table Example 3 on page 151 [ignore bottom 1/3rd, but add
marginal means at right and bottom of your table], and Figure Example 4 on page 183),
properly labeled, and with some made-up values approximating the descriptive statistics
that you would expect to find if the study were actually run (give only the estimated
mean dependent variable scores for conditions, not individual raw scores). Note that
these are different than the design matrix diagram for the preliminary draft of the
research proposal that is discussed in the next paragraph. The table and figure are
being required first of all to help students learn to correctly prepare illustrative material,
with table title, figure caption, and independent and dependent variable labels that make
tables and figures self explanatory. Secondly, it is instructive whenever proposing a
study to think ahead about the quantitative values of the dependent variable means that
are expected for the different independent variable conditions. Specifically, how
different are the means expected to be, and are the differences (i.e., the
primary/experimental variance) likely to be statistically significant when compared
against the random/error variance (i.e., chance effects)? If statistical significance is not
likely, then improvements should be made in the study to maximize the
primary/experimental variance and/or minimize the random/error variance. These
issues are discussed in the course Handbook written by you instructor.
Note: A preliminary draft of the research proposal's title page and abstract, along with a
design matrix diagram (see example on the next page) is to be turned in for feedback by
the instructor and graduate teaching assistant before submitting the final full proposal.
So as to clearly communicate the students' understanding of the design that they will be
using, the design matrix diagram should be similar to those in the lecture section
Handbook, Chapter 10, under Factorial Designs (see, e.g., p. 302), but with the
independent variables and levels named (rather than using symbols), and with the
independent variables described (in parentheses) as being either experimental between
or within, or correlational. Below the matrix, name the dependent variable(s), give a
shorthand designation of the factorial design, and name the statistical analysis or
analyses to be used (see Handbook pages 306 to 307 top). Note that unlike the Chi
Square analysis matrix done for the Driver Behavior Study, when preparing a factorial
design matrix, only show the independent variables and their levels on the matrix. But
as already noted, the dependent variable name(s), and the name of the statistical
analyses to be used, should be listed below the matrix.
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Design Matrix Example

(From Milinki, Article 10, Exp. 1)

Cohesiveness
(Experimental Between)

Cohesive

Work
Condition
(Experimental
Within)

Noncohesive

Individual

Collective

Dependant Variable: Number of words typed per minute (Work Output)

Design: 2(Cohesiveness: Cohesive, Noncohesive) X 2(Work Condition:
Individual, Collective) Mixed Factorial Design with repeated measures on Work
Condition

Statistical Analysis: Two-way mixed-groups ANOVA, with repeated measures

on one factor

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Grading Criteria for Exercise #2 Paper: Research Proposal

See Appendix 3 "Proposals and Research Reports" in Gould's Handbook
(Criteria include coverage of each of the 16 components in Appendix 3)
Title Page
All components in APA style
Number 1 of Handbook Appendix--Study Title
Number 2 of Handbook Appendix--Names of Investigators
Abstract
Introduction
Number 3 of Appendix--Research Problem(s)
Number 4 of Appendix--Literature Review
Number 5 of Appendix--Research Hypothesis(es)
Relevancy of the cited references to the research problems and hypotheses--Sources
Method
DO NOT FORGET SUBHEADINGS: Participants, Materials, Procedure
Number 6 of Appendix--Describe participants:
Proposed number, source, gender, age range, and how assigned to conditions.
Number 7 of Appendix--Materials and/or Apparatus
Number 8 of Appendix--Procedure
Number 9 of Appendix--Operational Definitions of
Independent Variables and Dependent Variable(s)
Number 10 of Appendix--Extraneous Variables & Controls
Number 11 of Appendix--Research Design
Results
Number 12 of Appendix--Statistical Analyses:
Expected descriptive statistics and the inferential statistical analyses to be used
Number 13 of Appendix--Results Expected
Discussion
Number 14 of Appendix--Conclusions Possible (note that this is plural)
Number 15 of Appendix--Generalizations possible
Relevancy of the cited references to the conclusions and generalizations--Sources
References
Number 16 of Appendix--References: APA style properly cited in text
Table and Figure
APA style, with made-up expected values
Other Requirements
At least one-inch empty margins (top/bottom/sides)
No right-margin justification
Double spacing throughout
All section headings and subheadings in APA style
Accuracy, completeness, clarity, conciseness, readability
Proper grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.
Total Points (includes 100 points for doing literature review & writing the paper)
Total Percentage Score (100 X Total Points / 200 Possible Points = Total Points / 2)

