Designing and Reporting Experiments in Psychology

Overview

This book will help undergraduate psychology students to write practical reports of experimental and other quantitative studies in psychology. It is designed to help with every stage of the report writing process including what to put in each section and recommendations for formatting and style. It also discusses how to design a study, including how to use and report relevant statistics. As such, the book acts both as an introduction and reference source to be used throughout an undergraduate course.

Key features of the new edition include:

• New pedagogy. Website icons within the text reference an enhanced website, www.openup.co.uk/harris, and ‘Common Mistake’ icons highlight common errors students should avoid. Statistics icons make reference to two key statistics books* where students can find more detailed information. A further icon indicates the presence of relevant commentary at the end of the book for more advanced students
• Discussion of how to write up different forms of quantitative study and report relevant statistics
• Improved self-testing. There are diagnostic questions (with answers at the end of the book) as well as fifty self-assessment questions within the text to aid student learning. Chapters in part two contain a list of methodological and statistical concepts covered that will help students to consolidate their knowledge
• A completely revised section on how to find and cite references plus current information on how to cite electronic references, incorporating the new APA guidelines
• Advice on the ethics of conducting research on the Internet

* The statistics books referenced are SPSS Survival Manual 3/e by Julie Pallant and Learning to Use Statistical Tests in Psychology 3/e by Judith Greene and Manuela d’Oliveira, both published by Open University Press. However, this book is designed for use with any statistics textbook.

Table of contents

Preface

To students
How to use this book
To tutors
Part 1: Writing reports
1 Getting started
2 The INTRODUCTION Section
3 The METHOD Section
4 The RESULTS Section
5 The DISCUSSION Section
6 The TITLE and ABSTRACT
7 REFERENCES and APPENDICES
8 Producing the final version of the report

Check list for report writing
What the marker's looking for
Mistakes to avoid

Part 2: Design and statistics
9 Experiments, correlation and description
10 Basic experimental design
11 Statistics: significance testing
12 Statistics: effect size and power

13 More advanced experimental design
Commentary

Recommended reading

Appendix 1 Confusing predictions from the null hypothesis with those from the experimental hypothesis

Appendix 2 Randomizing

Appendix 3 How to use tables of critical values of inferential statistics

Answers to SAQs

Answers to diagnostic questions

References

Index of Concepts

Biographical note

Peter Harris is Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Sheffield. Previously, he has worked at the universities of Sussex, Hertfordshire and Nottingham. He collaborates with colleagues at the universities of British Columbia, Pittsburgh and Maastricht. His principal research interests are in social and health psychology.