Psychology 443

Regression Analysis

Simulated Research Project

The research project will consist of planning a hypothetical research study, analyzing simulated data, and presenting the research results. Students will work in small groups to develop a research topic and a research plan. The members of the group will be responsible for creating simulated data and analyzing the data. Each student must individually submit (a) a proposal for the project that includes specific hypotheses and a hypothetical research plan that would adequately test those hypotheses (15 points) and (b) a summary of the final results of the project in the form of a poster (35 points). Due dates for these components will be announced in class well in advance of the due date.

Part 2: Poster (35 points) Due no later than 4:30 p.m. on Monday, May 7 by e-mail to jhkahn@ilstu.edu

You are required to create an electronic poster using Microsoft PowerPoint or a similar graphics program. This poster will be like a poster that may be presented at a conference. Specifically, the poster summarizes the research study you simulated. This poster must be submitted as an email attachment.

Required elements of the poster are:

  • Title of the study and your name. The names of other members of your research group are not needed.
  • Introduction section that briefly provides background into the problem being studied (including citations when appropriate) and states the purpose/rationale of the study, the research questions, and the specific hypotheses.
  • Method section that reports the number and characteristics of the participants, a description of variables and how they were manipulated/measured, the sampling method, and the procedure used to collect data.
  • Results section displaying descriptive statistics of variables with clearly communicated and accurate results of hypothesis tests in APA style. Multiple regression and its variants (e.g., anything covered in the second half of the course) must be used to test at least one hypothesis.
  • Conclusions/Discussion section interpreting the meaning of the results, answering the research questions or hypotheses described in the Introduction, stating at least one limitation of the study, and providing at least one sound idea for future research.
  • At least one table or figure describing results.
  • A references list as needed.
  • In addition to these separate elements, the poster as a whole must have good conceptual flow, be well-integrated across sections, and be free of spelling, grammar, and mechanical errors.
  • The poster should be 36" high by 48" wide, and the font size should be at least 22 pt.

Collaboration: Each student is required to create her or his own poster, although members of the same research group may have similar ideas on their posters. You may discuss ideas with your classmates, but the work you submit must be your own. If substantial overlap is found between two or more posters, each of those posters will receive a 0 on this assignment. It is permissible for you to use wording from your own proposal for this poster.

Grading: Grading of this poster will be based on the above criteria for inclusion. Of course, not only is each element above required, but it must be done well. Arguments should be persuasive and complete, and this includes citations when relevant. The Introduction, Method, and Discussion sections will receive approximately equal weight when graded. The Results section (including the figure or table) will be given slightly more weight given that data analysis is the primary focus of this class. Problems with writing style, flow, organization, spelling/grammar/mechanics, and APA style will reduce the poster’s grade.

Part 1: Proposal (15 points) Due date: February 13 (or earlier if you choose)

Each student is required to type a proposal for his or her proposed research study. The proposal may be no more than 4 double-spaced pages (1,000 word maximum). Your proposal must include the following sections:

1. Statement of Need and Purpose: Describe the problem to be studied, the significance of the problem, and the purpose of the planned study. Try to present a reasoned argument for why this study would be useful. It may be helpful to include one or more references to support the need for the research and/or define the problem being studied, but an extended literature review is not necessary. Suggested length of Section A is one page.

2. Research Questions and Hypotheses: State the research questions and hypotheses in as much detail as possible, and present a brief rationale for each hypothesis. At least one hypothesis must be tested with a regression-based analysis with three or more variables (e.g., multiple regression, test of mediation, test of moderation, path analysis), so think statistically when generating hypotheses. Be specific about naming variables in your hypotheses and specifying the direction of any hypothesized relations among variables. Remember that hypotheses are specific predictions, not open-ended questions. Suggested length of Section B is one page.

3. Methodology: This section contains many elements. Note that this study will not actually be conducted, so feel free to plan an ideal methodology study with no practical constraints. First, describe who the sample would be, how the sample would be recruited, the projected size of the sample, and how representative this sample would be of the population. In this section discuss how coverage error and sampling error would be minimized. Second, describe the method of operationalizing/manipulating/measuring each variable of interest. In this second section address how measurement error would be minimized. Third, describe the procedure for collecting data. In this latter section discuss how non-response error would be minimized. Suggested length of Section C is two pages.

Style: Neither a cover page nor abstract is required, but a reference list is. All other guidelines of APA style must be followed. Please use a font size of 12 and margins of 1", and double-space the paper.

Collaboration: Although students work in groups to plan the study and generate the simulated data, each student is responsible for her or his own written proposal. Members of the same research group may or may not have similar hypotheses. You may discuss ideas with your classmates, but the paper you submit must be your own. If substantial overlap in wording is found between two or more papers, each of those papers will receive a 0 on this assignment.

Grading: Grading of this proposal will be based on the following criteria:
• The purpose of the study is clearly described and reasonable given the significance of the problem to be studied
• The research questions and hypotheses are clear, detailed, logical, and testable
• The methodology is sound, it would lead to the hypotheses being tested appropriately, and it is explained comprehensively and with good detail
• The three sections of the paper are well integrated (e.g., the measurement of all variables in the hypotheses are described)