Background

The two assignments in this course involve doing research and writing parts of it for publication. You are going to be presented with a brief scenario describing some research. Data derived from the research are also provided. Your task is to specify for each scenario how the link between theory and experiment has been made (by answering some simple questions) and then to write a brief and simple Results section in APA style, then a brief Discussion of those results.

The expectation I have is that you will have completed at least one and probably two statistics courses, so you should have the required knowledge and should be able to use it. The level of stats in the assignment is equivalent to that covered in Data Analysis / Research Methods A.

In your statistics courses, you would have been introduced to the concept of variables, particularly independent variables (IV) and dependent variables (DV). Most experiments in psychology are primarily concerned with theoretical constructs and testing those theoretical constructs requires that theoretical variables are operationalised or made concrete in some manner, so that measurement may occur, and data may be collected.

Psychological experiments test the operational variables and the results obtained using the operational variables are then used to infer something about the theoretical constructs. In the first part of each of the two scenarios, I want you to demonstrate your understanding of the linkage between theoretical variables and operational variables in a very explicit manner. I will ask you some questions about the methodology that force you to do this.

Fundamentally, these assignments evaluate your thinking (cognition) around research - as well as continuing research skill-building (specifically, generating Figures (graphing data) and writing up experimental results. Although the assignments assess APA writing and Figure construction, they are essentially a thinking exercise - so be wary about making assumptions.

Because these assignments involve writing a Results section, you are going to have to carry out some statistical tests. The type of test that you do will be determined by the research question as well as the types of operational variables you adopt. Most often variables can be classified as either continuous or categorical. If both IV and DV are categorical, a different test is required from situations where both are continuous - and a different test again is required when one is categorical and the other is continuous. To help you decide what type of test is required I will ask you questions about the type of measurement used. You will need to think carefully about the variables, and their operational forms, in order to work out which test(s) to use in your analyses.

Assignments 1 & 2
The object of this assignment is to get people thinking about the way in which we do research in Perception and Cognition.

For both assignments, you will be presented with the "bare bones" of an experimental scenario. You will need to think about the scenario's purpose and rationale, as well as the variables, how they are operationalised from theory into the experimental Method, how they are integrated into one or more hypotheses about the expected results, and how the collected measurements will be managed and statistically analysed to either provide support for the hypotheses, or not. The above objectives (Theoretically) are transposed into tasks (Operationally) as follows:

Objective 1: Identify theoretical variables and operationalise them. (Questions 1 to 5)

Objective 2: Form (and test) Hypotheses. (Questions 6 and 7)

Objective 3: Provide statistical support by conducting appropriate tests. (Questions 8 and 9) Objective 4: Describe and display the Data and Results appropriately. (Results/Figures) Objective 5: Interpret the results in terms of the original scenario/literature. (Discussion)

Assignment

Refer to the assignment background and objectives, including the worked example. For the following scenario, answer the questions below as instructed, then write (under the APA style heading Results) a results section, then (under the APA heading Discussion) a few brief statements discussing your findings.
Questions about each variable:

1. What is the theoretical form of the variable?
2. What is the operationalised form of the variable?
3. Is this variable Independent, Dependent, or something else (specify)?
4. Is this variable Continuous, or Categorical?
5. If it is Categorical, describe the levels.

Questions about each experiment:

6. What are the hypotheses of the study in terms of the theoretical independent and dependent variables? (Depending on the study, there can be one or more hypotheses.)
7. What are the hypotheses of the study in terms of the operational independent and dependent variables?
8. What statistical test is appropriate for each hypothesis?
9. If there are two or more groups of participants, are the groups independent or dependent?

Scenario

As our population ages, and people's average lifespan increases, it becomes more and more important to examine how people age cognitively, and how the known effects of age on cognitive functioning can be minimised or reversed (page 101).
The effects of ageing are often seen in working memory task performance, particularly in tasks involving attentional control. On page 103, the use of training to improve executive functioning in older adults is introduced - however the nature of an "improvement" can vary.

Obviously, practising one particular task will lead to improved performance on that task and its close relations (‘target training' and ‘near transfer'). When we want to improve overall functioning in older adults, however, the optimal outcomes involve ‘far transfer' - where the positive effects of a training programme can be observed and measured in unrelated tasks and situations.

You are writing an initial brief report about the results of a six-month study in cognitive training for 120 older adults, where four different groups undertook

different training programmes. Each group comprised 30 randomly assigned older adults, who were all measured on the same battery of daily living tasks at the beginning and end of the program. Each group met twice a week for an hour each time. Contact time, gender balance and other relevant variables were balanced across all four groups, they are assumed to be readily comparable.

One group learned a second language (Spanish), one group learned to play a musical instrument (Guitar), and one group practised a complex ‘n-back' task (two features, see page 104). None of the participants had prior experience with the tasks. A control group (Book Club) met for the same periods each week and discussed the books members had read. Each group had an expert teacher leading all sessions.

There are two experimental components in the study - firstly, to establish if the task measures from the treatment groups relate to each other (do they seem to be equivalent), and secondly to determine which task caused the greatest improvement in daily living skills.

Performance on the treatment group tasks was graded at the end of training on a scale from 0 to 100, and these grades were designed to be comparable across groups. The ‘Guitar' grade was based on the ability to play a set tune accurately. The ‘Spanish' grade was based on the ability to translate a passage of text accurately, and the ‘N-back' grade was based on the ability to perform multiple trials of that task accurately. Book club members were not graded.

The living skills measure was an index (LSI) based on the successful performance of several domestic tasks within a set time limit, its value could range from 0 to 25. Skills were measured at baseline (1) and again at completion of training (2).

Attachment:- Assignment-Objectives.rar