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3302 Written Assignment #1:

I. PREFACE

A. You will write an APA style manuscript for an experiment, using a data file that
was created in 2007. The SPSS data file was obtained from undergraduates’
attitudes from a survey that included items for a hypothetical scenario. The scenario
was about a kind of sex offender moving into a family’s neighborhood.

An independent samples, true experimental design was used, meaning that

participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 10 survey scenarios that were identical
except for the characteristics describing the new neighbor, e.g., 1 of 8 sex offenses, a
non-sex offender comparison, or a gay person as the new neighbor. The rationale
for including this as 1 of the 10 scenarios is that, until 2002, homosexual behavior
was considered a sex crime under Texas law.

B. To complete this study, you will have to:

1. Use PsychInfo and other academic data bases (your choice – JSTOR is a good one
for this assignment) to find relevant literature that you will cite in your paper.

*** For this assignment, FIND, CITE AND REFERENCE ONLY JOURNAL
ARTICLES, not books or webpages.

2. Perform SPSS analyses of the data file to test your hypotheses.

3. Pass the Student Ethics Certification ‘CITI’ course found on the sidebar of the
OSP home page http://www.txstate.edu/research/orc/humans-in-
research/training.html. Here is the direct CITI Ethics Training link:
https://www.citiprogram.org/default.asp?language=english
. This is worth 25 points for the print of your completion page that will be placed in
the Supplement of Assignment #1.

4. Write an APA style manuscript based upon your literature review and data
analyses.

II. ACCESSING AND ASSESSING THE SCIENTIFIC DATA BASE

Gain proficiency using electronic data for psychology (PsycInfo) for your technical
report manuscript.

A. USING PSYCHOLOGY DATA BASE – access the search engine PsychInfo on any
computer connected to the TXSTATE server, e.g., in the Psychology computer lab (Psy Room
316) or library, etc. Here’s how:

1. Go to homepage (txstate.edu)
2. Under quick links click – library –
3. Under ‘Resources”, Click – databases.
4. Under - databases by subject – click ‘Psychology’ –
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5. Scroll down to – PsychInfo– and click. Enter user name & password.
6. Type SEX OFFENDERS in window 1 and ATTITUDES in window 2: Oddly, PsychInfo does
not adhere to APA style in their citations!!!!!! I have rearranged the first one and placed it in
APA style as a good example for referencing a journal article in the style of the APA .
B. You may want or need to use other searches – JSTOR is a good one for this
assignment. The basic format is close to the same as for PSYCHINFO.

B. Instructions for saving background information about any topic.

1. Save your ‘hits’ using the ‘folder’. I prefer emailing hits to myself.

2. Download & Print the full text for each for the articles you select to read
for your literature review. I prefer to cut and paste my literature findings
into Word doc. That way, it is easier to first cut/paste material and to
transform into the paraphrases required for your manuscript .

.You may also want to use the word ‘practice’ or ‘order’ as the second key
word and perform additional searches. For some key words, adding the *
to your term hits all possible suffixes (inhibit* will capture inhibition,
inhibiting, inhibits, etc.) Also, check “linked to full text”.

Always check “exclude all 'Dissertation Abstracts” in your searches.

By looking at the titles and abstracts, check the ones of interest to you and
save and/or email yourself .

Select and SAVE the best PDF full- text of these articles. You will cite
the ones that you choose as references in your report (10 minimum
references in your paper).

C. WRITING A TECHNICAL REPORT IN APA STYLE.

1. Gain proficiency in technical report writing using APA style –

Much of the 6th edition is unchanged from the 5th. Any major differences
can be seen in the APA pdf, “SAMPLE EXPERIMENT”. USE THIS AS
THE TEMPLATE FOR YOUR PAPER!!!!

http://www.apastyle.org/manual/related/sample-experiment-paper-1.pdf

2. Since much remains the same in the new edition, here are SOME 5th
edition resources
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a. Chapter 14 of textbook as a template for your manuscript.

b. Use the ‘3302 APA Guide to technical report writing’ (Oberle, 2009)
under resources for style details. See TRACS RESOURCES FOLDER -
ASSIGNMENT #1.

c. Here is a useful link that provides more about technical details: OWL at
Purdue University: Using APA Format
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html

d. Here is a useful link for how to write your References:

http://www.crk.umn.edu/library/links/apa5th.htm

3. Many of you have never been called upon to write technical reports.
I would urge you to schedule an appointment with the Writing Lab located
in Flowers Hall. Provide your assigned tutor with:

a. a copy of your preliminary draft

b. a copy of these instructions for Assignment 1.

4. To help get you started here is the general template:

Page 1 - Cover page that includes Author Note at the bottom.

