Journal Article Assignment

Your task is to locate a scholarly research report (not a theoretical review, letter to the editor, opinion paper, etc.) in one of the professional journals from the field of psychology, read enough of the report to answer the questions listed below.  Research reports are the published primary sources - reports by investigators explaining why they did their study, how they did their study, what they found, what they conclude, and what they intend to do in the future. A research report can usually be recognized by clearly labeled Method, Results and Discussion sections within the body of the paper.

I have listed below some of the professional journals in psychology which have research reports suitable for this assignment. On the library's website, clcik on "Library Catalog" and search the title of a journal to find its call number. Type carefully! Write down the call number of the journal (1 pt) below. You can use this call number to locate some journals in the basement of the library (turn right when you come down the library stairs and walk to back). Other journals are now available online.  Look through the articles in a journal for an interesting research report that you can make sense of. You may have to look at several issues to find one you like. Copy and print the first page of an appropriate (research report with a Method section) article (1 pt) or provide the full reference for the article. Read through the article, paying particular attention to the Method section,  so that you can answer the remaining questions.

1) Call number (1 pt):

2) Attach first page of article (1 pt) (or provide the full reference for the article)



3)What were the researchers interested in? What was their hypothesis or what research question were they trying to answer? (2 pts)



4) Who were the participants in this study (how many, what were their characteristics)? (2 pts)



5) How was the research conducted? (describe what they did) (2 pt)



6) Does this research fit one of the basic research methods we discussed (naturalistic observation, survey/questionnaire, case study of single individual, experiment, correlational research? Which? Why do you think so? (2 pt)



7) What did the researchers find? What were their conclusions? (2 pt)




* Beware of plagarism - write your answers in your own words, not those of the authors or those of a friend also doing this assignment.

Optional Extra Credit (3 pt):
From the library's homepage click on Databases A-Z, then click on P, and select PsycINFO (the database that keeps track of almost all published research related to psychology). Choose 2 of the keys terms describing the focus of your research article (e.g. memory and Alzheimer’s;  sex differences and mating). Type the 2 terms (with “and” between them) in the search boxes (type carefully!) and press “Search”.

What 2 terms did you search? _______________________________________________

What total number of "results" (references including these 2 terms) did PsycINFO find?  _____________

For one of the studies that popped up, click "add to folder". Then, at the top of the page, click on your folder now containing this reference and press print. Turn in this 1 page printout with your assignment to show that you successfully made use of the PsycINFO database to search for other sources on the same general topic.

Some suggested journals::
Behavioral Neuroscience (brain research in animals)
Cognitive Therapy and Research
Cross-Cultural Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Health Psychology
Infant Behavior and Development
Journal of Health and Social Behavior
Journal of Comparative Psychology
Journal of Clinical Child Psychology
Journal of Applied Psychology
Journal of Abnormal Psychology
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied
Journal of Comparative Psychology
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
Journal of Personality
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Journal of Social Psychology
Journal of Applied Social Psychology
Journal of Applied Psychology
Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
Journal of Counseling Psychology
Journal of Educational Psychology
Memory and Cognition
Perceptual and Motor Skills
Psychological Report
Psychological Bulletin
Psychology and Aging
Teaching of Psychology

This assignment is very similar to the paper alternative to participating in experiments. You may read and report on a published research study from the professional psychology journals to earn each credit that you need.