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EXERCISE #3: Major Experimental Study

For 50% of the lab grade, each research group will conduct a full-fledged experimental
study. The major experimental study may be conducted in either the field or laboratory.
Students may use research equipment available in the Department, equipment that
someone in the group possesses, equipment that can be borrowed elsewhere,
equipment that the group might build, or simply using paper and pencil.
The research project may be original or a replication of a published study with
some modification. Note, however, that the research must utilize a true
experimental design, and it must involve two or more independent variables, i.e.,
it must employ a factorial design. At least one independent variable must be
experimentally manipulated, but the rest can be correlational independent
variables (see the course Handbook written by your instructor for an
explanation). Note: Sex/gender and/or pretest-posttest testing may only be used
as independent variables in the study if there are at least two other independent
variables. The dependent variable must involve score data (not frequency or
ordinal data), which would be statistically analyzed using an ANOVA (Analysis of
Variance).

Group Research Proposal

First it will be necessary to design the study. It is intended, but not required, that this
will grow out of some combination of the individual research proposals done for
Exercise #2. Before conducting the major experimental study, each group as a whole
(rather than each individual) must have approved by the instructor a single, typed, group
research proposal for the study, done using the list format of Appendix 3 in the course
Handbook, rather than the narrative research report format used for Exercise #2. As
per Appendix 3, for each listed item you should type the list number and heading. The
information provided under each list item should be in bullet format, not narrative format.
This will result in students having practice in preparing proposals in this alternate
format, and will facilitate quick review of the proposals by the instructor and graduate
teaching assistant. For additional information on research proposals, see also Part
One, Chapter 5 of the course Handbook.
The proposal must additionally include a design matrix diagram. See the description
and example given earlier for the Research Proposal Exercise #2.
Each group must also fill out and submit: 1) the first two pages of the UWF Application
to Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects, 2) an Informed Consent Form, and 3)
a Debriefing Form. These all deal with ethical issues, which are covered in Chapter 6 of
the course Handbook. The UWF IRB Application Form (Word) can be found at
http://www.research.uwf.edu/boards-committees/irb/irb.htm. There you will also find
Guidelines for Writing Informed Consent Documents, and a Sample Informed Consent
Form, which is an abbreviated version of the one prepared by your instructor and found

14

in Appendix 4 of the course Handbook. You might also want to look at the Instructor
Guidelines for Screening Course-Related Student Research Proposals. Each group will
need to develop their own Informed Consent Form and Debriefing Form.
Note: Although only one proposal is to be submitted by each group, it would be
advantageous, after discussing together the research possibilities, for each individual in
a team to prepare his/her own draft of a group proposal for subsequent discussion and
integration. This will also help to ensure that everyone in a team completely
understands the research. Note that there will be no grade for the group proposal, it is
being done simply so that students can be given guidance by the instructor and
graduate teaching assistant in the development of a good experiment. However, the
Major Experimental Study cannot be started until the Group Research Proposal,
Application to Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects, Informed Consent Form,
and Debriefing Information Form are approved by the instructor or graduate teaching
assistant.
The instructor and/or teaching assistant will discuss with each group the proposal and
ethical considerations. Probing questions will be asked of all individuals, and
suggestions, if necessary, will be made for improvements in the design. Be prepared to
respond to any and all questions about the proposed study. Each member of a
research group must be thoroughly familiar with all aspects the research proposal and
any ethical issues.

Pilot Study and Main Study

After approval is obtained, a pilot study should be run before the main study in order to
troubleshoot all the apparatus, materials, and procedures (including the instructions and
informed consent form). For participants/subjects in the pilot study it might be
acceptable to use individuals from within your own research group. For the actual main
study, however, the participants should consist of individuals from all the other groups-as well as friends, relatives, and possibly students from other classes if necessary
(check with the instructor first regarding the latter).
Important: Members of this class are expected to cooperate with their fellow
student researchers and participate in one another's experiments or pilot studies
as subjects, regardless of whether or not a student's own research is completed.
Each research group should rotate who is the experimenter, so that each student
serves as the experimenter for at least one participant in the pilot study and/or main
study, and in order that every student will be available to serve at some time as a
participant for the other groups' studies. Each lab section may also use students in the
other lab section as research participants, but that will usually require going to the other
lab and running the participants at the time that lab meets.