Page 2 – Abstract (maximum count of 150 words): 1-2 sentences introducing

general issue(s) and describing specific hypotheses that you propose to test;
1 sentence describing participants; 2-6 sentences describing method; 1-2
sentences describing statistics, including test name, df, M, SD, f and p
values ; 1-2 sentence describing results; 1-3 sentences for
discussion/conclusion.

Page 3 – ‘Body’. Begin page 3 with the centered title. See Chapter 14.
Introduction – Based upon the articles that you reviewed, include at least
6 in your introduction. paraphrase the literature & state what was
presented in your review of the past research. After you review the literature,
conclude by stating the general purpose and relevance of your study, and
the specific hypotheses that you will examine. Excellent transition
sentences and flow of ideas are important.
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Method - in separate subheadings describe: the Participants e.g.

characteristics of sample population – number of subjects, site/location, age,
sex and ethnic frequencies; Materials and Procedure - the step- by-step
description of how the study was conducted.
Results - You remember statistics, right? Include test name, df, M, SD,
f and p values in this section.
Discussion – The first sentences will describe the nature of your study
and a general sentence or two about the resuts. How is your finding
connected to past literature - be sure and add citations here, some that may
not have been used in the introduction and some citations from your
introduction are used here).
Next, describe at least one problem with the possible interpretation of
your results and a means to remedy the problem. Describe how this research
is directly related to future research or application making a further possible
contribution to the science data base on future Stroop research. Use
transition sentences, APA style and well-written discussion
*NEVER conclude your discussion with the cliché, “More research is
needed in this area” That goes without saying. Stating this= –10 points.
References - In APA style, cite a minimum of 10 references that you
accessed in your intro and discussion. Make sure that the articles in the
reference section are the ones that you cited in the body of your manuscript.
If you don’t cite it, don’t reference it. To obtain full credit, be sure and
attach the first pages of your citations Appendix A, Part B.
Table 1. Make sure you have accurate caption & x/y axes labels.
Figure 1. (with a separate title caption page). END-FIN-DONE!

***14 PAGE MANUSCRIPT ***14 PAGE MAXIMUM from start (cover

page) to finish (Table/Figure) 12 font Times New Roman, double-spaced,
1- inch margins top, bottom, left and right margin. 60 pts-see score sheets
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3302 - How to write Assignment #1 – some general guidelines.

HINT 1: AS YOU PERFORM SPSS DATA ANALYSES, CUT AND PASTE THE

OUTPUT FILES TO A WORD DOC. THAT WAY, YOU CAN ACCESS THE

RESULTS WITHOUT NEEDING A COMPUTER WITH SPSS SOFTWARE ON IT.

HINT 2: Where to go for APA style

See APA Publication Manual 6th edition 2009.

http://www.apastyle.org/manual/related/sample-experiment-paper-1.pdf
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As of today, that is all the website support!

HINT 3: WRITING THE MANUSCRIPT

Abstract- 150 or fewer words (cut and paste from body and add transitions)

Body - Page 3 Title (Centered) Line 1 then (Body) Begin broadly by describing the

issues found in your literature review and narrow introduction to the last paragraph

where you will state the rationale, reason for this study and the specific hypotheses

that were tested. The hypotheses are stated at the end of the introduction, just before

the next section, Methods.

Method

Particpants

Describe specific characteristics of this sample including who they were and why

they participated. NOTE: The participants were Texas State University students

enrolled in various undergraduate psychology courses at Texas State University in

Fall 2007. They participated for extra points in their classes. You will also need to

determine the number of men, women and sample age mean and sd that can be

found by using the SPSS data file.

Materials and Procedure

Briefly describe the survey instrument. SEE TRACS RESOURCES

WRITTENASSIGNMENT #1 Folder.

Procedure. The participants were randomly assigned to 1 of these conditions: NOTE:

List the different categories here. For your list, you may cut and paste from survey

instrument.

Results

Restate hypotheses “These hypotheses were examined” –.

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State the statistics and tests that were used: “_________ statistical test was used

to determine significance with p < .001.”

In the Results section, refer to Figure 1 “As shown in Figure 1….”

In the Results section, refer to your Table 1: “Results including various M s, SD s

are shown in Table 1.”

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Here are 2 hypothetical examples for text of results sections. Note that they do not apply

to this study : (Example 1) The 12 participants in the high dosage group had an average

reaction time of 12.3 seconds (SD = 4.1); the 9 participants in the moderate dosage group

had an average reaction time of 7.4 seconds (SD = 2.3), and the 8 participants in the

control group had a mean of 6.6 (SD = 3.1). The effect of dosage, therefore, was highly

significant, F(2,26) = 8.76, p=.012.

(Example 2) The cell sizes, means, and standard deviations for the 3x4 factorial design

are presented in Table 1. The main effect of Dosage was marginally significant (F[2,17]

= 3.23, p = .067), as was the main effect of diagnosis category, F(3,17) = 2.87, p = .097.

