Experimental Psychology and Fictional Psychology - Essay Example

Section Conducting& Interpreting Statistical Analysis RESOURCES All of the taught sessions from semesters one and two of introduction to research methods and the reading and resources provided within these sessions will help you to complete this section. ASSESSMENT EXERCISEs Read the following description of a fictional psychology experiment and answer the 6 questions below in relation to this experiment. Background An experiment was carried out to examine whether participants with higher naturally occurring levels of mindfulness feel less depressed. One hundred undergraduate psychology students completed two self-report questionnaires: a 12-item trait mindfulness questionnaire (ranging from 0 to 60, with a higher score indicating higher trait mindfulness) and a 20-item measure of depression (ranging from 0 to 100, with a higher score indicating a higher level of depression). The researcher examined the correlation between participants’ levels of trait mindfulness and their mood. Results The data the researcher collected was as follows: ID Mindfulness Depression 1 60.00 63.00 2 59.00 75.00 3 58.00 73.00 4 57.00 78.00 5 58.00 80.00 6 59.00 86.00 7 55.00 83.00 8 54.00 82.00 9 53.00 84.00 10 52.00 79.00 11 51.00 74.00 12 50.00 34.00 13 49.00 73.00 14 48.00 79.00 15 48.00 73.00 16 46.00 74.00 17 45.00 20.00 18 43.00 9.00 19 45.00 24.00 20 43.00 30.00 21 39.00 31.00 22 35.00 75.00 23 31.00 73.00 24 30.00 68.00 25 28.00 64.00 26 26.00 63.00 27 27.00 64.00 28 24.00 78.00 29 21.00 99.00 30 20.00 95.00 31 22.00 92.00 32 24.00 84.00 33 25.00 40.00 34 26.00 43.00 35 26.00 34.00 36 24.00 76.00 37 17.00 74.00 38 18.00 73.00 39 19.00 38.00 40 15.00 20.00 41 14.00 9.00 42 13.00 24.00 43 10.00 22.00 44 9.00 21.00 45 8.00 10.00 46 60.00 30.00 47 59.00 48.00 48 58.00 39.00 49 57.00 30.00 50 58.00 29.00 51 59.00 21.00 52 55.00 20.00 53 54.00 19.00 54 53.00 18.00 55 52.00 17.00 56 51.00 29.00 57 50.00 30.00 58 49.00 31.00 59 48.00 75.00 60 48.00 73.00 61 46.00 68.00 62 45.00 64.00 63 43.00 63.00 64 45.00 75.00 65 43.00 73.00 66 39.00 78.00 67 35.00 80.00 68 31.00 86.00 69 30.00 83.00 70 28.00 82.00 71 26.00 84.00 72 27.00 79.00 73 24.00 74.00 74 21.00 63.00 75 20.00 75.00 76 22.00 73.00 77 24.00 78.00 78 25.00 80.00 79 26.00 86.00 80 26.00 83.00 81 24.00 82.00 82 17.00 84.00 83 18.00 79.00 84 19.00 74.00 85 15.00 63.00 86 14.00 75.00 87 13.00 73.00 88 10.00 78.00 89 9.00 80.00 90 8.00 86.00 91 34.00 83.00 92 34.00 82.00 93 35.00 84.00 94 36.00 79.00 95 38.00 74.00 96 29.00 34.00 97 41.00 73.00 98 40.00 79.00 99 37.00 73.00 100 36.00 74.00 1. What is the experimental hypothesis? Participants with higher naturally occurring levels of mindfulness were expected to experience lower levels of depression. 1 mark 2. Was the experimental hypothesis directional or non-directional? A- Directional B- Non-directional 1 mark C- Write the correct option here: Directional 3. Enter the data above into a new SPSS database. Use SPSS to create a scatter plot that shows the student’s attendance and final grade. Make sure that the graph complies with APA formatting. 5 marks 4. Use SPSS to run the appropriate statistical test to examine whether there was a correlation between participants levels of trait mindfulness and their levels of depression. Pearson Correlation = -0.152968399 The Pearson correlation coefficient computed above using SPSS indicates there is negative correlation between participants’ levels of trait mindfulness and their levels of depression. The negative correlation between implies if one variable increases, the other one will decrease (Kantowitz, Roediger, & Elmes, 2010). Thus, the correlation between participants’ levels of trait mindfulness and their levels of depression determined means level of depression has tendency of decreasing as level of mindfulness increases. 