PSY10005 Introduction to Research Methods

PSY10005 Introduction to Research Methods

Assignment 3: Take-home assignment

Student Name:_________________________

Student Number:_______________________

Word/time limit: 2000, or max. 500 words per question (+/- 10%)

Weighting: 50%.

Opens: 5pm AEST Monday 12 June 2023

Due: Complete the assessment by 5pm AEST Friday 16 June 2023

This exam contains FOUR questions, each question has multiple parts. Answer all parts of all questions.

You must submit your response as a file upload in Canvas and it will be reviewed through Turnitin. Submissions should be typed, with 12-point Times New Roman, Calibri or Arial font and double line spacing.

Word and pdf file formats will be accepted, do not submit your text in Shapes or as images.

It is your responsibility to ensure your file is uploaded in an approved format that is accessible to the examiners. (you can view it once submitted in Canvas)

Please ensure all material is correctly paraphrased, i.e. expressed in your own words.

You may wish to include references if referring to concepts or measures that are not included in the textbook e.g., wearing masks etc.

Please follow APA style guidelines where applicable.

Do not forget to add your name and student number.

Question 1:Ethical issues in research(25 Marks)

An HR psychologist wants to test the effectiveness of an employee training program designed to reduce work stress and teach skills for managing teamwork. She thinks the program will help employees stay healthy and give them skills needed to get promoted into management and leadership roles. She also wants to see if the program has benefits for different types of employees, and so she will compare factory floor employees to clerical staff. To recruit participants, she tells attendees at a regular staff meeting about the study. Those that want to participate sign up after the meeting, and places are given to the first 50 staff that sign up. Staff that get a place in the training group participate in weekly training sessions held during a lunch hour and are given homework to help them master the skills taught. The names of staff who receive the training are given to the manager of the promotions committee. The manager has access to all employee records and will provide the HR psychologist with performance and health data about the employees including information on a random sample of employees who did not sign up for the program - so the psychologist can evaluate the outcomes of the program.

Answer the following:

What is/are the independent variable/s? (4 marks)

What is the dependent variable? (4 marks)

What are the ethical considerations in this experiment and how might these be addressed? (11 marks)

Why is it important for psychology researchers to submit their research proposals for ethical review before commencing their research projects? (6 marks)

Question 2. The scientific method and measurement concepts(25 Marks)

A key characteristic of the scientific method is the use of a systematic empirical approach to studying ones subject matter. Key concepts in scientific psychology include clear conceptual and operational definitions of constructs, reliable and valid measures, and testable hypotheses.

Answer the following:

Choose two psychological concepts that you think could be related (or correlated) to each other e.g., boredom and social media use (Please do not use this example yourself.).

Provide a conceptual definition for each concept and write a brief rationale that describes why you think the two variables might be related. (3 marks)

State a hypothesis that flows from your rationale in (a) and includes both constructs. (2 marks)

Provide an operational definition for each construct you chose in the previous question. That is, how would you measure these variables? (6 marks)You can use established measures or suggest a new approach

Explain the difference between the reliability and validity of a measure. (2 marks)

Using the operational definitions, you provided in part (b) complete the following:

Describe two methods you could use to demonstrate the reliability of the measures in (c). You can use a different method for each one or suggest two methods suitable for both. (6 marks)

Describe two methods you could use to demonstrate the validity of the measures in (c). You can use a different method for each one or suggest two methods suitable for both. (6 marks)

Question 3. Sampling methods(25 Marks)

A medical group has two clinics that provide different programs supporting patients undergoing long treatments for the same types of illness. The chief psychologist of the group wants to find out which program is associated with the best mental and physical health outcomes for patients.

Answer the following:

Describe your recommended sampling method, i.e., name it and explain how it would work in practice. (7 marks)

Explain the advantages and/or strengths of this method, giving specific examples for the research scenario in this question. (6 marks)

Explain the disadvantages and/or limitations of this method, giving specific examples for the research scenario in this question. (6 marks)

Justify your choice of this sampling method. (6 marks)

Question 4. Experimental approaches and the strengths and weaknesses of research designs/methods(25 Marks)

Stephanie is a psychology student doing a research project. There are several theories that suggest the way students use lecture slides impacts their learning. Stephanie wants to find out if exam results differ between students who use copies of lectures slides during class and students who do not access copies of lecture slides during class.

Answer the following:

Use the Decision-Making Framework guidelines from Week 12 to explain your answers.

What design should Stephanie use? (2 marks)

Justify your choice of design. (4 marks)

Who is involved? That is, who are the participants, how many are there, how will the data be obtained? (3 marks)

What will participants do? (6 marks)Describe the procedure, instruments, etc.

Thinking about the different types of validity, what aspects of your design could negatively impact the validity of the study? (5 marks)Which type(s) of validity is impacted?

What control techniques could you use? (5 marks)Explain what you expect these to achieve.