PSYC 200 Week #4

PSYC 200Week #4Formal & APA Language Guidelines and Basic Research Methods

http://www.ubalt.edu/

Agenda Attendance Assignments due Language guidelines (grammar) Basic Research Methods


Assignments Recap Single article summary Gramlich ch. 7-8 APA ch. 3


POP QUIZ http://tinyurl.com/25llyft

https://docs0.google.com/document/edit?id=1l7NnPGgleQVM72t5BMsI1k9oK2dvYLdF64V71K16YK8#

http://tinyurl.com/25llyft

http://tinyurl.com/25llyft

https://docs0.google.com/document/edit?id=1l7NnPGgleQVM72t5BMsI1k9oK2dvYLdF64V71K16YK8





APA LANGUAGE STYLE GUIDELINES


Quick APA Language Guide Word choice and usage – the right word in the

right place Removing bias Grammar / Punctuation


Common phrases Avoid these!!

Feel, believe, think, prove, stated, wrote, said Replace with:

Hypothesize, conjecture, reason, support, found, suggested

Quick APA Language Guide – Word Choice / Usage


Avoid Wordiness Clear & Concise Write like a poet

Make every word count Avoid unnecessary transitions Say what you want to using one word instead of

two Say it with one word rather than two Say it with one word, not two



Informalities and Slang No contractions—ever! No colloquialisms

Sky-high, bright idea, and the like others?



Using Conjunctions Correctly Since vs. Because

Andrew has been excited about going to the zoo since last Thursday.

The dog salivated because Pavlov rang the bell. While vs. Although

Although I enjoy watching baseball on television, I would rather be at the stadium.

While Jack cleaned the garage, Mary dusted the living room. Or vs. Nor

The girl was allowed to have either a piece of candy or a sticker. Neither the doctor nor the nurse could find the patient’s chart.



Referring to People Do not use “You” to refer to the reader. Do not use “We” to refer to general groups or

society.

Use “One” If one chooses to engage in criminal activity, then one

must be ready to accept the consequences.

One should not equate correlation with causation.



Me, myself, and I Can you use first person?

YES!! Use the appropriate first person pronoun

when referring to yourself or the author(s) of your paper.

Consider using passive voice I gave the survey to 70 participants Seventy participants received the survey



They All Sound the Same... They’re, There, and Their

They’re going to the store this afternoon. (contraction = they are)

I just returned from Dublin, have you ever been there? (place, direction)

Their house is white with blue shutters. (possession)

To, Too, and Two Kent is moving to Massachusetts. I want to go too. He is taking his two dogs with him.



They all sound the same... It’s and Its

It’s Jake’s birthday today. (It is) Its hair was matted and mangled. (possession)

Whether and Weather It does not matter whether or not Mandy stays for dinner. The weather is supposed to be cold and damp.

Then and Than Men are more likely than women to watch UFC. The students were instructed to clear their desks then begin the

examination.



Often Forgotten..... Who vs. Whom

Who is the person with the white lab coat? With whom did you leave the key?

Who vs. That Individuals who study, often find exams to be easy. Companies that give employees better benefits have higher

productivity. The vase that broke is in the cardboard box. Times when..., Places where...

Affect vs. Effect Psychology students often learn about the Hawthorne effect. Amy wants study how energy-drinks affect performance and

cognitive ability.Quick APA Language Guide – Word Choice / Usage


Anthropomorphizing Do not give human traits or abilities to

inanimate or non-human objects/creatures.

Do not write The article shows...

Instead try...Deci and Ryan indicate The research explains...

Instead...Pavlov explains



Removing Bias One must be conscientious of how individuals

and groups are identified. Do not over generalize Gender bias Racial/Ethnicity bias Mental health or disability status Age

Quick APA Language Guide - Bias


Sexist Language When referring to an object that could be

either male or female (e.g., a participant, a client, etc.) you MUST not exclude a gender.

For example, “When a therapist begins a session, she introduces herself first.”