10 marks 100 word limit 5. What conclusions can you draw based on the results of the study? Refer to the hypothesis outlined in your answer. The experimental experiment hypothesis employed in the study was higher naturally occurring levels of mindfulness has lower levels of depression. However, the correlation coefficient between the two variables computed above indicates the two variables have a negative correlation. Consequently, the experimental hypothesis employed that higher naturally occurring levels of mindfulness has lesser level of depression is true. 10 marks 100 word limit 6. Identify one possible alternative explanation for the results of the study. One possible alternative explaining the results of the study is differing psychological scenarios facing the different students. Even though the level of mindfulness may be equal to different parties, the extent to which the mindfulness scenario causes depression differs depending on the psychological pressure an individual is facing (Grossman & Walfish, 2014). Thus, the depression by individuals facing equal mindfulness level will differ as reflected by lack of correlation in the study undertaken. 2 marks 100 word limit Section 2: Experimental Design & Interpreting Statistical Analysis RESOURCES All of the taught sessions from semesters one and two of introduction to research methods and the reading and resources provided within these sessions will help you to complete this section. ASSESSMENT EXERCISEs Read the following description of a fictional psychology experiment and answer the10 questions below in relation to this experiment. A researcher wants to investigate the impact of level of task difficulty on individuals’ perceptions of the passage of time. All participants were given 4 minutes (240 seconds) to complete a crossword puzzle. Forty participants were randomly assigned to four conditions: group 1 completed a very easy puzzle, group 2 completed a somewhat easy puzzle, group 3 completed a somewhat complex puzzle, and group 4 completed a very complex puzzle. All participants were asked to estimate the length of the task after completion. The researcher then investigated whether the groups differed in terms of the amount of time they thought had passed whilst completing the task (in seconds). 1. What is the experimental hypothesis? The experimental hypothesis of the study is level of task difficulty impacts on individual’s perception of the passage of time. 1 mark 2. Was the experimental hypothesis directional or non-directional? a. Directional b. Non-directional 1 mark Write the correct option here: Non-directional 3. What was the independent variable or variables? Task difficulty 1 mark 4. What was the dependent variable or variables? Time passage 1 mark 5. At what level was the dependent variable measured? A - Nominal B - Ordinal C - Interval D - Ratio 1 mark Write the correct option here: Ordinal 6. Did the experiment use a between groups or within subjects design? A - Between groups B - Within subjects 1 mark Write the correct option here: Between groups 7. Identify one confounding variable and explain how this variable could impact on the results of the study. One of the confounding variables in the present study could be the distribution of the gender between the male and female in each of the group. The gender distribution is a confounding variable because different genders have differing perception towards the difficulty of a task and the time consumed in completing a task (Mason & Suri, 2012). Consequently, the confounding variable has the potential of affecting the statistical data by influencing the average result of each group depending on the majority gender. 2 marks 100 word limit 8. Enter the following demographic data for the participants into an SPSS database. Group Age Sex very easy 25.00 female very easy 23.00 male very easy 24.00 male very easy 18.00 female very easy 19.00 female very easy 19.00 male very easy 21.00 male very easy 20.00 female very easy 24.00 female very easy 25.00 male somewhat easy 22.00 male somewhat easy 23.00 female somewhat easy 18.00 female somewhat easy 19.00 male somewhat easy 21.00 male somewhat easy 18.00 female somewhat easy 19.00 male somewhat easy 19.00 male somewhat easy 18.00 female somewhat easy 21.00 male somewhat complex 23.00 male somewhat complex 19.00 female somewhat complex 22.00 female somewhat complex 25.00 female somewhat complex 24.00 male somewhat complex 25.00 male somewhat complex 22.00 female somewhat complex 23.00 female somewhat complex 18.00 female somewhat complex 19.00 female very complex 21.00 female very complex 18.00 female very complex 23.00 female very complex 24.00 male very complex 25.00 male very complex 22.00 female Use SPSS to complete the following descriptive statistics; (i) the mean, standard deviation and range of the ages of participants in each group and (ii) the number and percentage of males and females in each group. Report these demographics in a table that