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Discipline of Psychological Sciences
PSYC1012 Psychology: An Evidence-Based Approach 1
Lecturer: Professor John Reece ( XXXXXXXXXX)
Assessment 2 (25%) – DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY SHORT
ESSAYS
A 2000 word document (not including references) submitted via Turnitin (my.acap), by
midnight Sunday 7 April 2019.
Task Description
For this assignment you are required to answer four short essay questions on general design
and methodological issues. Under no circumstances should any single answer be more than
500 words long (approximately one standard A4 page), and you must provide a word count
at the end of each answer. Some questions may require a longer answer than others, and
don’t feel as though you have to write 500 words for each answer—that is the absolute
maximum. Please answer the questions in full text form rather than by using bullet points
and other summarising methods. All reference material must be cited and referenced in
co
ect APA style. Feel free to cite websites, but if you do so, reference and cite them
co
ectly.
Essay Questions
1. “The scientific method provides the best way to answer questions, explain causal
elationships in nature, and test the effectiveness of treatments.” Do you agree with
this statement? Take a position on this question. In answering this question, make
sure to contrast the scientific approach with one of the non-scientific methods of
knowledge acquisition that were discussed in lectures, perhaps in the context of a
eal or hypothetical research question.
2. What is the best design for an intervention study, and why? Describe a hypothetical
intervention study and outline how you would design such a study. Make sure that
you describe all of the essential features of the design that you choose.
3. Why are reliability and validity such important principles in psychological
measurement? Make sure you clearly define both terms in your answer. In
answering this question, consider a scenario where an important decision is made
about a person on the basis of a psychological test. Why would reliability and validity
e important in this situation, and what might be the consequence of using a test
with poor psychometric properties?
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4. “When—if ever—is deception acceptable in psychological research? Describe the
ethical principles that support your position. Give an example of the use of
deception in psychological research (either real or fa
icated) to illustrate your
answer and support your view.”
Due Date and Extension Policy
The assignment is to be submitted at the end of Week 9 (that is, Sunday 7 April 2019 by
midnight). Upload your completed report as a single Word document ONLY to the online class
space.
Marking Guide
Each essay will be marked out of 10, and the grade out of 40 will then be weighted to give a
final grade out of 25, which is the contribution of this assignment to your final mark for the
unit. Essays will be assessed taking into account the following aspects:
The quality of writing, including presentation, grammar, spelling and expression. The
essays are to be written in objective, scientific style, and all citing and referencing must
e in APA style.
The quality of reference material, and how that reference material has been used in
answering the question, and in support of the argument.
The strength, logic and consistency of argument.
The extent to which the essay has answered the question.
The extent and accuracy of appropriate knowledge and understanding relevant to the
topic being addressed by the question.
The structure of the essay, including the balance of information; that is, has the right
amount of material been provided for each element of the essay question.
The following overall guidelines will sit atop these criteria when assigning a final grade for
each essay:
HD Outstanding work in terms of originality, understanding, interpretation and
presentation.
DI A very high standard of work which demonstrates originality and insight.
CR Demonstrates a higher level of understanding and presentation.
PA Satisfies the minimum requirements for content and presentation.
F Fails to satisfy the minimum requirements of content and presentation.