Try, “…the therapist introduces his or herself…” “…self-introductions come first…” Or: Make it plural “When therapists begin

sessions, they introduce themselves first.”Quick APA Language Guide - Bias


Irregular Plurals

Data

Datum

Singular Plural

Phenomenon

Phenomena

Hypotheses

Hypothesis

Quick APA Language Guide - Grammar


Irregular PluralsSingular Form

Child Mouse Foot Offspring Formula Datum Stimulus Index Hypothesis Criterion

Plural Form Children Mice Feet Offspring Formulae Data Stimuli Indices Hypotheses Criteria



Abbreviations That is…

Study for your class; that is, if you don’t want to fail. Study for your class (i.e., if you don’t want to fail)

And so on… Notes, books, pencils, etc.

For example… For example, students in PSYC200. …(e.g., students in PSYC200).

And other people (things) [used when have many authors] …was found (Johns, et al., 2002).



Dirty Grammar They’re always there to hurt their grade

their, there, and they’re Plural possessives

Individual, individuals, individual’s, and individuals’

Pronoun shifting Someone cannot be a they



Parallel Construction Each statement must be able to stand alone and still be

grammatically correct.

The student is required to read 30 pages of text, write a report, and memorize a list of vocabulary words. to read to write to memorize



Dirty Grammar Make ‘em parallel

My experience with psychology is mostly from attending classes, working with children, and to read books.

If you can’t pull it apart, then it ain’t parallel ..from attending classes ..from working with children ..from read books



Dirty Grammar – Comma use I expect to gain much experience in this class, and hope to

find out a direction for my career. I expect to gain much experience in this class hope to find out a direction for my career

I expect to gain much experience in this class, and I hope to find out a direction for my career. I expect to gain much experience in this class I hope to find out a direction for my career

Mostly, whenever possible, use, or otherwise utilize, a comma on introductory phrases At that time, I wanted to be a counselor



Resources for help The ALC – writing center

(410) 837-5383 [email protected] www.ubalt.edu/alc

Your peers Your texts

Quick APA Language Guide

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.ubalt.edu/alc


APA SCAVENGER HUNT


INTRO TO RESEARCH METHODS


Research Methods There are 6 basic categories of scientific

method that virtually all research falls intoResearch

Non-Experimental Experimental

Naturalistic Observation Quasi-Experimental

Survey

Relational Research

Field Study Experimental


Research Methods –Naturalistic Observation Addresses most basic scientific question:

“What is out there?” Requires operational definition of events to be

observed Observer must be unobtrusive, and

design must be nonreactive


Research Methods –Field-Based Research Like naturalistic observation, conducted in

real-world settings Goal is to establish natural relations among

events Observer must be unobtrusive, but methods

are intentionally reactive


Research Methods –Survey Research Appropriate to the study of private behaviors Two primary styles:

Interviews (structured/unstructured) Questionnaires (structured/unstructured)


Research Methods –Relational (Correlational) Research Goal to verify systematic (usually linear)

relations among events Strengths/directions of relations

generally expressed in form of correlation coefficient (rxy)


Research Methods –True Experiment Goal: to establish a cause-effect relationship

among events Does low-fat diet cause decrease in cancer risk? Does exposure to violent video games cause

increase in violent behaviors? Does spaced study cause increase in memory

accuracy and retention? Do genetic variations cause sexual preference?


Research Methods –True Experiment Requires:

random assignment of participants to at least two equivalent conditions

manipulation of one factor (independent variable, or IV) in one condition (experimental), leaving it unchanged in other condition (control)

measurement of one other factor in both conditions (factor called dependent variable, or DV; measurement instrument called dependent measure, or DM)


Research Methods –True Experiment Concludes:

if groups are NOT equivalent with respect to DV, and

if the difference between the groups is so big it probably did not happen by chance, then

manipulation of the IV caused the difference in the DV


Research Methods –Quasi-Experiment Goal also to establish cause-effect relations

among events Required when random assignment is not

possible, because must use pre-existing groups, or IV impossible to manipulate directly, or IV unethical/illegal to manipulate directly


Research Methods Review Name 6 categories of scientific research


Review and Next Steps Review Next week assignments

APA Practice Test #1 Reading

Editorial style (the minutiae)


Documents

PSYC 200 Week #4