RESEARCH STUDY PROPOSAL due: March 14 th , 2011 proposal idea due midnight on February10 th Assignment [35% of final grade]: Create a research study proposal for an experiment in the area of social...

RESEARCH STUDY PROPOSAL
due: March 14^th, 2011
proposal idea due midnight on February10^th
Assignment [35% of final grade]:
Create a research study proposal for an experiment in the area of social psychology of attitudes. The final product should be anywhere from 5-8 pages, typed, double-spaced, 12 pt. font (times new roman). Page limit does not include title page or references. You do not need an abstract. It CAN be double sided.
A) Study Proposal Introduction 25%
Intro - You will be required to find, photocopy, read, and review at least five EXPERIMENTAL research papers that pertain to the phenomena you wish to study. You of course can use non-experimental papers, in addition to the 5 experimental papers. The purpose of the introduction is to inform the reader of the existing studies and evidence concerning your proposed area of research. It also sets the groundwork for potential methodologies (how the study was conducted) that you may want to consider when designing your own study procedure. Good literature reviews usually start by 1) introducing a topic generally, 2) then stating some confirmatory evidence of the phenomena to be studied, 3) then stating some contradictory or ambiguous evidence or a separate line of research, 4) then stating the areas where evidence is lacking, and finally, 5) stating the general question to be answered with this study and the specific hypotheses to be tested. The introduction is NOT a summary of all the articles; rather, it discusses the relevant points of studies relevant to your topic.
Hypothesis/Predictions – After stating the general question that your study is trying to answer, state the specific hypotheses or predictions that you have towards the independent variable(s) you are manipulating and the dependant variable(s) you are measuring.
B) Method 40%
Participants – List the proposed population you wish to study, the sample size, sampling procedure and any specific characteristics about participants in your study (e.g., all male; psych100 students; mass testing).
Materials – List all materials you will need to do your study (e.g., anxiety scales, computer programs, access to marketing records, taste test challenge videotapes, etc. . . be realistic but USE YOUR IMAGINATION!).
Procedure - This section should explicitly state in as much detail as possible how you plan to actually perform the study. Here you will need a detailed layout of exactly what will happen to a participant from the moment they arrive to the moment they are debriefed about the study before leaving. Detail is important as other researchers may want to try to test your claims and replicate your study if there are interesting results. You may want to include Appendices with scripts of what will be said to participants or examples of what participants will experience (this will not be necessary for all studies). Try to explain the procedure in a clear and simple way that seems logical and realistic.
C) Predicted Results/Discussion 25%
This should include a brief conclusion to state how you believe the study will turn out (predicted results) and what would be interesting about that if it did. Also, a discussion that states how you believe the results of your study would be of interest/impact the theory and other researchers, the population you are examining, and the general public. Future directions should be addressed in this section.
A REFERENCE section should be included at the end (on a separate page) listing all articles, books, and other media used as a resource for the paper. (5%)
Remember APA 6 style! (5%)