Research Report: Assignment 2

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Topic Overview: In this assignment, you will be analysing and interpretingHuman Computer Interaction the results of research seeking to investigate whether using diagnostic labels to describe childhood mental health conditions impacts how these children are perceived. Additional background information is posted in the Assessments folder on Discussion Board.

We will analyse the data related to this research question in Weeks 9 and 10 of semester. In the online material for Week 9 of semester you will see that key elements of Research Report writing are described. For this assignment we will focus on the title page, abstract, research question and hypotheses, results and part of the discussion sections that are typically included in a research report.

Formatting Requirements: The body of your Partial Research Report should be no longer than FIVE pages (this does not include the title page, abstract, reference list, appendix, or figures), and presented according to the requirements of the APA (7th edition) Publication Manual (e.g., Times New Roman 12pt font, double line spacing).

Content requirements: Your decisions regarding the content of each section should be guided by the requirements outlined in the APA (7th edition) Publication Manual, relevant lecture material, and the relevant sections of your textbooks. However, in brief, your report should contain the following sections:

  1. Title page (5 Marks): The APA Publication Manual provides recommendations for a good title, as well as strict formatting requirements for a title page. These recommendations should be followed.
  2. Abstract (5 Marks): An abstract is a brief yet comprehensive summary of the entire research report. It should outline the topic under investigation, as well as key participant characteristics, methods, findings, and conclusions. It should be no longer than 120 words.
  3. Research Question and Hypotheses (10 Marks): You are not required to provide a review of relevant literature, or to write a complete introduction section for this report – the focus of Assignment 2 is on your ability to correctly analyse and interpret data. However, a good

introduction will conclude with an overall Research Question and Hypothesis/es. You are required to present:

  • A research question that captures the overall intention of the study
    1. One Hypothesis that can be tested using a between groups design with only two groups.
    • One Hypothesis that can be tested using a repeated measures design with three or more groups.

Note. These will be discussed in further detail in the Computer Labs in Weeks 9 and 10. It is strongly recommended that you attend these Computer Labs to give yourself the best chance at success.

  • Method (20 Marks): This section describes the methods used to collect the data for hypothesis testing. It should be divided into four subsections: Design, Participants, Materials, Procedure.
    • The Design section outlines the basic research design, and clearly identifies your independent and dependent variables. This section is typically no longer than a few sentences. You may have to address the design for each hypothesis separately.
    • The Participants section describes the sampling method used in the study, as well as the size and demographic characteristics of the final sample. It should also specify the number of participants in each group or condition if applicable, and whether anyone dropped out of the survey or was excluded from the final sample (along with reasons, if known). For this assessment, you will also be required to report the results of two separate a priorpower analyses using G*Power to identify the minimum number of participants required for the analysis for Hypothesis One and then for Hypothesis Two. Both analyses can be reported using the conventional alpha level of

.05, power level of .80, and a medium effect size. Note. remember that you are conducting an a priori analysis and not a retrospective sensitivity power analysis!

  • The Materials section should describe the measures and/or tasks that participants were asked to complete, and the procedures used to collect data. If you have run any ‘manipulation checks’, they typically get reported here rather than in Results. In many journal articles you will find that the researchers discuss the reliability and validity of their measuring instruments. As we have not covered these topics yet, you are not expected to address them in your research report.
    • Finally, the Procedure section should present a description of whether the study had ethics approval, how data collection was carried out and should provide enough detail to permit replication. Essentially, this section should walk the reader through the study from the perspective of the participant. What were participants required to do, and in what order? How long did this procedure take? There is no need to repeat information

already provided in the Materials section here, and consequently this section is usually no longer than a short paragraph.

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