Reporting Psychological Investigations

Question 1

● Name one section of a scientific report.

Answer 1

Abstract

Question 2

● What is the purpose of an abstract in a psychological report?

Answer 2

To give an overview of the study

Question 3

● What does an abstract contain?

Answer 3

A summary of the study’s aims, hypotheses, method, results and conclusions

Question 4

● How many words is an abstract usually?

Answer 4

150-250 words

Question 5

● What is the purpose of the introduction section?

Answer 5

Gives background on relevant theories and studies

Question 6

● What does the introduction end with?

Answer 6

The aims and hypotheses of the research

Question 7

● What is the method section for?

Answer 7

To give a detailed description of what the researcher did

Question 8

● Name one thing included in the method section.

Answer 8

Sampling method

Question 9

● What is the purpose of the results section?

Answer 9

To present the overall summary of the findings

Question 10

● What does the results section contain?

Answer 10

Descriptive statistics, tables and graphs

Question 11

● What is discussed in the discussion section?

Answer 11

Findings, possible uses, future research

Question 12

● What is the purpose of referencing in a report?

Answer 12

To give details of articles or books mentioned

Question 13

● How do you reference a book in a report?

Answer 13

Author’s last name, first initial (date). Title. Place: publisher

Question 14

● What is peer review?

Answer 14

Independent scrutiny of research by psychologists in a similar field

Question 15

● What is the purpose of peer review?

Answer 15

Acts as a ‘gatekeeper’ to filter out flawed or unscientific research

Question 16

● What is the first section in a psychological report?

Answer 16

Abstract

Question 17

● What goes after the introduction in a psychological report?

Answer 17

Method

Question 18

● What comes after the results section in a report?

Answer 18

Discussion

Question 19

● What is included in the referencing section?

Answer 19

Details of any other articles or books mentioned

Question 20

▲ What does the method section need for replication?

Answer 20

Enough detail for replication of the study

Question 21

▲ Name one thing that must be included in the procedure of the method section.

Answer 21

Exact order of events or standardised instructions

Question 22

▲ Why is descriptive statistics presented in the results section?

Answer 22

To summarise findings instead of raw data

Question 23

▲ Why is a discussion section important in a scientific report?

Answer 23

It discusses findings and implications for future research

Question 24

▲ Why is referencing necessary in a psychological report?

Answer 24

To give credit for original sources

Question 25

▲ What should be discussed about atypical data in the discussion section?

Answer 25

Whether it affects the hypothesis or findings

Question 26

▲ Why does the introduction describe previous research?

Answer 26

To explain how aims and hypothesis developed

Question 27

▲ What does the equipment section of the method include?

Answer 27

Details of materials and apparatus used

Question 28

▲ What does the ethics section of the method include?

Answer 28

Significant ethical issues and how they were dealt with

Question 29

▲ What is the purpose of qualitative examples in the results section?

Answer 29

To show examples of themes or categories found

Question 30

▲ What should the discussion compare results to?

Answer 30

Other results or studies in the introduction

Question 31

✪ Describe what referencing an article should look like.

Answer 31

Author name - date - title of article, journal title, volume, issue number, page numbers.

Question 32

✪ Describe what referencing a book should look like.

Answer 32

Author’s last name, followed by first initial (date). Title of book. place of publication: publisher

Question 33

✪ Explain how referencing maintains scientific standards.

Answer 33

Purpose - To give details of any other articles or books that are mentioned in the research.