Anatomy of an Article P152 Week 4. Three types of articles Reports of empirical studies Literature...
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Transcript of Anatomy of an Article P152 Week 4. Three types of articles Reports of empirical studies Literature...
Three types of articles
• Reports of empirical studies
• Literature reviews/meta-analyses– Statistical reviewing procedure that uses data
from many similar studies to summarize and quantify research findings about individual topics
• Theoretical articles
Evaluating an Article
• How well do the study’s authors achieve their goal?
• Important because we rely on previous articles in preparing our own experiments
Evaluating an Article
• Must ask questions relating to:– Purpose– State hypotheses– Design– Measurement strategy– Statistical analysis– Conclusions
Evaluating an Article
Helgeson, V. S. (1994). Long-distance romantic relationships: Sex differences in adjustment and breakup. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 20, 254-265.
Informal Discovery: Page 1
• Title: identifies main focus of study– Fun/playful? Or Formal/technical?– Does it pique our curiosity?
• Journal: where article is published– Mission which may influence how research is
presented?– Sponsored by psychological association?– Peer-reviewed journal?
Informal Discovery: Page 1
• Author: who wrote the article– University, agency or business affiliation
• Author’s notes– Funding– Acknowledging other contributors– Correspondence address– Results presented elsewhere
Group Questions: Informal Discovery
• What do you think of the title?
• Is there anything special about the journal?
• What do you know about the authors?
Abstracts
• Give overview of all main points of article– Study purpose– General research strategy– Findings– Conclusions
• Helpful in a literature search; a good abstract should give enough information to help us decide whether we want to read the article or not.
Group Question: Abstract
• From the abstract – what are the– Purpose– Research strategy/design– Findings– Conclusions
Of the study??
Introduction: What and Why
• Overview of problem addressed– Clearly Stated!
• Rationale for study developed– Review of relevant theoretical and empirical
literature
• Ends with a summary of research questions/hypotheses
Group Questions: IntroWhat and Why
• What is the general purpose of the study?
• What problem is being studied?
Introduction: Literature Review
• Build argument for why study is necessary– Origins of research question
– Do cites provide good support for study?
– Will this make a contribution to the field?
Group Questions: IntroductionLit Review
• Review the background literature and answer:– What kind of articles are described?
– Can you tell from the literature why the authors are doing the study?
– Is the study important?
Introduction: Hypotheses
• Some studies test hypotheses
• Some studies do not have hypotheses– Explicit research question/goal– Researchers did not know what to expect
• Presented at the end of the intro
• Accompanied by a rationale
Group Questions: IntroductionHypotheses
• State the research question/hypothesis
• Does the research question/hypothesis follow logically from the literature review?
• Is there a clear rationale for the hypothesis?
Method
• How the study was conducted– Major detail (replication by another)
• Sample studied– How recruited– Appropriate for answering question
Procedures
• How study was implemented
• Mention of conditions– Symbolic– Non-symbolic
• General research strategy
• Controls to eliminate threat to validity
Group Questions: MethodProcedures
• Were the procedures used appropriate?
• Would you have used this methodology? If not, what would you have done?
• Was there a control group within this study?
Procedures: Operational Defs
• Evaluate how the dependent variable is measured
• Find out how the independent variable is operationalized
Group Questions: MethodProcedures
• What was the dependent variable and how was it operationally defined?
• What was the independent variable and how was it operationally defined?
Results
• Describe statistical analysis– Evaluate – correct?
• Present tables and figures– Evaluate – correct?
• Findings clearly presented?
Group Questions: Results
• What were the overall findings?
• Were the study finding clearly presented?
• Can the results be used to answer the research question?
Discussion
• Discussion of whether hypothesis was supported by the data
• Point out limitations of study
• Place study in the “larger body of knowledge” – theoretically speaking
Group Questions: Discussion
• What do the study findings mean for theory?
• How do the study findings build upon previous research?
• Are there any limitations addressed by the authors? Any limitations you might see?
• Does this article lead to new research questions? How could these be answered?
Discussion
• General implications
• Benefits to society
• Use of results outside psychology
• As a reviewer – you must pull together your review of specific components into an overall evaluation.
Group Questions: Discussion
• What is your overall evaluation of this study?
• Would you recommend this article to someone interested in gender differences regarding romantic relationships?