Psy 601 WORKING OUTLINE OF ASSIGNMENTS:
Senior Studies I, Spring 2008
Assignment 1 : Research Topic
Be ready to discuss a potential topic for
research. You do not need to have a hypothesis yet. You must have:
a. A relatively detailed
area of psychology,
b. Why this area is of
interest to you, and
c. Summary of some relevant
research findings in the area.
d. Who is your advisor?
e. When are you meeting
with your advisor?
f. When is your Advanced
Research Seminar meeting?
Assignment 2: Theory/Paradigm
Report
With the advice of your advisor select one theory or research
paradigm
that is appropriate for your area of research. Prepare an
illustration
of this theory or paradigm using PowerPoint. It should only be
one
slide. Follow the instructions for using slides for presentations in
Szuchman, Chapter 11. You may animate it if you like. Save
the powerpoint
file to your own directory and to the R: drive class folder. Be
prepared
to give a five minute informal presentation to the seminar class on
your
theory/paradigm during seminar in week 3.
Assignment 3: Journal Audit
Select one Journal that is relevant to your research topic.
(Ask your advisor to recommend one.) Find an issue that was published
during the last year. Read enough of 10 articles (in the order
that they appear in the journal) to determine the design and statistics
used. Code your audit onto the SPSS data template that's on the
class R:Drive ProfNote folder. Save with your own name as part of
the file name to the class R:Drive work folder. You will need to
know the Journal Name, type, issue. For each article you will
need to know the last name of the first author, the type of design and
which inferential statistics were reported.
Assignment 4: Ethics Analysis
Identify with your research advisor one ethical issue that is primarily
relevant for the topic that you are studying. E-mail the topic
for approval to Dr. Webster. The first student to nominate a
specific issue will be allowed to report on that issue. In the unlikely
event that two of you select the same issue, the second person will
need to find another issue.
1. Study the APA Ethical Guidelines for the specific issue.
2. Ask your advisor if other specific resources relevant to the
issue are available. If so, read them and be prepared to
integrate what you've learned from them with the APA ethical guidelines
information.
3. Prepare an informal presentation of the issue and it's
relevance for senior studies projects to be delivered in class next
week.
Assignment 5: Working Bibliography
Minimum of 20 relevant and
appropriate sources.
Inappropriate
sources include:
Introductory
Psychology Textbooks
Most
other Textbooks
Internet
sources other than peer reviewed journals
Magazines
(e.g., Psychology Today)
Coverage of
the years and authors appropriate for the
topic.
Generally
focus on the recent research but be sure to include the foundational or
classic
research.
Only include articles in
languages that you can read.
Be sure to
cover the entire alphabet of authors.
Source Types
Peer
Reviewed Journal Articles
Edited
Scientific Books (chapters)
APA Style
Author (s)
Year
Title
Journal or
Publisher
Volume
Number & Pages or Place
If you use
electronic sources be sure to put them in the proper format.
Please proofread.Submit to the R: Drive before
March, 2008.
Note: This is a working bibliography. You are expected to
continue to add to it throughout the year long senior studies process.
Assignment 6 : Thesis Statement
Prepare one clear thesis
statement for your research proposal. It should be one
sentence. Make copies of the sentence for review by each of your
seminar classmates and instuctor for the next class meeting.Paper
copies due at class next
week. Be prepared in class to use the thesis statement to make a
topic outline for the introduction of your proposal.
Assignment 7: Vitae
Based on what you learned in the
Career Center resume/vitae workshop, prepare your own vitae. The
vitae will be part of the business proposal for your thesis.
Before the end of March meet with a member of the career center staff
to review your vitae. You must submit evidence of the review to
complete this assignment. Due by April 1.
Assignment 8: Design
Create a PowerPoint slide that
includes your complete hypothesis and a diagram of your design.
Use the information in the Szuchman text to make the slide. Be
ready to discuss the design and why it is better than other designs for
your hypothesis. Submit to the R: Drive at least 24 hours before
your next seminar class (week of March 24th).
Assignment 9: Statistics
Make up a fake SPSS data
set that includes the major variables from your hypothesis.
Complete the main inferential statistic to test the hypothesis with the
fake data. Make an APA style graph or table to depict the
predicted results of your main hypothesis. Submit the graph or
table to the R: Drive 24 hours before class and bring a paper copy to
the seminar for discussion the week of 4/7.
Assignment 10: Research Proposal
Read the PDF file that is the
call for proposals to get all the details of this full
assignment. It is due 24 hours before class on the week of
4/14/08.
Assignment 11: Peer Review
Read the peer review guidelines and be
ready to review one or two papers in each seminar.
Assignment 12: Pilot Study
As soon as your study has been approved through the peer review process
you may begin the appropriate pilot studies for your thesis. Work
carefully with your thesis advisor to determine the appropriate pilot
for your project.
Assignment 13: Final
Preliminary Report
Write a brief summary of the progress of the thesis since peer
review. Include changes that have been accepted from the review
as well as what you have learned from your pilot studies. Finish
with a paragraph describing the next steps of the project.