adheres with APA format. Descriptive Time Std. Deviation Age Range Male percentage Female Percentage very easy 21.8 2.699794 7 50% 50% somewhat easy 19.8 1.813529 5 60% 40% somewhat complex 22 2.538591 7 30% 70% very complex 22.16667 2.483277 7 33% 67% 5 marks 100 word limit 9. The researcher conducted an ANOVA test and post hoc comparisons to examine whether there was a significant difference or not between the conditions or groups in the experiment. The results of these tests are outline below: Descriptive Time N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error 95% Confidence Interval for Mean Minimum Maximum Lower Bound Upper Bound very easy 10 206.80 32.062 10.139 183.86 229.74 139 240 somewhat easy 10 187.40 25.374 8.024 169.25 205.55 153 230 somewhat complex 10 172.60 49.094 15.525 137.48 207.72 98 266 very complex 10 109.60 32.215 10.187 86.55 132.65 37 147 Total 40 169.10 50.425 7.973 152.97 185.23 37 266 Test of Homogeneity of Variances Time Levene Statistic df1 df2 Sig. .596 3 36 .622 ANOVA Time Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig. Between Groups 53086.800 3 17695.600 13.825 .000 Within Groups 46078.800 36 1279.967 Total 99165.600 39 Multiple Comparisons Dependent Variable: Time Bonferroni (I) Group (J) Group Mean Difference (I-J) Std. Error Sig. 95% Confidence Interval Lower Bound Upper Bound very easy somewhat easy 19.400 16.000 1.000 -25.27 64.07 somewhat complex 34.200 16.000 .237 -10.47 78.87 very complex 97.200* 16.000 .000 52.53 141.87 somewhat easy very easy -19.400 16.000 1.000 -64.07 25.27 somewhat complex 14.800 16.000 1.000 -29.87 59.47 very complex 77.800* 16.000 .000 33.13 122.47 somewhat complex very easy -34.200 16.000 .237 -78.87 10.47 somewhat easy -14.800 16.000 1.000 -59.47 29.87 very complex 63.000* 16.000 .002 18.33 107.67 very complex very easy -97.200* 16.000 .000 -141.87 -52.53 somewhat easy -77.800* 16.000 .000 -122.47 -33.13 somewhat complex -63.000* 16.000 .002 -107.67 -18.33 *. The mean difference is significant at the 0.05 level. Report the results of these tests in adherence with APA format. The study conducted using the statistical results demonstrated above indicated the level of a tasks difficulty influenced the opinions of individuals towards the time consumed in completing the given task. In deriving, the finding, the research employed four groups under differing task difficulties. Furthermore, the responses given by the different groups have been put under statistical test to ensure it is reliable (Pelham & Blanton, 2012). Accordingly, the results derived from the study demonstrated the more difficult a task is, the higher the time the participants thought it passed. 10 marks 200 word limit 10. What conclusions can you draw based on the results of the study? Refer to the hypothesis outlined in your answer. The experimental hypothesis of the study is level of task difficulty impacts on individual’s perception of the passage of time. Accordingly, the statistical results derived above demonstrates the higher the difficulty of a task is, the higher the time in seconds the students believe the passage took. The observation is reflected in the descriptive results. Consequently, the experimental hypothesis argument is supported. 10 marks 100 word limit Section 3: Which Test? RESOURCES All of the taught sessions from semesters one and two of introduction to research methods and the reading and resources provided within these sessions will help you to complete this section. However, the following session will be particularly helpful: Which stats test? ASSESSMENT EXERCISEs Read the information about each of the ten fictional research studies outlined below. For each study identify which type of statistical test you would use to analyse the data collected in the experiment. Unless stated otherwise, assume the data are normally distributed and show homogeneity of variance. Please select a statistical test from one of the following tests you covered in the introduction to research methods module: repeated measures t-tests, independent measures t-tests, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Mann-Whitney U-test, chi-square goodness of fit, chi-square test of association, Pearson’s r, Spearman rank, one-way independent ANOVA, and one-way repeated measures ANOVA. Study 1: 1. Which test? (2 marks) Chi-square test of association Study 2: 2. Which test? (1 mark) Repeated measures t-tests Study 3: 3. Which test? (1 mark) Mann-Whitney U-test Study 4: 4. Which test? (1 mark) Independent measures t-tests Study 5: 5. Which test? (1 mark) Spearman rank Study 6: 6. Which test? (1 mark) One-way repeated measures ANOVA Study 7: 7. 