The interaction of dosage and diagnosis, however, has highly significant, F(6,17) = 14.2,

p ≤ .0005.

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INCLUDE ANY POST-HOC COMPARISONS. State any ‘post-hoc paired

comparisons’. Briefly summarize them. Post-hoc paired comparisons showed that

_____ condition differed from ___________ conditions (state p. values and other

statistics needed to describe the post-hoc data analysis).

Discussion

- Begin by describing the nature of this study and by very briefly describing results.
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- Describe how this finding is related to past literature CITE MORE REFERENCES

- Discuss problems as suggested improvements!

Separate page - REFERENCES (USE APA STYLE): You should have the 10

references you cited in your paper. Use only journal articles!

Separate Page FIGURE

Separate Page TABLE: An easy way to create tables & figures is by using Word 2007 or

above. See the doc - how to create Tables, Figures using Word. They may also be created

using Excel.

Remember to label the x & y axis of the Table. Remember the Figure has a separate

Figure Caption page placed before the Figure.

***Print & Place these score sheets (both pages) in front of Cover Page. 1!

______________________________ YOUR NAME HERE (Print/Type).

V. SCORING SHEETS.
___ (2) Cover Page
___ (4) Abstract - 150 word max. intro, hypotheses, method, results, fin
Introduction
___ (5) Overall organization. Have you organized themes and introduced
information so the reader feels they have read good, coherent story?
___ (5) Find & use 10 citations in the Introduction and Discussion
sections - You will cite, describe and integrate past research both in
your Introduction and in your Discussion. In the Discussion, you may
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reintroduce citations from the Introduction, and/or add a few new

citations in the Discussion section. There are 10 total citations
(minimum) cited in the text. You also reference them in References.
___ (2) At the end of the Introduction, state the hypotheses
___ (10 TOTAL) Method: (3) Participants, (6) Materials & Procedure.
___ (4 TOTAL) Results: Report means, standard deviations, statistical test
& various associated values, p value, degrees of freedom, depending
on the specific statistical test used.
___ (10 TOTAL) Discussion as follows:
(2) Restate (simply) the results.
(2) Is this consistent with past literature? Cite at least 1 or more
articles in your discussion. You may have already cited it in the
introduction, or you may add 1 or more citations in the Discussion,
bringing your required minimum number of citations/references to
ten (10).
(2) Possible Problems with this study.
(2) Ways to remedy problems or improve this experiment.
(2) Conclusion (speculate why Stroop occurs, why our area of study
is of interest & future directions/applications for use of the Stroop.
___ (5) References- 10 minimum use APA style
___ (2) Table 1
___ (2) Figure 1-be sure and provide captions & labels
___ (10) Other Grading Considerations!
____ Overall correct use of APA style,
____ Well-written sentences
____ Excellent use of transition between points
____ SUBTOTAL FOR MANUSCRIPT (60 possible points)

Supplement 1 –INCLUDE AFTER YOUR MANUSCRIPT.

_√__ page 1 “Supplement for: Title”

____ page 2 (5 points) A print of your manuscripts’ introduction and discussion

TURNITIN SCORE (Required). YOU MUST OBTAIN AT LEAST A GREEN BAR
FOR THE SCORE.

NOTE: CREATE A SEPARATE WORD DOC WITH ONLY YOUR

INTRODUCTION AND DISCUSSION SECTIONS FOR YOUR TURNITIN
EVALUATION.

____ page 3 (5 points) Becoming more proficient at text paraphrasing.

Place a print of your, ‘3302 paraphrasing Ogletree’ summary as shown at
turnitin.com.
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____ page 4 (25 points) Ethics certification print for Student Research
Minimal Risk. Place this in Appendix, page 4

To complete CITI Human Research Ethics module and save/print certificate

email. To accomplish this objective:
1.Go to URL:
http://www.txstate.edu/research/irb/irb_training.php
2. Be certain to register for the module **Student Research - Minimal Risk .
3. Complete the course. Print completion document and place it as page 4.

____ page - (5 points) –SPSS output pages (the ones showing statistics that were
performed) . Be sure to copy/paste the SPSS output to a saved Word doc for
your future reference!!!!!!

Supplement, Part B – ***The signed and marked-up preliminary draft MUST be

attached in Part B for you to receive Assignment #1 Grade***

__√__ (REQUIRED) Peer review of a preliminary draft. Have a peer or the Writing
Lab tutor read and sign the first page your preliminary draft. Label “preliminary draft” at
top of page 1.
You must improve your preliminary draft. If you submit identical preliminary and
final drafts, deduct 20 pts.

___ SUBTOTAL FOR APPENDIX 1 (40 possible points)

____ (60) YOUR TOTAL GRADE FOR APA Style Manuscript

____ (40) YOUR TOTAL GRADE FOR SUPPLEMENT 1
____ (100) YOUR TOTAL GRADE FOR WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT
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