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CHOOSING A TOPIC AND THE
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Objectives
On reading this chapter you should:
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understand the importance of choosing a research topic that lends itself to a ’do-able’ project; be able to evaluate potential topics; be able to formulate a valid research question (and hypothesis); understand the importance of creativity, and its relationship to innovation in formulating your research question; understand the integral role played by the research question; understand the vital role of the research proposal; be aware of the common pitfalls to be avoided in writing a successful proposal; and be able to write a logical and
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2. Is the topic worthwhile?
It is very important that you pick a topic that is worthwhile. As already noted in
Chapter 2, poor science is unethical. It is unethical to ask people to participate
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CHOOSING A TOPIC AND THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL
1. Interest and
Curiosity?
Figure 3.1
2. Worthwhile?
3. Do-Able?
Three simple strategies for evaluating a potential research topic
in your study if it has little or no likelihood, because of poor conceptualisation and design, of producing meaningful results or furthering scientific knowledge.
If your topic is not worthwhile, not only is it unethical, but you are also failing to satisfy the requirements of meaningful results with theoretical and practical implications. Hence, you will fail to meet the full requirements for an undergraduate project in psychology, and you will ultimately loose precious marks. If the examiner of your project reads your project and thinks ‘well so what’, then you have not met the full requirements of your psychology project. It is important to note that it is your responsibility to come up with valid topics that are worthwhile. Your supervisor’s role is to guide you through the research process, not to generate topics for you.
3. Is
As the psychology is a subject of science, experiment is important part of this subject. Before
Firstly, choosing a topic that you’re truly interesting in because it can provoke your passion to engage more in this particular
Write a three- to four-page article review in which you discuss methodological issues unique to psychological research and analyze basic
Module Overview • In groups you have 10 minutes to discuss one of the 3 parts of Investigating psychology: – Part 1 (Ch.1 - 3) ‘Why people do harm to others?’ – Part 2 (Ch.4 - 6) ‘What determines human behaviour?’ – Part 3 (Ch.7 - 9) ‘Psychological processes that cannot be directly observed’ • Think about the studies and concepts in each of the parts and be prepared to discuss your ideas when you are called back.
According to the course syllabus we were introduced to the techniques of psychological research. This course was able to provide an understanding of how research is done, and what methods we can use to do so. By having a clear understanding of research and techniques used, it allows us to communicate effectively in regards to ideas behind the research process. In this paper, I will use myself as the case study to examine exactly what I learned about research.
“The developed world deprives children of a basic and inalienable right: unstructured outdoor play. Children today have substantially less access to nature, less free range, and less time for independent play than previous generations had.” This quote is from the research based paper titled, “Where the Wild Things Should Be: Healing Nature Deficit Disorder through the Schoolyard." This article touches many aspects of how children now a days need more exposure to nature like it was on the older days. Currently, there are many playgrounds around the United States and even more the world. This article is trying to bring awareness to the problem of if playgrounds do not have enough nature or is too safe then it is
The sample for this study consisted of 222 participants who were second year psychology students from the University of Newcastle. All students were participating as part of a course requirement and all had given their consent to participating in the study.
This essay will be looking at the role of ecological validity and the importance it has in psychological research. Ecological validity refers to the extent to which a study reflects naturally occurring or everyday situations. It will also consider the advantages and disadvantages of ecological validity, through exploring studies such as the bobo doll experiment and a study on memory. Ecological validity is one of many important factor in psychological research. Also being addressed is what goes into a study or experiment and all the things that need to be considered to achieve ecological validity. In addition, it is important to design the study in such a way that the results obtained can be usefully and meaningfully applied to the area in question. Constructing experiments that achieve high ecological validity is quite a complex and difficult task.
In this assignment I will be explaining the principal psychological perspectives, and then I will be assessing different psychological approaches.
Describe what this study demonstrated about human behavior and mental processes using the results of the study along with information you have learned in Units 1-3.
3. Determine an appropriate research design that addresses the research question regarding developmental psychology and also explain why it was chosen.
[Note: This sample proposal is based on a composite of past proposals, simulated information and references, and material I’ve included for illustration purposes – it is based roughly on a fairly standard research proposal; I say roughly because there is no one set way of creating a quantitative research proposal. Much of its design is based on the nature of the research, your preferences, and your decisions regarding how to describe or portray what it is you plan to accomplish. The material in this document was adopted from a dissertation proposal created by Dr. Ralph Brockett. A biography
In this booklet you will find an overview of all the different approaches to psychology. This will consist of the key assumptions, examples of the relevant psychologists and examples of their work, as well as an exploration into the advantages and disadvantages that some of these approaches possess.
At the beginning of this subterm, I had a limited understanding of the proper research methods used within psychology. Despite having previously completed several psychology courses, two being upper level courses, there was still much I needed to learn pertaining to psychology research methods. While this research class has been on only an introductory
Thanks to your support, the year 2017 has been one of growth and innovation for the Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival. We continue our expansion and fulfillment of our mission to bring the joy and beauty of mathematics to as many students as we can, through non-competitive extra-curricular mathematics activities.