PSY10008 Fundamentals of Psychology Research Methods Assignment

Word Count: 800 words

Weighting: 35% of final mark

Due Date: Sept 7th, 2026

Overview and Learning Objectives

This assignment will develop your understanding of the research methods that researchers use to investigate psychological questions. You will also gain first-hand experience of the role of a research participant by taking part in psychological research studies.

For this assignment you will complete five (5) credits worth of research via the Research Experience Program (REP). You will select two (2) of your completed studies as the focus of your 800-word research methods report. You are strongly encouraged to choose studies that employ two different research methods because the variety in methodology will give you more material to discuss.

A number of resources are available to help you with this assignment:

• Lecture in Week 1 on research methods.

• Chapter 1 of your Lilienfeld et al. text.

• Tutorials in Week 2 (research methods)

• The debriefing statements for the studies include key information about the purpose of the study and the method used with key variables described (as such, you must save these documents as you complete studies).

Further instructions for completing this assignment are provided in the section of this handout titled Requirements and Grading Guide.

Essential details

• Due 11.55pm Monday of Week 6 (September 7th).

• Submission is electronic. You must submit a single file through Canvas using Turnitin.

• Your assignment must not exceed 800 words.

o Word count does not include title page, references, appendix, or the summary table.

o Markers will not mark material that exceeds the word count.

• Your assignment MUST include the REP Summary Table provided on Canvas.

• In an appendix you must include the debriefing forms from the two studies you discuss in your report.

• This assignment is worth 35% of your final PSY10008 mark (see breakdown of marks below and in associated rubric).

• Please see your unit outline for more information about extensions and late penalties.

Requirements and Grading Guide

For this assignment you will complete five (5) credits worth of research via the Research Experience Program (REP), submit a completed Research Experience Program Summary Table, and write an 800-word Research Methods Report about two (2) of the studies you completed.

The assignment submission must contain the components listed below and will be assessed according to the descriptions provided.

1. Assignment Title Page

Mark: Not marked, but mandatory for submission.

The title page should include the title (Research Methods Report), your name, your tutor’s name, the word count for your assignment, and the assignment due date. See the Findlay & Kaufman (2019) writing psychology book and/or the sample on Canvas for a template of what your title page should look like. You also MUST include the following statement acknowledging your understanding of the University’s assessment policy and procedures:

"I declare that in submitting all work for this assessment I have read, understood and agree to the content and expectations of the assessment declaration."

2. Research Experience Program Summary Table

Mark: Worth 20% of assignment mark, which is based on your participation in research studies. Each one (1) credit of research participation is worth 4%, and you must complete at least two (2) different REP studies to fulfil the assignment requirements. To obtain the full 20%, you must participate in at least five (5) credits’ worth of REP studies.

In this table you will provide the details of all REP studies you participated in, including title, number of credits, and whether the study was conducted in a lab (e.g., on campus) or online. In the last column of the table you must indicate which two studies are the focus of your research methods report.

3. Research Methods Report

Mark: Worth 70% of assignment mark. (Please see the rubric for the mark breakdown.)

Within the report, you must provide the title of the two studies you are discussing. For each of the selected studies, you will:

o describe the purpose of the research, o identify and explain the research method used (e.g., experimental, correlational),

o explain the types of measures used in the study (e.g., quantitative, self-report),

o discuss how the method and measure(s) are (or are not) appropriate for their intended purpose (i.e., to answer the research question), and o consider the advantages and limitations of the research method and/or measures.

When explaining the research method, please be sure to include sufficient detail to demonstrate your understanding of that method within the context of the study.

o For example, if the researchers used an experiment, you should identify the independent variable(s) (IV) and dependent variable(s) (DV), and then relate them to the purpose of the study.

o As another example, if the researchers used a correlational study, you should identify the variables whose relationship the researchers are interested in, identify the predictor and outcome variables (if relevant), and relate them to the purpose of the study.

o Please note: For some studies, the research method might not be obvious. For example, if a researcher identifies a variable as an independent variable, it does not necessarily mean that she has conducted an experiment. You need to consider the information provided in the debriefing statement and your own participation in the study to determine the research method used in the study. You should not contact the experimenters to ask for extra information beyond the debriefing form.

How do I choose which studies to write about?

If possible, choose two studies that use different research methods (e.g., experiment, quasi-experiment, correlational study, survey) and/or types of measures (e.g., quantitative or qualitative measures; self-report or behavioural measures) to give you more opportunity to demonstrate the extent of your research methods knowledge and to prevent repetition when evaluating the research methods used in the studies. However, if all the studies you participated in used the same method, try to focus on different strengths and weaknesses in the studies you write about.

How should I structure this report?

You may choose to write this report in whatever way you find most appropriate. For example, you may choose to write two separate reports (one for each of the selected studies), you may choose to write one report (with separate sections for each of the selected studies), or you may choose to write one report that discusses the studies together. When deciding how to present the information, you should ensure that your arguments are clear and easy to follow.

4. References, Appendix, & Style

Mark: Worth 10% of assignment mark.

You must include the debriefing forms from the two studies in an appendix. You do not need to include all of the debriefing forms for the studies you participated in— only those two that are discussed in your report.

Your assignment must be written in APA 7th format.

• You must include a reference list at the end of your assignment in APA format. You can cite journal articles and/or textbooks in this assignment.

• Your citations and references should match (i.e., if you cite something in the report, it should appear in the reference list, and vice versa).

• Your report should be written clearly, be free of grammatical and punctuation errors, and use APA referencing style.