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Research Paper
Be careful not to plagiarize! (See earlier discussion of this on page 6.)
After conducting the major experimental study, students will have about two weeks to
do your own individual statistical analyses and to complete the writing of
individual research papers as if they were to be submitted to a journal for publication.
Please note that you should not wait until the study is completed before you begin to
write it up. By the time your research proposal has been accepted you will have done
your literature review and designed the study. Thus, using your research proposal, you
are ready to prepare a draft of the introduction and method sections of the research
paper before and/or during the time of data collection. If you do not start writing the
research paper early, you will almost definitely not have enough time to do it right. Note
that papers turned in late will lose 1/3 of a letter grade per day! Also, students
turning in an illiterate paper for this Major Experimental Study will receive an
incomplete ("I") in the course, unless they were already failing.
As noted near the beginning of the Laboratory Manual, all papers are to be typed using
the editorial style given in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association (Fifth Edition, 2001). Deviation from this form, as well as spelling,
punctuation, and grammatical errors, will significantly affect the grade on the research
paper. Additional guidance can be found in Chapter 5 in the course Handbook written
by the instructor, the recommended book by Szuchman titled Writing With Style: APA
Style Made Easy, and summary guidelines on the Internet--but remember that the APA
Publication Manual takes precedence! Some good examples of past research reports
by students (with grading notations) are in the Reserve Book Room of the Library.
Note, however, that they are not perfect papers.
Your research paper should include all parts/sections with both tables (e.g., for
statistical analyses) and figures (e.g., graphs) illustrating the results (note: a published
research paper might not have both tables and figures, but this exercise assignment
was developed to give you maximum experience). Remember that in the text portion of
the results section you should not repeat all the details contained in tables and figures.
This would be redundant. Rather you should just summarize and report the major
findings (descriptive and inferential statistics). Discuss all results in the Discussion
Section.
Your statistical analyses should include strength-of-association measures (e.g., eta
squared) for each independent variable main effect and interaction. These measures
are covered in the lecture section Handbook, Chapter 12; Linton & Gallo, pp. 329-337;
and the APA Publication Manual, p. 25-26. Put the strength-of-association values in
your statistical analysis table in a column to the left of the probability value column.
The report must also include at least five (5) original-source references relevant to the
experiment, and at least three (3) should have been published within the last 5 years.
These articles, etc. can serve as models for organizing and writing a good research
paper (but note that they might not all be written in APA format). Finally, the raw data

16

and statistical calculations should be included as an appendix at the end of the report.
Note: You must do the calculations with paper, pencil, and calculator to understand
what is being done; the SPSS computer program is only used for checking your work.
The appendix need not be typed, but must be neat; the rest of the paper, as already
noted, must be typed. The text length of the paper will probably be about 10 pages. Do
not waste your money on expensive (or cheap) binders--simply staple pages together at
the upper left corner. On the cover page of your research report give as the author your
name first followed by the names of the other members of your group.
Having a paper reviewed before submitting it for publication is common practice among
professionals. You may want someone to proof your paper for major errors before
turning it in. The teaching assistant for this course will assist you if you wish (allow a
few days for review and rewriting), but remember that you assume total responsibility for
the paper you finally turn in to your instructor. You should take advantage of the
spelling and grammar checkers built into all major word processor programs. But keep
in mind that they might not catch all errors.
Please note that although this paper will be similar in organization to the proposal
paper, this is a research paper and will thus include the findings. Therefore, you will be
reporting your research methods, etc. in the past tense (not the future tense used in the
proposal).
Finally, let me point out that the instructor and graduate teaching assistant(s) are
aware that this lab course is a learning experience. Since you will be conducting
your research in the lab or field at the same time that relevant material is being covered
in the lecture course with regard to research designs, it is not expected that your
research will be absolutely perfect. It is expected, however, that by the time your paper
is turned in, any weaknesses in your research that you should have learned about in the
course up to that point will be noted by you in the discussion section of your report.
Oral Reports and Poster Presentations
Each group, as discussed earlier, will give oral reports and poster presentations of the
studies. The posters will be presented in the laboratory classroom during the second
half of the double time-block scheduled for the lecture final exam, which should not
require more than a regular time-block. The group members with the best-evaluated
poster presentation will receive 6 points extra credit toward the grade for Exercise #3.
Second-place group members will receive 5 points, third-place group members 4 points,
and everyone else participating will receive 3 points. This extra credit, however, will be
adjusted downward proportionately for group members doing less than 100% of the
maximum (see form). Further information about posters, along with examples, will be
provided during the semester. In addition to the instructor, graduate teaching
assistants, and classmates, other students and faculty in the Department will probably
be invited to view and comment on the poster presentations.

