| Instructions | |
| Step 1: Read the tips from the UMGC library on “Finding Experimental (Empirical) Research Articles.” Pay special attention to the sections on “Scholarly Research Articles” the “Structure of An Experimental Article” (I did this step there’s a review at the below the instruction on this )
Step 2: Using the UMGC Library electronic databases, find an article published in the last seven (7) years in an APA journal with a focus on Personality (e.g., Journal of Personality and Social Psychology or Personality and Personality Disorders). The article should describe, specifically, an experiment or empirical study by the researchers. This means that the researchers conducted a study that contains easily identifiable independent and dependent variables. (Do not select meta-analyses, summaries, editorials, or theoretical articles. It is your responsibility to make sure that the journal article you select is appropriate. If you are unsure about the relevance of your article, contact your instructor for approval.). (I did this step choose one of the PDF file ) Step 3: Read the article starting with the Title and Abstract, which will give you a quick preview of the purpose and results of the article. Step 4: Read the Introduction. Highlight the purpose of the article and the author’s hypothesis (e.g., what was studied, what the authors predicted, and why they found the topic worthy of study). Pay attention to the context provided for the research (i.e., what research has been done previously in the field? what issue or problem is this study trying to address?) Step 5: Read the Methods section. Note the description of the participants and any tests, surveys, questionnaires, apparatus, or other materials that were used. Pay particular attention to the details involved in the experimental procedure. How were the variables manipulated or measured? Recall that the Independent Variable (IV) is the variable that is manipulated by the research (i.e., whether the room is hot or cold (if that is the variable of interest) or whether participants are given a placebo, shown any type of media or other stimuli, given talk therapy, or instructed to take medication (if that is the variable of interest). Remember that the Independent Variable is what was different about the experiences of the different groups. Recall also that the Dependent Variable (DV) is that variable that is measured, or, the outcome of the study (i.e., test performance or lessening of depressive symptoms). Step 6: Read the Results. Try not to get intimidated by complex statistical analysis. Instead of focusing on the numbers, focus on the short descriptions that accompany the findings explaining what the researchers found (i.e., Did the researchers find evidence that supports their hypothesis?) Step 7: Read the Discussion. Pay special attention here to what the authors say about the importance of their findings or the lack of findings. Think about other things you could do to look at this issue. Step 8: Prepare a 2 to 3 page summary of the article in your own words. Be sure to address the following questions in your summary: ·What is the purpose of the research? (Address specifics regarding the overall purpose of the research in question.) ·What hypothesis is tested? (Provide a clear statement of the researchers’ prediction.) ·How did the researchers investigate their research question? (Provide details regarding the study methodology.) ·What are the pertinent results of the manipulation? (What were the findings and conclusions drawn?) ·What is your personal opinion of the study conducted? Should it be repeated? What could be improved? ·What is your overall impression of the work? What are the implications of the study for the practice of counseling psychology? Your summary should be written as a coherent essay (do not format as a list of answers to these questions). You may include additional insights in your analysis, but you must address these key issues. Step 9: Prepare your Article Review according to the following guidelines: Structure your paper utilizing APA Style; this includes title page, headers, subheadings, in-text citations, reference page, and general paper format (1-inch margins, double-spaced, 12-point font, etc.). An abstract is not required. |
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Grading Rubric criteria
| Introduction – Study Relevance/Purpose ~ The student shows a strong understanding of the research questions and the research findings presented in the article. | Identifies an article presenting a highly relevant experiment to personality psychology. Provides an insightful, detailed summary of the study’s purpose and hypothesis tested. Article within last 7 years. |
| Method ~ The student critically examines aspects of the study (demand characteristics, external validity, selection of subject population) | Provides an insightful, detailed summary of the participants and methods used to perform the research (e.g., sample population/size, variables, procedures) |
| Results and Conclusions ~ The student discusses the results and conclusions made; mentions at least one critical dilemma in the study (ethical/socio-cultural) | Clear statement of the main results of the study. Detailed, insightful explanation/discussion of the researcher’s conclusions. |
| Personal Statement/ Takeaway ~ The student explains the strengths, weaknesses, and benefits of such research and future trends | Meaningfully examines the positive and negative aspects of the research. Critical / creative analysis details ideas of how the research might be improved or expanded. Comprehensive statement regarding the implications of the research. Thoughtful overall impression of the study. |
| APA Format | Flawless use of APA style (title page, structure, headings, subheadings, references, etc.) |
| Scientific Literacy | Demonstrates skillful use of high-quality, credible, relevant sources to develop ideas that are appropriate for personality psychology |
| Critical Analysis | Information is considered critically, stated clearly and described comprehensively; analysis delivers all relevant information to demonstrate full understanding |
| Written Communication | Uses graceful language that skillfully communicates meaning with clarity and fluency, and is virtually error-free |
How Can I Find Experimental (Empirical) Articles?
Many of the recommended databases in this research guide contain scholarly experimental articles (also known as empirical articles or research studies). Search in databases like:
Because those databases are rich in scholarly experimental articles, any well-structured search that you enter will retrieve experimental/empirical articles. These searches, for example, will retrieve many experimental/empirical articles:
- caffeine AND “reaction time”
- aging AND (“cognitive function” OR “cognitive ability”)
- “child development” AND play
Scholarly Experimental Articles
To conduct and publish an experiment, an author or team of authors designs an experiment, gathers data, then analyzes the data and discusses the results of the experiment. A published experiment or research study will therefore look very different from other types of articles (newspaper stories, magazine articles, essays, etc.) found in our library databases.
In fact, newspapers, magazines, and Web sites written by journalists report on psychology research all the time, summarizing published experiments in non-technical language for the general public. Although that kind of article can be interesting to read (and can even lead you to look up the original experiment published by the researchers themselves), to write a research paper about a psychology topic, you should, generally, use experimental articles written by researchers.The following guidelines will help you recognize an experimental article, written by the researchers themselves and published in a scholarly journal.
Structure of a Experimental Article
Typically, an experimental article has the following sections:
- Abstract
- The author summarizes her article
- Introduction
- The author discusses the general background of her research topic; often, she will present a literature review, that is, summarize what other experts have written on this particular research topic
- Methods
- The author describes the experiment she designed and conducted
- Results
- The author presents the data she gathered during her experiment
- Discussion
- The author offers ideas about the importance and implications of her research findings, and speculates on future directions that similar research might take
- Literature Cited
- The author gives a References list of sources she used in her paper
Look for articles structured in that way–they will be experimental/empirical articles.
Also, experimental/empirical articles are written in very formal, technical language (even the titles of the articles sound complicated!) and will usually contain numerical data presented in tables.
Because experimental/empirical articles are written in technical language by researchers for other experts like themselves, the articles can be very hard to understand. However, if you carefully review the introduction, results, and discussion sections, you will usually be able to understand and use one or two main ideas that the author is trying to get across, like why their experiment is important, and what results they discovered.