7. Which test? (1 mark) Independent measures t-tests Study 8: 8. Which test? (1 mark) One-way independent ANOVA Study 9: Independent measures t-tests 9. Which test? (1 mark) Independent measures t-tests Study 10: 10. Which test? (1 mark) One-way independent ANOVA Section 4: Conducting & Interpreting Qualitative Analysis RESOURCES The following taught sessions and the reading and resources provided within these sessions will help you to complete this section: Qualitative methods 1- data collection Qualitative methods 2- data analysis Qualitative vs. quantitative research methods ASSESSMENT EXERCISEs The following page outlines a qualitative research study and provides excerpts from an interview transcript. Read the information about the study and the transcript provided and then answer the following two questions in relation to this study. 1. Use thematic analysis to analyse the excerpts from the interview transcript on the next page. Write a short results section reporting the results from this analysis. Your analysis should include at least two themes and you should use quotations to support your themes. The study interview transcripts reflect significance of support groups in helping individuals facing depression problem. One of the themes in the interview transcript on the significance of support group is the ability of restoring confidence on individuals facing depression. A number of the participants indicate they have been able to regain confidence due to the support group they have been involved in. “It did. I suppose, you know I wasnt conscious of it, but I suppose, it gave me back confidence in my skills, that I hadnt lost them.” The statement by one of the participants demonstrates how support groups are beneficial in helping people with depression to restore their normal life. The extent of the participant in regaining confidence is crucial in the recovery process. Similarly, the interview transcript demonstrates support groups are crucial in helping persons with depression to feel a sense of belonging and association. The participants interviewed indicated they have been able to regain their association and belonging feeling by going through the support group compared to therapy session with the therapist. “But in this group I felt that we were more equal, you know because we all had gone through the same thing, so I felt almost an immediate bond, if you like, with all those people though Id never met them before.” The statement by one of the participants reflected in quote above depicts how the support group help enhancing relationship and interaction of people with depression. Consequently, the interview transcript has been able to demonstrate the significance of support group to persons with depression. 15 marks 500 word limit 2. What conclusions can you draw based on the results you outlined above? Refer to the research question outlined in the study information in your answer. The research question employed in collecting the responses of the participants revolved around discovering why support groups are beneficial to individuals with depression. Thus, the thematic analysis undertaken above on the transcript interview between interviewer and participant reflects support groups are critical in enhancing the social welfare of persons with depression. The analysis discovers the support groups the persons with depression have gone through have been able to help them to regain personal confidence and interaction with others. Consequently, the study finds support groups are beneficial to individuals with depression in regaining their normal life. 10 marks 100 word limit References Grossman, L. R., & Walfish, S. (2014). Translating psychological research into practice. New York, NY : Springer Publishing Company. Kantowitz, B. H., Roediger, H. L., & Elmes, D. G. (2010). Experimental psychology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Mason, W., & Suri, S. (2012). Conducting behavioral research on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Behavior research methods , 44 (1), 1-23. Pelham, B., & Blanton, H. (2012). Conducting Research in Psychology: Measuring the Weight of Smoke. Boston, OH: Cengage. Read More