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Grading Criteria for Exercise #3 Research Paper: Major Experimental Study

Title Page
APA style for all components, e.g., centering and margins
Study title with names of investigators and institutional affiliation
Running head and page header
Abstract
Appropriate length
Clear, concise, accurate, self-contained, grammatical, etc.
Research problem(s), participants, method, findings, conclusions
Introduction
Research problem(s), including quality of question(s) asked
Literature review, including quality and relatedness to current study
Content clear, concise, accurate, grammatical, etc.
Research hypothesis(es), including rational
Method
Subheadings: APA style
Participants: description, number, source, assignment
Materials and/or apparatus: description completeness
Procedure: description complete, accurate, clear, concise
Operational definitions of independent and dependent variables
Extraneous variables: description and quality of control
Research design: description and quality
Results
Descriptive statistics: clear, concise, accurate, complete
Inferential statistics: clear, concise, accurate, complete APA format
Major findings summarized and reported
Reference to and description of all tables and figures
Discussion
Interpretation/evaluation of results regarding hypotheses
Generalizability of findings
Theoretical and/or practical implications--conclusions
Relatedness of findings to those of other referenced studies
Description of the study's shortcomings (controls)
Suggestions for further research
Content clear, concise, accurate, grammatical, etc.
References
APA format, with five or more original sources, properly cited here and in the text
Appendix
Raw data and correct statistical computations
Tables and Figures
APA style, including a separate figure caption page
Clearly presented and labeled, e.g., self-explanatory
Helpful information--not just redundant to results in text
Total Points (including 100 points for doing the research and writing the paper)
Total Percentage Score (100 X Total Points / 200 Possible Points = Total Points / 2)

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Evaluation Criteria for Exercise #3 Poster Session: Major Experimental Study

General Requirements
Length less than a full paper but longer than an abstract: dont overwhelm with excess
detail
Posters visually appealing and text legible from 1.5 meters (use large font sizes: 5 mm)
Blank spaces to separate parts of the poster and communicate relationships among parts
Subdued or dark colors for matting are better than brilliant, intense colors
Background paper for text and illustrations very light color, e.g., beige, off white, or white
Color used in visuals, if possible
Materials arranged in columns to be read top to bottom from the leftmost column to
rightmost
Concise, bulleted lists used in place of running text wherever possible for ease of reading
Researchers have thorough knowledge of the study and able to answer viewers questions
Title, Authors, and Affiliation
Typed in bold and clearly visible from 3 meters away (use large font: ~ 25 mm & 15 mm
high)
Placed at top center of poster, usually
Abstract
Clear, concise, accurate, self-contained, summary of the
research problem(s), participants, method, findings, conclusions
Introduction
Clear statement of the research problem and hypotheses
Inclusion of a brief overview of the relevant research literature
Method
Brief description of the participants and materials/apparatus
Good organization of the main procedural points
Easily understood description of the experimental design
Results
Visually appealing tables and figures of descriptive statistics, etc. are particularly useful
Clear statement of the inferential statistical analyses used and the significances found
Discussion/Conclusions
Clear interpretation/evaluation of the results
Concise statement of the findings Generalizability and theoretical and/or practical
implications
References
Listing, in APA format, of all citations included in the poster presentation

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Estimated Contribution to Poster Session

EXP 3082L
Please indicate below what relative percentage of effort you believe that you contributed
toward your groups poster presentation. This assessment should be made relative to the
person in your group that you believe contributed the most (e.g. relative to Ms. Brain, I
contributed 75% as much to the poster presentation--i.e., I contributed about 3/4 of what
Ms. Brain contributed). This information will be used to determine the percentage
(proportion) of possible extra credit points that you will be awarded.
Relative to the maximum effort in my group, I contributed
groups poster presentation.
________________________________________
Your name printed clearly
________________________________________
Your signature, initialed by all other members of the group

20

% as much to my

Poster Evaluation by Classmates

EXP 3082L
Name of the Rater _________________________________________________
Title of the Rater's Poster Presentation_________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Directions: Please list below the titles of poster presentations, if not already done for
you, and cross through your own.
In the left margin assign a numerical value, on a 100-point scale, to each poster
presentation, with the exception of your own.
Note that for fairness to all in the class, it is important that you view and rate objectively
each of the poster presentations prepared by the other groups in both lab sections.
Circle the highest poster score. You may indicate a tie between two poster presentations
by circling the score for both of them.

_____ 1.
_____ 2.
_____ 3.
_____ 4.
_____ 5.
_____ 6.
_____ 7.
_____ 8.
_____ 9.
_____ 10.

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